Two prices for the same sweater image may cover different orders. One can assume a single colour, standard packing and no buyer-specific testing; another can include the actual colour split and extra work. Keep the original quotations, then build a separate comparison that makes those differences visible.
Mark information as confirmed, estimated or open. The aim is to obtain comparable revised offers before choosing a supplier, rather than hide uncertain charges inside a precise-looking total.
Fix the product and quantity basis
Record quotation ID, date, currency and validity. Check that both offers refer to the same specification version: yarn, construction, gauge, finishing, size range and trims. If garment weight is used, identify the reference size and measurement basis. A weight without those details can be an unreliable comparison point.
Show quantities by colour and size, with any minimums or surcharges stated by the supplier. Ask how changes to the split affect the offer. Do not infer Huayang’s applicable minimum quantity from a generic example or another supplier’s quotation.
CBI’s May 2023 guidance identifies quantity, quality, delivery dates and payment terms as costing factors and recommends a limited quotation-validity period. Use these as questions for the actual offer, rather than importing its market examples or assumptions into your order.
Label what the price covers
Use four clear labels: included, separately charged, conditional and unconfirmed. A blank field does not establish a zero cost. Ask the supplier to clarify instead of filling the gap with an internal assumption.
CBI’s September 2024 cost guidance identifies material and manufacturing components, together with buyer-specific items such as testing, samples, courier, financing and stockholding. Which items apply depends on the order and the agreement.
For each additional charge, record the amount, basis and trigger. A development charge per style and a test charge per colour are different bases. Clarify sample refund or credit conditions, repeat-development work, labels, packing and any material reservation. Keep conditional credits outside a confirmed subtotal until their conditions are met.
Match the delivery rule to the named place
Retain the Incoterms® rule, specific named place or port and version. A short label such as “FOB China” leaves important detail unresolved. The ICC’s explanation of Incoterms® 2020 separates delivery, risk and cost obligations from matters such as product specifications and payment terms.
The ICC Academy article on FCA and FOB explains FOB in sea or inland-waterway transport, with delivery on board the vessel. Where containerized goods are handed over at a terminal before loading, discuss whether FCA better fits the intended handover with the relevant trade and logistics advisers. There is no reason to apply one rule automatically to every apparel order.
Use the ICC checklist as a reference when clarifying transport and cost scope. List loading, unloading, terminal and document charges where relevant. When comparing to a common destination, mark additional logistics costs as estimates with their source and date, and check that a charge has not been counted twice.
Keep payment and currency assumptions separate
Record the deposit and balance triggers, required documents, bank charges and any credit terms needing agreement. Incoterms® does not settle those payment arrangements. A price that assumes one payment schedule may need revising for another.
Preserve the quoted amount in its original currency. If the buying team uses a common internal currency, show the exchange-rate assumption and date separately. This keeps an internal conversion from being mistaken for a supplier’s commitment.
ICC’s April 2025 tariff-risk note explains that the rules allocate responsibilities but do not determine tariff rates or customs procedures. Obtain applicable professional confirmation for tax and clearance assumptions rather than filling them from an old example.
Check the starting conditions behind the dates
For lead time, identify the start and end events: which approvals, payment, materials or booking confirmations must be in place, and whether the stated endpoint is factory completion or another handover. Ask whether a production slot is confirmed. Quotation validity does not itself establish reserved capacity.
Keep technical suitability, delivery feasibility and due-diligence requirements visible beside the cost comparison. A single weighted score can conceal an unresolved requirement that the buying team needs to decide explicitly.
OECD’s 2018 garment guidance discusses purchasing-practice risks from unrealistic price and timing demands. Review the basis of an offer with the supplier; a lower price alone does not prove unlawful conduct.
Example: a price based on a different colour split
Hypothetical comparison: the quantities below are not Huayang minimums, quotations or customer data.
The buyer wants 600 sweaters in three colours, 200 per colour. Offer A is cheaper but assumes all 600 in one colour and excludes the required testing. Offer B reflects the requested split. Ranking the headline unit prices would compare different purchasing bases.
Ask for a revised Offer A on the actual colour and size mix, with testing and other inclusions clarified. Confirm the same product, delivery and payment basis for both. Keep any remaining estimates and open items separate; only then does a confirmed subtotal support the comparison.
Use one record to request revised quotations
- Common product basis
- Specification version, material and finish references, size range and colour quantities.
- Price and scope
- Original currency, unit basis, validity, inclusions, separate charges and conditional items.
- Delivery and payment
- Named rule/place/version, date starting conditions, payment triggers and logistics assumptions.
- Open differences
- Question, responsible owner, clarification deadline and revised-quote reference.
Ask suppliers to confirm the unified basis in revised offers. Use the quotation worksheet for the record, the garment cost-basis guide for technical questions and the timeline overview for date assumptions.
Sources and scope
Sources checked on 13 October 2026. This is an original comparison workflow, not a price offer, margin model or legal determination. No current tariff, freight, exchange-rate or Huayang price is supplied.
- CBI — Doing business with apparel buyers (23 May 2023): quotation scope and validity.
- CBI — Apparel cost price (26 September 2024): cost components; published margin and wastage examples are not adopted.
- ICC — Incoterms® 2020 explanation: rule scope.
- ICC Academy — FCA and FOB (19 November 2024): author’s technical explanation, not a binding ruling for an individual transaction.
- ICC — Checklist and Flowcharts: ©2022; the URL’s 2024 filename is not its publication date.
- ICC — Tariff risks (April 2025): responsibility allocation.
- OECD garment and footwear guidance (2018): Box 4, printed pages 73–74.