Every new project starts the same way: the buyer describes what they want, and the factory asks eight questions back. Those questions are not a sales technique — they are the minimum set of answers needed to turn a request into a fixed price. Answer them and a range becomes a number you can order against.
Quick answer
- The eight questions are: contents, filling, closure fit, colour, decoration files, acceptance criteria, shipping, and dates.
- An unanswered question does not get skipped — it becomes the factory’s assumption, and that assumption is priced in.
- “You decide” produces a range, a longer lead time and a first article that fails more often than not.
Why does a factory ask you eight questions before quoting?
Because the same bottle description can be built five different ways. The questions exist to remove the five ways, not to slow the enquiry. Each question removes a variable that changes the price, the material or the schedule.
| Question | What it removes | Cost of leaving it open |
|---|---|---|
| What goes in it? | Material and barrier assumptions | Wrong resin quoted, or a compatibility failure after filling |
| How is it filled? | Capacity, headspace and equipment fit | A bottle your filler line cannot run |
| Which closure fits? | Neck finish and pump selection | A cap that does not thread or does not seal |
| What colour is it? | Masterbatch, setup cost and MOQ | A shade approved on a screen and rejected on arrival |
| What artwork files? | Decoration method and setup | Decoration that cannot be produced as drawn |
| What is acceptable? | Inspection standard and AQL | An argument at inspection with no agreed rule |
| How does it ship? | Packing, CBM and freight terms | A landed cost that is wrong by a wide margin |
| When do you need it? | Production slot and lead time | A date the factory cannot commit to |
What are the eight questions we ask on every new project?
These are the questions behind every fixed quotation we issue. They are listed with the answer we need and the reason we need it.
| # | Question | The answer we need | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | What are you putting in this bottle? | Formula type, pH, alcohol or solvent content, whether it is hot or cold filled | Decides material, liner and decoration limits |
| 2 | What capacity do you fill to, and how? | Nominal fill, brimful capacity, filling speed, capping torque | Decides headspace and whether your line can run it |
| 3 | Which closure and pump are you using? | Neck finish code, closure model, output per stroke, liner type | Decides neck finish and dispensing behaviour |
| 4 | What colour, and how will it be judged? | Pantone reference, physical reference chip, interior or solid colour | Decides masterbatch, setup and the approval method |
| 5 | What artwork format are you supplying? | Vector file, fonts, Pantone references, placement and size | Decides silk screen, stamping, heat transfer or label |
| 6 | What is acceptable on receipt? | Critical defects, AQL level, inspection method, who inspects | Decides what counts as a reject and who pays |
| 7 | How does it ship, and to where? | Packing method, carton quantity and dimensions, destination port, incoterm | Decides freight terms and total landed cost |
| 8 | What date do you need it, and what is fixed? | Required in-store date, and which of the above are still open | Decides whether the schedule is feasible at all |
Question 6 is the one buyers skip most often, and it is the one that decides disputes. AQL figures are a sampling level, not a quality guarantee — an agreed AQL with a defined defect classification means a 2,000-piece shipment can pass inspection with a small number of defective units allowed, and everyone knows the rule before the goods are made.
What does “you decide” cost, and which unanswered questions force a range?
“You choose the best option” is generous and reasonable. It is also the instruction that produces the slowest, most expensive order, because the factory now has to propose, and you have to review, and the review has no criteria.
| What you said | What the factory does | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| “Pick the material” | Quotes the grade with the widest application | A bottle that is adequate, not optimised |
| “Pick the neck finish” | Offers the closure already in production | Fine for stock moulds, a compromise for custom work |
| “Just make it look premium” | Proposes a mid-range finish | A first article you reject, and a second round |
| “Whatever the usual practice is” | Applies a house standard | Decisions you did not know were made for you |
| “Ship it whenever” | Fills the next available production slot | A date you cannot plan retail around |
The better version of the same instruction costs nothing: “Propose two options for this field, with the price and the lead-time difference between them, by [date].” You keep the decision and lose the delay.
Four fields are responsible for almost every “it depends” answer. If these are answered, most quotes become fixed.
| Missing answer | Why the factory cannot commit | How to fix it in one line |
|---|---|---|
| Contents and compatibility | Material grade and liner are unknown | Give formula type, pH range and alcohol percentage |
| Capacity and fill method | Nominal and brimful volumes are unknown | Give fill volume, brimful capacity and filling speed |
| Closure and neck finish | Neck finish and pump output are unknown | Give the neck code and the closure or pump model |
| Quantity structure per model and colour | Minimums per layer cannot be applied | Give quantities split by model, colour and closure |
Our own minimums make the last one concrete: 5,000 pieces per bottle model, 5,000 per colour, and 5,000 to 10,000 for closures. If your quantity structure does not clear these, the quote has to assume a pooled run, and pooled runs carry a different price. The comparison problem this creates is covered in why your inquiry is not getting a good quote.
How do timing and backwards planning actually work?
Question 8 is not “how soon can you ship”. It is “which of your dates are fixed, and which are movable”. A factory schedules from a required in-store date backwards, and every unknown in that chain adds buffer.
| Stage | What it depends on | What the buyer must supply |
|---|---|---|
| Technical confirmation | Drawing or five key numbers, closure choice | A decision maker, not a forwarding address |
| Sample and first article | Tooling availability, colour matching, artwork | Consolidated feedback, not serial approvals |
| New tooling, if required | Roughly 30 working days | Approved drawing, released artwork |
| Production | Colour batch, mould availability, order quantity | Written approval of the golden sample |
| Inspection and shipment | Agreed AQL, packing, destination | Inspection window and booking party |
Commercial terms travel with the technical questions. Our standard structure is 30/70 unless agreed otherwise, and freight and customs responsibility follow the incoterm you select, so both should be stated in the same enquiry rather than agreed after the goods are made.
What does a buyer get wrong when they skip the questions?
1. Treating the enquiry as a shopping request. A buyer who asks only for unit price gets a range, because nothing constrains the specification behind that price. The enquiry should be a technical conversation with a price attached at the end.
2. Naming a closure by appearance. “Round white cap” does not identify a thread standard, so the factory proposes whatever is on the line. The neck code is the only reliable identifier; 24/410 versus 28/410 shows how small that difference is and how much it costs.
3. Sending artwork as a flattened image. A raster file cannot be separated into print colours, so it cannot be screened or plated. The usable formats are set out in what artwork files a bottle factory needs, and this question catches the problem earlier than a sample does.
4. Answering question 8 with only a date. A date without stating what is still open gives the factory nothing to plan against, and the buffer lands on you. Give the fixed date, then list the open items and who closes them.
What should you send in the first enquiry?
This list can be forwarded to any supplier as-is, including your own factory. It is the eight-question format in written form, and it is the structure described in what to put in your first email to a bottle factory.
- Contents — what the bottle holds, pH range, alcohol or solvent percentage, fill temperature.
- Filling — nominal fill volume, brimful capacity, filling speed, capping torque.
- Closure — neck finish code, cap or pump model, output per stroke, liner type.
- Colour — Pantone reference or physical reference chip, solid or tinted, gloss level.
- Decoration — vector artwork file, fonts embedded, Pantone references, print position and size.
- Acceptance — which defects are critical, AQL level, inspection method, pre-shipment inspection required.
- Shipping — packing method, carton quantity and dimensions, destination port and city, incoterm.
- Timing — required in-store date, order quantity split by model and colour, and which items remain open.
Send the same list to every supplier, in the same order, with the same file attachments. Different enquiries produce different quotes, which is the problem our guide to negotiating with a packaging factory addresses — negotiation on comparable specifications is worth far more than negotiation on an undefined one.
Frequently asked questions
Why does a factory ask so many questions before giving a price?
Because the specification is what the price is built on. Each question removes one variable that would otherwise be priced as a range, so a complete answer is usually faster than a quick estimate you have to redo.
Is it reasonable to ask for a price before answering everything?
Yes, if you ask for a range and say so. Mark the open fields, ask for a range with the assumptions listed, and you can budget while the specification is still open.
What is AQL and do I need to specify it?
AQL is an acceptable quality limit expressed as a sampling level. It tells both sides how many defective units a lot may contain and still pass. Specify the level and the defect classification you care about.
Who should answer the questions on my side?
One person who can decide. Questions 1 to 5 usually need a technical answer, questions 6 to 8 need a commercial one. If the answers come from three people separately, the factory receives three partial specifications.
Do these questions slow down the quote?
They usually speed it up. One complete round of questions replaces two rounds of sample corrections, and each sample round costs both sides money.
What if I genuinely do not know an answer yet?
Say so and set a deadline for it, and ask the factory to propose two options. An open field with an owner and a date is workable; an open field with no date becomes a range and, later, a dispute.
About Shijin Packaging
Shijin Packaging Products Co., Ltd. has manufactured plastic packaging in Shenzhen, Huizhou and Guangzhou since 2003. We hold more than 2,000 existing moulds, run ISO 9001, GRS and SGS audited production, and ship roughly 500,000 bottles a day for cosmetic, personal care, household, car care and food-grade customers. Roughly 500,000 bottles a day only works because the specification is settled before the line starts.
Send us the eight answers, or send us what you have: we will ask the missing questions explicitly, mark which ones are commercial decisions on your side, and return a quotation you can act on rather than a range to interpret.