Multimodal Logistic Systems Private Limited

| Customs Query Experts |

Export Stage 2: Give the quotation

Export guide · Stage 2 of 10 · The Quotation Trail

Export Stage 2: give the quotation, with every cost counted

Six stations between an enquiry and a quotation you can stand behind. Choose the term, cost the export, count incentives, fix currency and validity, describe the goods and put it in writing. Clear each hurdle, earn each badge, and finish as a Quote Commander. Prefer reading? Use the plain guide button.

Start the runAsk us on WhatsApp
You are on the:ImporterExporter
6 stationsAbout 8 minutesTap a station, swipe the cardsClear a hurdle, earn a badge

Your rank

Quote Cadet

0 of 6 stations0 XP

Tap a station to open it. Clear each hurdle to earn its badge and unlock the next.

Station 1 of 6

Quote on an Incoterm you can actually perform

Station 1 of 6 · Badge: Terms Tamer

Quote on an Incoterm you can actually perform

The term decides which costs and risks stay with you.

What you do

  1. EXW, FCA: buyer arranges most
  2. FOB: you load on board
  3. CIF, CIP: you arrange freight and cover
  4. DAP, DDP: you deliver near the buyer

Keep these ready

  • Written Incoterm in the quotation and contract
  • Freight and insurance quotes, if the term needs them

Watch out

  • Quoting CIF without a freight quote.
  • Using FOB for container cargo, where FCA suits better.
  • Agreeing DDP without knowing the destination duty.

Pro tip

If you cannot get a reliable freight quote, quote FOB or FCA and let the buyer arrange freight.

Full details for this station

The Incoterm is a promise. Quote only the ones you can perform, at a cost you have counted.

How to do it

  1. Read what your chosen Incoterms term makes you do: loading, export clearance, freight, insurance and delivery.
  2. Under EXW the buyer collects from you. Under FCA or FOB you clear the goods for export and hand them over at the named point.
  3. Under CIF or CIP you also pay for freight and insurance to the named place. The risk still passes earlier, at handover.
  4. Under DAP or DDP you deliver to the buyer's place, and take on the import-side costs of your term. Ask us before you agree to DDP.
  5. Write the term with its place and edition, for example "FOB Mumbai, Incoterms 2020".

Documents to keep ready

  • Written Incoterm in the quotation and contract
  • Freight and insurance quotes, if the term needs them

What the documents must show

Incoterm wording
Term, named place and rules edition, for example "FOB Mumbai, Incoterms 2020". Use the same wording on the quotation, proforma and contract.

Time and cost

  • Choosing: a conversation.
  • Getting freight quotes: a day or two.

Where people get stuck

  • Quoting CIF without a freight quote.
  • Using FOB for container cargo, where FCA suits better.
  • Agreeing DDP without knowing the destination duty.
Station 2 of 6

Cost the export, line by line

Station 2 of 6 · Badge: True Cost

Cost the export, line by line

Your price must cover every cost from the factory to the handover point.

What you do

  1. Goods and packing
  2. Inland transport and port charges
  3. Freight and insurance, if quoted
  4. Bank and clearance charges

Keep these ready

  • Cost sheet
  • Quotes for freight, insurance and charges
  • Packing specification

Watch out

  • Leaving out packing and port charges.
  • Using an old freight quote.
  • No margin for the exchange rate.

Pro tip

Keep the cost sheet with the order. After shipment, compare actual costs with it and fix your next quote.

Full details for this station

Exports lose money in the small lines: packing, port, bank, broker. Count each before you name a price.

How to do it

  1. Start from the cost of making the goods, including packing for export.
  2. Add inland transport, port or CFS charges and Customs Broker fees.
  3. Add freight and insurance, if your Incoterm needs them.
  4. Add bank charges for the remittance and any letter of credit.
  5. Add a margin for exchange-rate movement and delays, and then your profit.

Documents to keep ready

  • Cost sheet
  • Quotes for freight, insurance and charges
  • Packing specification

What the documents must show

Export cost sheet
One line per cost, in rupees, with the date and the exchange rate used. Update it at quotation, at order and at shipment.

Time and cost

  • Preparing: an hour once you have the quotes.
  • Refresh when freight or rates change.

Where people get stuck

  • Leaving out packing and port charges.
  • Using an old freight quote.
  • No margin for the exchange rate.
Station 3 of 6

Count the export incentives you can really claim

Station 3 of 6 · Badge: Incentive Insider

Count the export incentives you can really claim

Some schemes return duties and taxes, but only if you meet their conditions.

What you do

  1. RoDTEP, where it applies
  2. Duty drawback
  3. GST: LUT or refund
  4. Do not price in a benefit you cannot claim

Keep these ready

  • Registrations and authorisations for the schemes
  • RoDTEP details on the Shipping Bill
  • LUT acknowledgement

Watch out

  • Counting a benefit that has ended or whose conditions you do not meet.
  • No LUT filed, so cash tied up in IGST.
  • Not claiming at all because the claim was left off the Shipping Bill.

Pro tip

Check the end date of any scheme on the day you quote. If it ends before your shipment, drop it from the price.

Full details for this station

Export schemes can improve your margin. They come with conditions and end dates, so price them only if you are sure to claim them.

How to do it

  1. Check whether RoDTEP applies to your goods. It is claimed through the Shipping Bill and the rates and end date are notified by the Government. The Department of Commerce extended RoDTEP to 31 December 2026.
  2. Check whether duty drawback applies, if you pay duty on imported inputs.
  3. Check schemes for duty-free inputs, such as Advance Authorisation or EPCG, if you import inputs or capital goods.
  4. Remember GST: exports can be made under LUT without paying IGST, or with IGST paid and refunded, subject to the GST rules.
  5. Quote on your price, and treat a scheme benefit as extra, not as the reason for the price.

Documents to keep ready

  • Registrations and authorisations for the schemes
  • RoDTEP details on the Shipping Bill
  • LUT acknowledgement

What the documents must show

Scheme claim
Made through the Shipping Bill or the relevant DGFT or GST process. Keep the reference numbers.

Time and cost

  • Checking: a day.
  • Authorisations: days to weeks.
  • Refunds: depend on the scheme.

Where people get stuck

  • Counting a benefit that has ended or whose conditions you do not meet.
  • No LUT filed, so cash tied up in IGST.
  • Not claiming at all because the claim was left off the Shipping Bill.
Station 4 of 6

Fix currency, validity and lead time

Station 4 of 6 · Badge: Fine Print Finder

Fix currency, validity and lead time

A price with no end date is a gift.

What you do

  1. Quote in a currency you can manage
  2. State the validity
  3. Give a lead time you can meet
  4. Say what starts the clock

Keep these ready

  • Quotation with currency, validity and lead time

Watch out

  • A buyer who accepts at the old price a month later.
  • A lead time that starts only after the advance, which arrives late.
  • Quoting in a currency that moves sharply against you.

Pro tip

Put the validity date in bold on the quotation. It saves arguments.

Full details for this station

These three lines protect you from the market moving after you quote.

How to do it

  1. Choose the currency. If you quote in a foreign currency, the exchange rate affects your rupee income.
  2. State how long the price is valid, for example 15 or 30 days.
  3. Give a lead time you can really meet, and say what starts the clock: the order, the advance or the letter of credit.
  4. State the minimum order quantity and any tolerance on quantity.
  5. Say what happens to the price if the buyer delays.

Documents to keep ready

  • Quotation with currency, validity and lead time

What the documents must show

Quotation
Goods, specification, unit price, currency, Incoterm and place, validity, lead time, payment terms and your name and address.

Time and cost

  • Setting: minutes.
  • Repeat for each quote.

Where people get stuck

  • A buyer who accepts at the old price a month later.
  • A lead time that starts only after the advance, which arrives late.
  • Quoting in a currency that moves sharply against you.
Station 5 of 6

Describe the goods and name the HS code

Station 5 of 6 · Badge: Clear Brief

Describe the goods and name the HS code

The description and code on the quotation carry through to every later paper.

What you do

  1. Exact description
  2. 8-digit HS code
  3. Specification
  4. Origin of the goods

Keep these ready

  • Catalogue or specification
  • Test report, where the code depends on it

Watch out

  • A description that differs between quotation and invoice.
  • A code copied from an earlier shipment of different goods.
  • Vague words that invite a query.

Pro tip

Keep a master description for each product and paste it into every document.

Full details for this station

Write the description once, correctly. It appears on the proforma, the invoice, the packing list and the Shipping Bill.

How to do it

  1. Describe the goods: what they are, the material, the use and the model.
  2. State the 8-digit HS code code, checked against the Indian tariff.
  3. Attach the specification or catalogue.
  4. State the country of origin.
  5. Use the same words on every document.

Documents to keep ready

  • Catalogue or specification
  • Test report, where the code depends on it

What the documents must show

Goods description
Plain words: what it is, the material, the use and the model, for example "Cotton bedsheet, 200 thread count, double size". Avoid "spares" or "parts" alone.

Time and cost

  • Writing: an hour.
  • Checking the code: an hour to a day.

Where people get stuck

  • A description that differs between quotation and invoice.
  • A code copied from an earlier shipment of different goods.
  • Vague words that invite a query.
Station 6 of 6

Put the terms in writing

Station 6 of 6 · Badge: Deal Sealed

Put the terms in writing

A quotation in writing, with terms, saves a dispute later.

What you do

  1. Price and terms
  2. Payment terms
  3. Validity
  4. Buyer's written acceptance

Keep these ready

  • Quotation
  • Buyer's written acceptance
  • Cost sheet

Watch out

  • Verbal acceptance that the buyer later denies.
  • Acceptance after the validity date.
  • Terms that differ between quotation and proforma.

Pro tip

If something changes, issue a corrected quotation. Do not rely on a call.

Full details for this station

A deal that lives in a phone call lives in two memories. Write it down.

How to do it

  1. Send a quotation that covers goods, price, terms, validity and lead time.
  2. State your payment terms and bank details.
  3. Ask the buyer to accept in writing, quoting the quotation number and date.
  4. Move to the proforma invoice, with the same details.
  5. File the quotation, acceptance and cost sheet together.

Documents to keep ready

  • Quotation
  • Buyer's written acceptance
  • Cost sheet

What the documents must show

Acceptance
A short email or letter quoting the quotation number and date, and confirming the price, quantity, Incoterm and delivery terms.

Time and cost

  • Same day.
  • The next stage is the proforma invoice.

Where people get stuck

  • Verbal acceptance that the buyer later denies.
  • Acceptance after the validity date.
  • Terms that differ between quotation and proforma.

Run complete

Share your rank on WhatsAppLet us handle my shipmentPlay again

Words used on this page

CFS: Container Freight Station. A warehouse near the port where cargo is stuffed, de-stuffed and examined.
Customs Broker: A person licensed by Customs to file documents and deal with Customs on your behalf. Earlier called a CHA (Customs House Agent).
HS code: Harmonised System code. An international product code. India uses 8 digits for duty and for Customs filings.
Incoterms: Trade terms of the International Chamber of Commerce (Incoterms 2020). They say who pays for transport and insurance, and who bears risk, at each point.
LUT: Letter of Undertaking, filed on the GST portal. It lets you export without paying IGST at the time of export.
RoDTEP: A scheme that refunds embedded taxes and duties on exports. Claimed through the Shipping Bill where the scheme applies. Rates and end date are notified by the Government.

Questions people ask

Which Incoterm should I quote?

The one you can perform at a cost you have counted. FOB or FCA suits many exporters of containerised goods. Ask us if you are unsure.

Can I count RoDTEP in my price?

Only if the goods are covered and the shipment falls within the scheme's validity. The Department of Commerce extended RoDTEP to 31 December 2026. Check the rate for your code before you rely on it.

What is a LUT?

LUT, a Letter of Undertaking filed on the GST portal. It lets you export without paying IGST at the time of export.

Is this legal advice?

No. It is practical guidance. Rules change, so confirm the position on the date of your quotation.

Want a second pair of eyes on your quotation?

Send us the goods details and the buyer's country. We will cost the export with you. It is just a call and a message away.

Message us on WhatsAppCall +91 98230 14118

Office (backup): +91 93733 11838

← Stage 1: Choose the buyerStage 3: Proforma invoice →

Last checked: 12 November 2026. Incoterms are the International Chamber of Commerce rules (Incoterms 2020). RoDTEP extension: Department of Commerce, reported by the Press Information Bureau. Rules and notifications change, so confirm the position on the date of your quotation.

© 2026 Multimodal Logistic Systems Private Limited

Theme by Anders Norén