Build the order list before requesting a price
For identical containers going to the same site in the same receiving window, use one row with the total quantity. Split the request into additional rows for a different size, height, door arrangement, condition requirement, site or delivery phase. Give each row a reference you can keep on the quote and receiving records.
Copy the following record for each order row. Replace the bracketed entries with your requirements and mark undecided details as pending. The quantity on all rows should reconcile with your requested order total.
| Purchase row | Your entry |
|---|---|
| Row reference | [Your reference] |
| Configuration | [Nominal size, height and door arrangement] |
| Quantity and use | [Number of units] — [What each will be used for] |
| Condition required | [Grade description plus the condition and repair requirements to be agreed] |
| Receiving site | [Site reference, address and ZIP code] |
| Requested timing | [Receiving window or phase; state whether flexible] |
| Receiving arrangements | [Site contact, access constraints and unloading responsibility to confirm] |
Compare the price of the complete order
A wholesale label does not tell you how the price changes with quantity. Sellers may advertise wholesale pricing, publish quantity discounts or quote a larger order individually. Compare the actual terms for your order instead of assuming a standard minimum or discount.
Give each seller the same order rows. For a useful comparison with separate purchases, keep the configuration mix, condition requirements, destinations, receiving windows and unloading scope the same. Record the currency and quote expiry as well as the price.
- Containers: record the quantity and unit price on each row, its subtotal, and any discount already included. Ask which items the discount covers and whether mixed sizes, conditions or destinations qualify together. Count a discount only once.
- Delivery: itemize the transport and unloading charges by site or proposed movement. Establish which quoted charges cover the whole lot and which repeat for each unit, trip or visit.
- Other costs: identify applicable taxes, repairs, handling, storage and waiting charges, including the events that trigger them. Keep a missing amount marked as unpriced.
- Comparison total: add the net container subtotals and the separately priced costs once. If an essential charge remains unpriced, label the result incomplete; a lower container subtotal alone does not establish a lower delivered order cost.
Track what is offered and what is assigned
Establish whether the quote covers existing containers being sourced or units to be produced under a factory order. Ask what fixes the price, what reserves the required quantity, and what confirms the schedule. Record those commitments separately, with any payment and release conditions.
For each purchase row, track the quantity ordered, the quantity the seller has confirmed as reserved, the units identified, and those released for collection or delivery. Use pending where a stage is unconfirmed. Do not add these stage counts together: the same unit can appear at several stages.
Some sellers allocate specific containers later. When an ID is available, link it to its purchase row, destination and condition evidence. A sample image does not establish the condition of every unit in the lot. Agree how proposed substitutions will be approved and recorded; use the grades guide below for the detailed condition checks.
Confirm each site and delivery phase
For one site, confirm how the proposed arrivals fit its receiving window and unloading arrangements. For several sites, repeat the access and placement review at each address and assign a receiving contact to each order row. The delivery guide below covers the vehicle and site checks.
If you need deliveries in phases, put the requested quantity and window on each row. Ask the seller to confirm whether that plan is available and how it affects pricing, payment, release and storage. Keep requested dates separate from confirmed appointments.
- Pickup: record the release details and confirm the depot appointment before dispatching the transporter. A released unit still needs a collection plan.
- Changes: agree who to contact if a site or unit is not ready, and how a revised date or quantity affects the remaining order and any charges.
- Routing: confirm the plan for each movement. Several units in one purchase do not establish how many vehicles, trips or appointments the order will need.
Keep a record for every unit received
Copy this record for each arriving unit and connect it to the purchase row. Record a delivery discrepancy through the reporting process and timing agreed for that order. Note any response still pending.
- After each arrival, reconcile the row: ordered quantity, received quantity, and units still outstanding. Record any agreed cancellation or substitution so the balance remains clear.
- Track unresolved condition issues separately from the number received. Physical arrival can complete the count while a repair or other agreed action is still open.
| Receipt record | Your entry |
|---|---|
| Order connection | [Order reference and purchase-row reference] |
| Unit and destination | [Container ID, receiving site and actual arrival date] |
| Evidence | [Photo or report references, date and condition observations] |
| Match to order | [Matches agreed specification, or describe the discrepancy] |
| Follow-up | [Issue reported to whom and when; agreed action, responsible party and status] |
Prepare your buying brief
Use the container catalogue below to choose formats, then prepare a buying brief with your order rows. The request builder starts with one primary configuration and destination. Add the remaining rows in the notes or edit the generated summary; keep a separate order schedule if the details need more space.
You can copy or download the editable brief and use it to request comparable offers. Check that its headline quantity, specification and destination agree with the full schedule before sharing it.