A zipper quotation is a technical document as much as a commercial one. When it is written properly, you can compare two offers line by line and see exactly where the difference sits. When it is written badly, the gap between the cheapest and the most expensive quote is mostly made of missing information.

This guide walks through the parts of a quotation that decide the real cost, and ends with a checklist you can apply to any offer within twenty minutes.

1. Convert everything to one unit basis

Zippers are quoted per piece, per dozen, per hundred or per metre, and a single sheet often mixes all four. Convert before comparing. For finished zippers, ask for the price per 100 pieces at a stated length. For chain sold by the roll, ask for the price per metre and the metres per roll.

Length conventions matter more than buyers expect. A 60 cm finished nylon zipper consumes roughly 0.65-0.70 m of chain once the stops are set, plus 3-5% cutting waste. If one supplier prices nominal length and another prices cut length, the difference can look like 5% of price when it is only arithmetic.

2. Read the quantity tiers carefully

A quotation with one price for all quantities is not a quotation; it is a placeholder. Ask for breaks at 1,000, 5,000, 20,000 and 50,000 pieces. Typical step-downs are 4-8% per tier and flatten after 20,000. If the 1,000-piece price sits only 3% above the 20,000-piece price, either the minimum order quantity is being ignored or the volume price is padded.

Check whether the tier applies per colour, per size or per order. A 20,000-piece order split across eight colours may only qualify for the 2,500-piece tier in each colour, which is a very different commercial position from the headline number.

3. Separate stock colour from dyed-to-match

Stock colours carry no dye lot charge and usually ship in 7-14 days. Dyed-to-match tape has a lot minimum, typically 300-1,000 m depending on the dyeing method, and adds both time and cost. Ask for the lot minimum in metres, the surcharge as a percentage, and whether that surcharge disappears above a threshold.

Also ask how many lab dips are included and what happens after that. Three free submissions followed by a charge per additional dip is normal. Unlimited free submissions usually means the shade standard is not being held by anyone.

4. Find the tooling and sampling charges

Custom pullers, engraved sliders and special stops require tooling. The quote must state the charge, whether it is one-off or amortised into the unit price, and who owns the tool if the relationship ends. Ask for the tool lifetime in shots and the replacement cost. A mould quoted without a lifetime figure will be quoted to you again sooner than you expect.

Sampling fees should be equally explicit: fee per style, pieces included, and the order value at which the fee is credited back. A sampling fee that never gets credited is a cost, not a deposit.

5. Check cutting, finishing and tolerances

Cut-to-length service is usually charged per piece or absorbed above a quantity threshold. Ask which, and ask for the length tolerance in writing, typically plus or minus 3-5 mm. If you supply the tape and the supplier only assembles, the quote should separate assembly from material; otherwise you cannot see what you are paying for.

Finishing is the other silent variable: plating type, anti-nickel lacquer, lubricant, and colour of the tape edge. Each has a cost and each has a quality consequence.

6. Packing, freight and Incoterms

Packing is where small quotes hide real money. Ask for pieces per polybag, bags per carton, carton dimensions and gross weight. A quote assuming 500 pieces per carton, when your warehouse requires 200, changes the freight per unit immediately. State the Incoterm explicitly: EXW occupies a different cost base from FOB, and DDP adds duty and clearance on top. The spread between EXW and FOB is typically 2-5% of goods value.

Also confirm whether export cartons, pallets, desiccant and barcode labels are included or charged separately.

7. Payment, currency and validity

Record the payment split, the currency and the validity period. Thirty to sixty days validity is normal. If the quote is in a currency other than yours and validity is under 30 days, ask for the re-quote rule in writing. For long programmes, ask whether there is a raw material adjustment clause and which published index it references. A clause with no index is an open-ended price increase.

8. Look for what is missing

Missing items are as informative as present ones: test report costs, third-party inspection fees, certificate of origin, labelling, and the cost of a rejected lot. If the quotation is silent on rejection, assume the cost is yours until proven otherwise.

The items below appear in well-run quotations and disappear in weak ones. Treat each absence as a question rather than an assumption:

  • Test report scope and the name of the laboratory.
  • Third-party inspection fee and who arranges the inspection.
  • Certificate of origin and its issuing body.
  • Labelling, barcode and carton marking requirements.
  • Cost and responsibility for a rejected lot.
  • Re-quote rule if raw material or currency moves.

Checklist: ten checks on any zipper quotation

  1. Convert all prices to one basis: per 100 pieces at a stated length.
  2. Confirm whether the price applies per colour and per size.
  3. Obtain at least four quantity tiers and the minimum quantity for each.
  4. Separate stock colour from dyed-to-match, with the lot minimum in metres.
  5. List tooling charges, amortisation and tool ownership.
  6. List sampling fees and the credit-back threshold.
  7. Confirm length tolerance and who bears cutting waste.
  8. Fill in pack ratio, carton dimensions, gross weight and Incoterm.
  9. Record payment terms, currency, validity and any index clause.
  10. Add omitted costs: testing, inspection, certification and rejection.

A quotation you can defend line by line also becomes the foundation of a sensible cost-reduction conversation later. Suppliers such as YCC and Donglong typically itemise material, labour and finishing separately, which makes comparison honest and negotiation shorter.