Guide
Most first enquiries produce a quotation nobody can use. A brief that works takes ten minutes.
"What is your price for a custom laptop?" is not a question a supplier can answer, and any supplier who answers it anyway is guessing. Seven items determine the answer, and all of them sit with the buyer: the market, the platform, the quantity, the changes, the sample, the in-hands date and the shipping destination. Send those at once and you get a platform, a configuration, two dates and a list of what is included.
When a brief omits the intended market, the volume band or the changes you want, the supplier has three options and none of them are good. They can reply with a range so wide it cannot be budgeted, usually quoting the cheapest possible configuration so the number looks attractive. They can reply with a list of questions, which costs a round trip and often two. Or they can quote against an assumption you never agreed - which is the worst outcome, because it looks like a firm figure until somebody confirms the specification.
None of this is a supplier problem. The information that determines price sits with the buyer, and a supplier cannot infer any of it. Sending the seven items up front typically removes a full round of correspondence and produces a number that survives contact with production rather than one that has to be replaced once the specification is confirmed.
Every item below changes the answer, which is why it is worth sending all of them at once rather than in sequence.
| What to send | Why it changes the answer |
|---|---|
| Target market and channels | Determines which compliance documentation the platform needs, and which keyboard and language configuration ships |
| Platform you are considering, or the job it must do | Sets screen size, processor tier, and whether the machine converts or stays open on a desk |
| Quantity for the first order, and the quantity you expect to repeat | The single biggest driver of the per-unit figure, and of whether a change is available at all |
| The changes you want, in order of importance | Separates cosmetic changes from engineering changes, which are quoted and scheduled differently |
| Sample required before committing, and when | Identifies whether an evaluation unit is available and the separate preparation and approval schedule |
| In-hands date for the first sellable batch | Decides whether an in-stock configuration is the right route for this order |
| Who the invoice and shipping documents go to | Determines what has to be prepared alongside the hardware |
Read the list as a sequence rather than a checklist. Market and channel come first because they constrain the platform; quantity comes second because it constrains what can be changed. Buyers who start from the price instead of from the market tend to end up re-quoting, because the price is the last thing that becomes knowable rather than the first.
MOQ depends on the exact model, configuration, materials and branding process. Selected available standard configurations may be quoted from one unit for evaluation. Around 100 units for a stocking batch and 1,000 units for a custom programme are planning references, subject to quotation. S18D is bulk-only with no evaluation samples. Selected available China-stock configurations typically dispatch in 2-3 business days after stock, payment and order details are confirmed. Overseas stock, coverage and transit depend on the exact model and address. Sample preparation and production are quoted separately; dispatch is not an arrival guarantee.
Treat evaluation, stocking batches and custom programmes as separate routes with model-specific requirements. Test the exact model and build where an evaluation unit is available. A sample of a different model does not approve an S18D bulk order. A batch quantity alone does not establish branding feasibility or stock availability.
Separate hardware price, setup charges, recurring packaging or localisation costs and freight. More units can share one-time setup costs, but component prices, configuration and delivery terms still affect the quote. State first-order and repeat expectations, and compare the cost breakdown on the same basis.
Confirm the product and battery transport documents for the exact model, board, battery and destination before order approval. Availability and applicability must be checked for the ordered build; another model’s documents do not automatically apply. Name the intended selling countries, ordered model, battery and proposed shipping mode so missing evidence can be reviewed before approval.
Name the countries rather than the region. A brief that says Europe is harder to quote than one that says Germany and Italy, because the answer changes with the market. If you plan to sell into several markets from one stock holding, say so, because it affects which configuration is the sensible one to hold. Since documentation for your destination market is provided before you order rather than after, raising it in the first message costs nothing and saves a re-quote later. The compliance and market adaptation matrix sets out how the requirement changes by destination.
A usable quotation records the exact model and configuration, quantity, supported changes, sample or bulk-approval evidence, one-time and recurring charges, document scope, payment terms and quotation validity. Ask for preparation, production, dispatch and transit as separate milestones, with the conditions that start each stage.
Ask which artwork, keyboard, packaging or firmware tasks have separate setup costs and MOQ requirements. Confirm what can be reused on a repeat order and what needs renewed validation. Custom enclosure and mainboard tooling are not offered.
For repeat orders, request the available model-specific supply window, approved build reference and process for approving component, firmware or appearance changes. A frozen specification does not establish a universal 24-month availability guarantee. Review the repeat-order checks before scheduling another batch.
Some requests should come back as a no, and it is worth knowing which before you brief. We do not offer custom enclosures or tooling for a new chassis. Changing the outside of the machine beyond colour, finish and printing means a new mould, and that is not a service we provide at any quantity, so a brief that depends on a unique shell will not be quoted however large the order is.
Logo, keyboard, packaging, software and boot-artwork requests require review of the selected model, quantity, materials and process. Each may have separate minimums, setup costs, approval steps and preparation time. Custom enclosure and mainboard tooling are not offered. Selected available China-stock configurations typically dispatch in 2-3 business days after stock, payment and order details are confirmed. Overseas stock, coverage and transit depend on the exact model and address. Sample preparation and production are quoted separately; dispatch is not an arrival guarantee.
It is also worth being sceptical of a per-unit figure given before the configuration is known. The cost of a custom programme is driven by what you ask to change and over how many units, so any supplier quoting ahead of that information is either guessing or quoting the cheapest possible build.
Below is a template. Fill in the brackets and send it. It is not a form we require, it is simply the shortest version that avoids a round trip.
Send the completed brief to request a model, configuration, itemised scope and a proposed schedule with any unresolved conditions. Compare the nine model references and model-specific quantity routes before choosing.
Enough to answer the seven items above. A one-line enquiry will either be met with a question or with a number that has to be replaced, so the detail costs less time than it saves.
It is more useful to say what the product has to sell for and what margin the channel needs than to name a cost. A target cost without the market and volume behind it cannot be checked, and it tends to push the specification down rather than the cost.
Send a range and say what it depends on. Suppliers quote differently when they know a first batch is a test rather than a commitment, and it is normal for the first order and the repeat order to be different sizes.
Yes. Request a quote with the exact model, configuration, quantity, changes, destination and approval needs. Sample availability, price and preparation are confirmed separately. S18D is bulk-only with no evaluation samples; agree the required bulk-approval evidence.
Send the complete brief and identify your decision deadline. Review timing depends on stock checks, requested changes, document availability and engineering input. Ask for any open questions and the expected next review milestone.
It does not have to be, but the specification and the market names should be unambiguous. Model names, quantities, country names and the document sets are the parts that must not be open to interpretation.
Use the eight-line template above or your own purchasing brief. We review the model, configuration, scope, documents, price and schedule, and identify items still awaiting confirmation. See the OEM and ODM routes or product references for starting points.