Global Sources - Help & FAQ - Sending Inquiries

Sending Inquiries

About Inquiry Basket
• What is the Inquiry Basket?
• How does the Inquiry Basket work?
• How long will the Inquiry Basket store my items for?
• Do I have to register with Global Sources before I can use the Inquiry Basket?

Sending Inquiries
• How do I send multiple inquiries at the same time?
• How do I send inquires to all the suppliers listed?
• How does Request for Information (RFI) form work? What are the benefits of using this form?
• Can I view the inquiries I have sent? Are they saved in the Inquiry Basket?
• How can I send attachments with my inquiry?
• Do I need to register with Global Sources before I can send my inquiries?
• If I were an existing Global Sources registered member, where can I login to send my inquiries?
• What is "Buyer Activities" on the Request for Information (RFI) form? What are the information included in Buyer Activities?

Troubleshooting
• I have added items in the Inquiry Basket before my computer crashed.
Is there any way of retrieving them?
• Why can't I find the "Add to Basket" button and the "View Inquiry Basket" link?

What is the Inquiry Basket?
Think of the Inquiry Basket as a shopping cart where you can put an unlimited number of products and suppliers in which you are interested. Instead of sending your inquiries to each supplier one at a time, you can put them in the Inquiry Basket first, continue searching for more products and suppliers, and then send all your inquiries at the same time.

How does the Inquiry Basket work?

1. On your search results pages, select the products or suppliers you wish to inquire about.

2. Click the Add to Basket link next to the Inquire Now button. Your selected items will be automatically stored in the Inquiry Basket.

You can also add items to the Inquiry Basket from the following:
• Your personalized Product Alert Page
• Supplier Website pages
• Product Profile pages

To view the contents of your Inquiry Basket from anywhere within Global Sources Online, click on the Inquiry Basket link on the top right hand corner of the page.

How long will the Inquiry Basket store my items for?
Items in the Inquiry Basket will remain there until you:

• Send an RFI (Request for Information) about the items to suppliers. Once sent, the items are automatically cleared from your Inquiry Basket.

• Select the item(s) in the Inquiry Basket and click on "Remove Selected".

Do I have to register with Global Sources before I can use the Inquiry Basket?
Registration is not required to use the Inquiry Basket. However, as a registered user, your Inquiry Basket will retain its contents even if you leave Global Sources Online and return later.

How do I send multiple inquiries at the same time?
Once you have completed your searches and have added all the products and suppliers you are interested in to your Inquiry Basket:

1. View your Inquiry Basket and select all the items you wish to inquire about.

2. Click Inquire Now.

3. On the Request for Information (RFI) form, all the products and suppliers you have selected are listed. The selected supplier companies are listed as recipients of the RFI.

4. Complete the fields in the form. If you are registered and logged on, your inquiry form will be pre-completed with your company and contact information.

5. Click Contact Supplier Now.

Tip: If you are registered with Global Sources, login first using the login box at the top of the RFI form so that your contact details will be automatically filled in.

How do I send inquires to all the suppliers listed?
You can easily inquire about all products in a specific product category by using the convenient Inquire All button. This is located at the top of the list of products or suppliers in a search results page. If you do not see this button, narrow your search by selecting a more specific product category.

How does Request for Information (RFI) form work? What are the benefits of using this form?
Request for Information (RFI) form is a value-added feature offered by Global Sources to allow buyers to contact multiple suppliers at the same time.

Contacting suppliers using Global Sources Request for Information (RFI) form is better than sending your own e-mail to a supplier because you will:

Save time: We fill in your contact details automatically, so you don’t have to.
Get reliable delivery: We’re your best choice to ensure your inquiry gets to the supplier's inbox. Plus, we have a separate site where suppliers can access messages.
Increase chances of a response: Our form helps you show suppliers that you're a credible, experienced buyer.
Ensure accuracy: We let you include images of the exact products you’re inquiring about, for crystal-clear communication.

Click here to see a sample of the e-mail the supplier will receive when you send an RFI.

Can I view the inquiries I have sent? Are they saved in the Inquiry Basket?
To view and keep track of your sent inquiries, on the RFI form, check the option "Copy to my own e-mail" to receive a copy of the inquiry in your e-mail.

Once an inquiry has been sent, no other record is kept and the products and suppliers inquired about are automatically cleared from your Inquiry Basket.

Click here to see a sample of the e-mail the supplier will receive when you send an RFI.

How can I send attachments with my inquiry?

• Click on the "Attach product photo(s)/specification details" link under the Message box on the Request for Information (RFI) form.

• On the File Upload windown, select a file and click on Open.

• Complete the form and send your inquiry.

Do I need to register with Global Sources before I can send my inquiry?
Yes, registration is required. As a registered user, you can:
• Contact suppliers faster
• Become a quality buyer, preferred by our suppliers
• Save your contact details for future use
• Get e-mail updates on new products and suppliers

If I were an existing Global Sources registered member, where can I login to send my inquiries?
On the Request for Information (RFI) form, you can click on the “Login Now” button on the top right corner.

You are required to enter your E-mail address (or Login Name) and Password on the Login page.

Alternatively, system will prompt a Login page for you to login if the entered E-mail Address has been registered with Global Sources. Fill in your password and submit, your inquiry will be sent to supplier(s) automatically.

Tip: If you have forgotten your password, go to the Forgot Password page to change your password.

What is “Buyer Activities” on the Request for Information (RFI) form? What are the information included in Buyer Activities?
“Buyer Activities” is a feature offered to buyers to improve supplier’s response rate to your inquiry. With more information on your Global Sources activities, supplier(s) are more likely to perceive you as a credible buyer and give your inquiries top priority. You can always choose whether or not to send your Buyer Activities with each inquiry.

The information on this Buyer Activities includes your Global Sources website activities and other off-line activities. Global Sources website activities cover your latest 5 Product Alert categories subscribed, product keyword searches, categories browsed, categories of news article read and year of registration. Other off-line activities provide an indication to show that if you are attended any Global Sources Sourcing Fair, downloaded or subscribed to a Global Sources magazine, purchased a Sourcing Report and participated in any Private Sourcing Event.

If you do not want to disclose this information to supplier(s), you can disable this feature permanently by going to your User Profile (can found on the top navigation), select “Buyer Activities” on the left navigation bar. Under “My Buyer Activities Setting”, select “Do not ask me again. I do not wish to disclose my Buyer Activities to suppliers”.

I have added items in the Inquiry Basket before my computer crashed. Is there any way of retrieving them?
If you were logged in to your account when adding the items, you will be able to retrieve them by logging in again and clicking on the Inquiry Basket link on the top right hand corner of the page. Please do not delete your cookies in the meatime.

Why can't I find the "Add to Basket" button and the "View Inquiry Basket" link?
If you do not see these when you are in Product Search, Supplier Search or a Supplier Website, you could be in any of the following scenarios:

You are in a Free Listing page
The suppliers listed on this page have registered for a Free Listing. This means that they do not currently advertise with Global Sources.
However, you can still select these suppliers to send an Inquiry. On the Supplier Search Results page, simply select the supplier you wish to get in touch with and click "Inquire Now".
You are in a Trade Show Center search
Trade Show Center features products and suppliers for only three months - for one month before the show, for the month of the show and for one month after the show.
Due to this limited time, we encourage you to send inquiries about products and suppliers in Trade Show Center right away, direct from the Product Profile.
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