You find a suitable machine at the Canton Fair, collect a business card, take photographs and negotiate a promising price. Once you are home, is it time to pay the deposit?
First establish whether three things match: the machine you saw on the stand, the configuration now being quoted, and the equipment the contract will require the supplier to deliver.
A trade fair provides an introduction and a chance to see equipment in person. The follow-up turns that encounter into an order with an identifiable model, a defined price scope and clear responsibilities. The approach below is for buyers who have already met suppliers and received quotations, and are considering a contract or payment.
1. Match each set of exhibition materials to the right supplier
After several days at a fair, your phone may hold dozens of equipment photographs while catalogues arrive in your inbox. It can become surprisingly difficult to remember which quotation belongs to which machine, or which company made a particular promise.
There is no need for a complicated filing system. Create a folder for each shortlisted supplier and record the following information in a simple table.
| Record | What to keep |
|---|---|
| Contact details | Exhibiting company, stand number, contact person and confirmed contact channels |
| Equipment of interest | Full model designation, photographs of the display machine and nameplate, and key configurations observed |
| Quotation scope | Currency, quantity, price, delivery term and exact named place |
| Exhibition offer | Discounts, included extras, applicable configuration and written validity period |
| Open points | Manufacturing relationships, supplied documents, lead time, payment and after-sales responsibilities |
Date each quotation. When a supplier changes the price or specification, retain the earlier version and ask what has changed. You will then be comparing versions of the same proposed purchase, rather than unrelated price sheets.
2. Is the display machine’s configuration actually included?
Suppose the stand featured a self-propelled electric scissor lift with lithium batteries, but the quotation says only:
12 m Electric Scissor Lift — USD 6,500
This is a hypothetical example of an incomplete quotation, not a market price.
Several important questions remain unanswered. Does 12 m mean working height or platform height? Are lithium batteries included? Is the drive system the same as the display machine’s? Will the charger suit the power supply at the destination?
Ask the supplier to mark each item in the final configuration list as the same as the display machine, different from it, or available at extra cost. Where it differs, the list should identify what will actually be supplied. “Basically the same” is not enough.
Also distinguish between two purchases.
Buying the display unit: record its serial number, current condition, known demonstration use, agreed remedial work and handover arrangements in the order.
Buying a newly manufactured unit: use the display machine as a configuration reference, but agree on a separate inspection after production. Photographs and demonstration videos of the exhibition unit do not constitute a delivery inspection of your machine.
When comparing suppliers, first align the configuration and delivery scope, then use the scissor lift quotation comparison guide. A lower price may be attractive; establish what accounts for it before deciding.
3. Turn the “fair special” into terms that can be acted on
Discounts and included extras are worth negotiating. What matters is which configuration they cover, what is included and how long the offer remains valid.
| What you hear at the stand | What the formal quotation should specify |
|---|---|
| “A free spare-parts kit” | Item names, specifications and quantities, and whether they ship with the machine |
| “About 20 days” | The conditions that start the clock, and whether the period ends at production completion, readiness for collection or shipment |
| “FOB price” | Named port of shipment, applicable Incoterms® version and complete quotation scope |
| “30% deposit” | Payment beneficiary, subsequent payment milestones and the conditions attached to each |
| “Valid during the fair” | Exact expiry date and whether a written extension is available |
The lead time and payment percentage above are examples, not recommended contract terms.
Incoterms® allocate delivery-related obligations, costs and risks. They do not set the payment date, payment method or every other contract term. The quotation therefore needs to state the actual commercial agreement as well as the trade term. See the US International Trade Administration’s explanation of Incoterms.
When an important configuration or payment detail remains unverified, ask for a written extension of the quotation’s validity. Whether a discount is worth keeping and whether the conditions for payment have been met are separate questions.
4. Identify the exhibitor, manufacturer, contracting seller and payment beneficiary
One company may perform all these roles, or several businesses may be involved. A trading company selling equipment made by another factory is not inherently a problem. What needs explaining is each party’s responsibility for this order.
See the guide to remote factory video checks for the relevant checks.
Start with the contracting seller’s full legal name. For a mainland Chinese company, request its registered Chinese name and Unified Social Credit Code, then follow the supplier identity and manufacturing relationship checks. A stand, business card and English brand name provide leads; they do not, on their own, verify the legal entity.
Next, ask who actually manufactures the machine, where it is produced, and who will handle technical support and after-sales service. The quotation, contract, configuration attachments and payment instructions should all be consistent with those relationships.
When the payment beneficiary differs from the contracting seller, “that is our other account” is not a sufficient explanation. Obtain a written explanation and any necessary authorization, and verify the arrangement. If bank details change shortly before payment, confirm them through a previously and independently verified channel—not a new telephone number supplied in the change notice. This is consistent with the FBI’s business email compromise guidance.
An unexplained account relationship is a reason to hold payment and continue checking. You do not need to accuse the supplier of wrongdoing to do so.
5. Assign unresolved questions to the right purchasing milestone
Not every order needs a full factory audit, and not every document can exist before the contract is signed. Match the scope of verification to the machine’s complexity, the order’s risks and the evidence already available.
| Purchase stage or situation | What to confirm next |
|---|---|
| Standard equipment, before contract | Final configuration, seller and account details, lead time, document list and warranty responsibilities |
| Batch or customized order | The above, plus manufacturing arrangements, acceptance criteria and any necessary on-site verification |
| Purchase of a display unit | Serial number, condition, remedial work, delivery inspection and collection arrangements |
| Equipment not yet manufactured | What can be provided now and after completion; how inspection, rectification, payment and shipment will connect |
Record “received”, “verified” and “still required” separately. Give every open item a responsible party and a deadline tied to the order, rather than leaving it unresolved in a chat history.
For example, agree on the pre-shipment inspection scope and reporting requirements when placing the order, then carry out the inspection after completion. If its result will affect a payment, include that condition in the agreement beforehand. Do not introduce it only when payment is being chased or the collection truck has arrived.
6. A follow-up email you can use
Replace the bracketed fields with your actual information. This email brings the outstanding questions together; it does not replace the contract or technical attachments.
Subject: Canton Fair Follow-Up — Quotation and Equipment Confirmation
Dear [Name],
It was a pleasure meeting you at the Canton Fair. We are interested in the [model] discussed at your booth for use in [destination country and application].
Before moving forward, please send an updated quotation confirming:
1. The exact model and configuration, including any differences from the display machine.
2. The agreed exhibition price, included accessories or spare parts, and quotation validity.
3. The Incoterms® 2020 rule and named place, lead time and its starting conditions, and payment terms.
4. The actual manufacturer, contracting company and payment beneficiary. Please explain any differences between these parties.
5. The technical documents, destination-market documents and written warranty terms available for this version.
6. The proposed inspection and delivery arrangements, including any items that still require confirmation.
If the quotation is for the display unit itself, please include its serial number, current condition and handover arrangements.
Please identify any documents or decisions you need from us to complete your offer.
Best regards,
[Name / Company]
After the fair, the most useful work is not necessarily finding another list of suppliers. It is making the offers you already have clear, comparable and actionable. Suppliers that respond explicitly to the important differences are the ones worth taking into the next discussion.
Have a Canton Fair quotation and want to move the order forward?
Send Levantis the supplier details, equipment model or exhibition quotation, and destination country. We can help review configuration and commercial terms, identify unresolved company, payment and documentation questions, and arrange further supplier verification or pre-shipment checks where needed.
Photographs or an initial quotation are enough to start the conversation. We can use them to establish what information is needed next.