Planning an export order: quotes, payment and packing

Decide what you are shipping

A good quote starts with a clear order. Before you ask for one, decide which lots you want, which parts go with them and in what quantities, and where it is all going. Changing the order after the quote usually means a new quote.

Think about the whole shipment, not only the laptops. Most of our lots ship without chargers, so if your buyers expect one with each machine, add chargers to the same order. They come in packs of 100, adapters only, and power cables are sold separately in packs of 100. Drives and memory for units that need them are cheaper to ship together now than separately later.

Check that each lot suits your market before you ask: processor generation, memory, storage, keyboard layout and grade, machine by machine, on the spreadsheet.

Set a budget for the whole order, delivery included. Export freight depends on weight, volume and destination, so a small order of heavy workstations can cost more to move than a larger order of light ultrabooks. Knowing your ceiling lets you trim the order once, not three times. If you are buying for several customers, group the order by customer before you ask, so the shipment splits cleanly when it lands.

What to send when you ask for a quote

Send it all in one WhatsApp message if you can: the lot numbers, any parts with quantities, and the full delivery address including the city, the postcode or area code, and the country.

Add the name and phone number of the person who will receive the shipment, and say whether it is going to a business address, a warehouse, or a freight forwarder or clearing agent who will take it from there. If the delivery site has restrictions, such as no loading bay or short opening hours, say so.

The more complete the first message, the quicker and more accurate the quote. We reply with a delivery price and a secure Stripe payment link.

How payment by link works

For exports, payment is by a Stripe payment link rather than the website checkout, because the delivery price is set for your order. The link opens a secure Stripe page where you pay by card, and your invoice is emailed straight away.

Before you pay, check that the amount matches the quote you agreed: the goods, the delivery and nothing you did not expect. We do not offer credit or payment terms, so payment is what confirms the order.

Pay only on the Stripe page itself, and never send card details in a chat message, to anyone. If a link looks wrong, ask before you use it.

If your card is in another currency, your card issuer converts the amount and may add a fee. Check with them if the exact figure matters to your margin.

Questions to ask before you pay

Are the lots still available? Stock sells every day, and a quick check before payment saves a refund afterwards.

What does the delivery price cover? Ask whether it takes the shipment to the door or to a port or airport, and what happens to it at the other end.

What comes with each unit? Check chargers, keyboard layouts and anything noted against a machine on the spreadsheet. Our machines carry no BIOS locks unless the spreadsheet says otherwise.

What will your clearing agent need? Ask them before you pay, so the invoice details and the consignee are right the first time.

When the shipment arrives

Count the boxes or pallets against the delivery paperwork before you sign, and write any visible damage on the delivery note. Photographs of the packaging as it arrived are useful if anything needs discussing later.

Then check the units against the spreadsheet: models, quantities, grades and keyboards. If something is not as listed, report it within the time set out in our terms of sale, with the lot number and photographs, so it can be put right quickly.

Keep the spreadsheet for each lot with your delivery records. It is the reference for what was sold, unit by unit, and it makes any later conversation with us, your agent or your own customers far simpler.

Duties, taxes and local rules

Every country sets its own import duties, taxes and rules, and some have specific requirements for used electronics, such as inspection certificates, age limits or registration. These change over time and differ from one country to the next.

We cannot advise on them, and nothing in this guide is legal or customs advice. Your clearing agent or freight forwarder in the destination country is the right person to ask, and the right time to ask is before you pay.

It helps to send your agent the lot spreadsheets early, so they can see exactly what is coming: models, quantities and condition. Questions they raise at that stage cost nothing to answer; the same questions at the border cost time.