What to send, and what comes back
Direct answer
A specification is only quotable when it names the things that change the price. This page covers what to send per product family, what comes back, and how long it takes.
Key facts
- A specification is only quotable when it names the things that change the price.
- The gap we report at step 1 is the point of the acknowledgement.
- Hardware is worth calling out separately because it is the field most often left vague and the one that fails earliest in the water.
- A band is a range per sub-category, published with the unit and the order quantity it applies to.
- Where a quote falls well outside a band, the useful move is to check the specification and the basis before concluding anything about the price.
A specification is only quotable when it names the things that change the price. Everything below is about getting to a comparable number in one exchange rather than three, because a quotation you cannot act on costs more time than it saves.
What happens after you send the specification
| Step | What happens | Typical time |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Acknowledgement and routing | You get confirmation, the name of the desk handling it, and any gap we can see in the specification | 1 business day |
| 2. Factory match | Your product family is matched to factories whose published record fits the requirement | 1–2 business days |
| 3. Quotation | A written quote with the unit, quantity, price basis, material, hardware and packaging stated | 2–5 business days |
| 4. Sample, if you want one | Sampling turns the quote into something you can hold and approve | 1–4 weeks depending on tooling |
The gap we report at step 1 is the point of the acknowledgement. If a specification is missing the material, the quantity or the price basis, the earlier you know, the less time is spent on a quotation that would have to be redone.
What to send, family by family
| Family | What to state |
|---|---|
| Soft plastics | Body material (PVC, TPE or other), length in mm, salt load, colourway count, pack count, packaging format |
| Hard lures | Body length and weight, finish (paint, foil, plating), hardware by part, buoyancy behaviour, packaging |
| Metal jigs | Weight class, body material and plating, assist hooks by specification, glow or non-glow, packaging |
| Rods | Length, action and power, blank material and grade, guide set, reel seat, handle material, finish, packaging |
| Terminal tackle | Wire gauge or hook size, material and plating, coated or bare, count per pack |
| Accessories | Function, material, dimensions, finish, and the retail format it ships in |
Hardware is worth calling out separately because it is the field most often left vague and the one that fails earliest in the water. "Strong hooks" is not a specification; a named hook by size, wire gauge and finish is, and a named part is what an inspection can measure against.
What the reference bands are
A band is a range per sub-category, published with the unit and the order quantity it applies to. It answers one question: whether a corrected quotation sits inside the normal range for that product. It is a plausibility check rather than an offer, and it is not binding on any factory.
Where a quote falls well outside a band, the useful move is to check the specification and the basis before concluding anything about the price. In practice an outlying quote is usually comparing a different material, a different hardware specification or a different order quantity, and the correction explains the gap.
Questions buyers ask before sending
What if I do not know the exact specification? Send what you do know and say which fields are open. A partial specification with the gaps named is workable; a specification with silent gaps produces a quote that has to be redone, and the second version is never comparable with the first.
Do I need an account before sending an enquiry? No. An enquiry can be sent without one, and a trade account opens the fields a factory marks as sensitive — the full price range, the MOQ at your quantity and the lead time for your specification. The trade account page lists what opens.
How long does a quotation take? Two to five business days for a specification that is complete, and longer where a factory has to price new tooling. The acknowledgement arrives within one business day either way, which is the point at which you know the enquiry is being worked on.
Can you quote from a photo or a product link? As a starting point, yes — but a photo identifies a product rather than specifying one, and the quote that follows will name assumptions you have not confirmed. It is faster to send the four fields than to correct a quote built on a picture.
What to send, by product family
| Family | What decides the price | What is most often left out |
|---|---|---|
| Soft lures | Material, length, salt content, colourway count, packaging | Colourway tolerance —the range you accept on a repeat order |
| Hard lures and jigs | Body material, weight in g, hook hardware by name, finish | The hook —"owner-style" is not a specification |
| Rods | Blank material, length in m, action, guide set, handle material | Action and guide set, which move the price more than the blank |
| Terminal tackle | Wire gauge, plating, breaking strain, salt-spray testing | Plating, and whether salt-spray testing is in scope |
What happens after you send the specification?
- We check the specification against the reference bands for the sub-category and flag anything that cannot be quoted as written.
- We send back the missing field rather than an invented price, within 1 business day.
- You get a quotation with the unit, the order quantity and the basis stated, so it can be compared with any other.
- Supplier identity is released once a trade account is approved.
What are the reference bands?
| Sub-category | Sample size | Reference price band (US$ / unit) | Median low | MOQ band (pcs) | Category |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fishhook | 9 | 0.07 – 2.40 / piece | 0.65 | 100 – 2,000 | Fishing Accessories |
| Spoon & Spinner | 6 | 0.31 – 6.00 / piece | 1.25 | 50 – 500 | Fishing Lures |
| Other Hard Lure | 6 | 0.56 – 12.04 / piece | 2.95 | 20 – 500 | Fishing Lures |
| Soft Lure | 6 | 0.20 – 3.85 / piece | 1.55 | 50 – 1,000 | Fishing Lures |
| Hard Lure | 6 | 1.85 – 3.20 / piece | 2.60 | 100 – 100 | Fishing Lures |
| VIB | 6 | 0.24 – 2.50 / piece | 1.39 | 100 – 500 | Fishing Lures |
| Minnow | 6 | 0.37 – 3.17 / piece | 1.40 | 50 – 500 | Fishing Lures |
| Metal Jig | 5 | 0.97 – 2.01 / piece | 1.39 | 100 – 200 | Fishing Lures |
| Fishing Rod | 3 | 9.15 – 132.55 / piece | 28.05 | 20 – 100 | Fishing Rods |
| Crankbait | 3 | 0.30 – 0.85 / piece | 0.66 | 200 – 500 | Fishing Lures |
| Octopus Skirt | 3 | 0.08 – 2.80 / piece | 0.98 | 100 – 2,000 | Fishing Lures |
| Fishing Accessory | 3 | 0.62 – 60.00 / pack | 9.62 | 5 – 200 | Fishing Accessories |
How big is the Chinese fishing tackle export market?
| Measure | 2024 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| All fishing tackle (HS 9507) | US$1.93 bn | US$1.77 bn | +9.0% |
| Fishing rods (HS 950710) | US$0.66 bn | US$0.62 bn | +6.5% |
| Fish hooks (HS 950720) | US$0.11 bn | US$0.11 bn | flat |
| Destination countries served | 196 | 197 | -1 |
| Largest single destination | US$546 M | US$445 M | +23% |
Rods account for about 34% of the total and hooks about 6%. The largest single destination takes roughly 28% of the 2024 total — which is why the export markets already on a supplier record are worth reading before you ask for a price.
Where this sits in the process
This page is one topic out of the verification standard. The overview is Request a quote.
Sources
- Form fields follow the enquiry-form pattern we reviewed on tackle manufacturer websites, including company name, phone with country code, attachment and opt-in checkbox
- How submitted data is used is set out in the privacy notice; we use it only to answer the enquiry