How to Request a Quote That Comes Back in One Day
By Joe Joo · 8PCK · Shantou · Updated 31 October 2026
Most quotes are slow because the brief is incomplete, not because the factory is slow. These are the six fields that turn an enquiry into a price.
A quote is an answer to a question. If the question is 'how much for bottles', the answer is a range; if the question names the capacity, the neck, the material, the decoration and the quantity, the answer can be a price.
This page is the checklist we use internally. Send the same six lines and you will usually have a written quote within one business day — and a quote that does not move afterwards.
The free Bottle Spec Checker tests whether your neck fits the closure and whether the wall survives a pump stroke.
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The Six Fields
Capacity and shape — 250 ml Boston round, 30 ml dropper, 200 ml jar. A photo of a similar pack is acceptable and often faster.
Neck finish — 24/410, 28/410, 20/410, 38 mm. If you do not know it, send the closure you intend to use and we measure it.
Material — PET, HDPE, PETG, PP. If the formula is not water-based, say so; that changes the resin before it changes the price.
Decoration — silkscreen, label, spray coat, metallising, hot stamp, or none. Each has its own MOQ and lead time.
Quantity — the first run, and the annual volume if you know it. The first run sets the MOQ question; the annual volume sets the cavity count.
Destination and terms — port or door, and whether the order ships filled or empty. Freight is part of the landed cost and changes the recommendation.
Why Each One Moves the Price
Capacity and material set the resin weight, which is the largest single line in a bottle's cost. A 500 ml PET at 28 g and the same bottle at 22 g differ by about 20 % on material alone.
The neck decides which closures can be fitted, and a non-standard neck can mean a new insert rather than a stock mould.
Decoration is where a cheap bottle becomes an expensive pack: four-colour silkscreen needs four screens, and metallising adds days and a rejection rate.
Quantity changes the answer more than anything else: 1,000 pcs on a stock mould is a different product from 50,000 pcs with a dedicated run.
What Makes a Quote Slow
Nine times out of ten it is one missing field. The most common is the neck, followed by the quantity. The next most common is a reference to a pack the buyer saw online without a link.
The second cause is a drawing without a closure. We can quote the bottle, but the moment the closure matters — and it usually does — the bottle price alone is not useful.
The third is a formula question that arrives with the enquiry: 'will PET hold a 30 % alcohol gel'. That is a compatibility question, not a price question, and it needs a different answer (see the formula page).
Stock or New Mould — Ask This First
If the pack is close to a standard shape, a stock mould is almost always the right answer: no tooling, 1,000 pcs per colour, samples in seven days. We hold 3,000+ moulds, so 'close' is often close enough.
A new mould only makes sense when the shape is the product — a custom silhouette, a multi-part assembly, a closure that does not exist. That is a capital decision, and it should be made before the quote, not after it.
What You Get Back
A price per piece at the requested quantity, the MOQ for that price, the lead time from sample approval, and the packing data — pieces per carton, carton size, and how many fit a 20GP or 40HQ.
If something in the brief will not work, we say so in the same reply rather than quoting around it. A quote that ignores a wall thickness problem is not a quote; it is a delay.
Two Things to Send With the Brief
A photo or drawing of the pack you are matching. It answers ten questions at once, including the ones you did not think to ask.
Your market, if it is the EU. Food-contact and cosmetic packaging carry declaration requirements, and the paperwork affects the timeline more often than the price.
The Five-Line Format We Use
When a customer asks how to send it quickly, this is the shape we suggest: 250 ml Boston round, PET, 24/410, lotion pump, white silkscreen logo, 5,000 pcs to Hamburg, first order.
Five lines, no attachment, and it is enough to quote — because every field that changes the price is present. Everything else, from the artwork to the delivery window, can follow.
After the Quote, the Four Steps That Matter
Sample. Seven days on a stock mould, and the sample is the specification: fill it, cap it, leave it inverted overnight, shake it.
Approval. Sign the sample or list what changes. A verbal 'looks good' is where most delays start.
Production. Twenty-five to thirty-five days from approval, with photos before loading.
Documents. The declaration for your market, the packing list and the certificate pack, before the container leaves.
What a Good Quote Looks Like
One page, no ranges where a number is possible, and the assumptions stated: material grade, wall thickness, decoration, packing and the quantity the price applies to.
If a quote has none of those, it is an estimate — useful for budgeting, not for ordering. We mark ours accordingly.
Questions We Get on This
How fast can I get a quote?
One business day for a complete brief; same day is common for stock shapes.
Do I need a drawing?
No. A photo of a similar pack plus the six fields is enough for a first price.
Can you quote without the quantity?
We can give a range. A firm price needs a quantity because the MOQ and the cavity count both depend on it.
What if I do not know the neck?
Send the closure you intend to use. We measure it and tell you the neck it needs.
Will the price change after the sample?
Not for the same specification. If the sample changes the wall or the decoration, the price follows the change.
Sizes That Fit This Guide
Get a Price on This, Within One Business Day
Tell us the capacity, the neck and the quantity. You get unit price, lead time and a sample plan — not a catalogue.
Every batch is gauged at the neck and weighed. The documents travel with the shipment.