Chapter 6
Placing orders, Acknowledging/Accepting,
Refusing orders

Section 1  Introduction
Section 2  Specimen letters
Section 3  Useful Expressions (Self study after class)
Section 4  Guide to Writing
Section 5  Exercises

Section 1  Introduction

Understand the following basic terms

 

“purchasing order” (P.O.)

 the acknowledgement (确认) of order (= order confirmation)

 “decline” or “turn down” (放弃) an order

 

Section 2  Specimen Documents

Specimen 1: Placing an order in an informal form

 

Identify the main items (主要事项) in an order

Be alert to (注意) the typographical features (排版特征) of listed items

Know the terms: banker’s draft, debit note, etc.

Specimen 2: Covering letter accompanying an official  
                     order form (伴随正式订单的附信)

   Dear Mr. Mingus，

We have received your catalogue with the price list for men’s leather shoes and found your price and quality satisfactory. Enclosed is our Order No.1122.

All these items (物品) are urgently required by our customers, so we hope you will arrange immediate shipment. Delivery is required before November 15. Please confirm by fax if you can fulfill (执行) our order.

We look forward to your early confirmation.

    Yours sincerely

    (signature)

    Enc. Order No. 1122

A sample official order form

Learn about the layout (布局): how information is shaped out.

Be alert to (注意) the items as listed for high skim value (一目了然）

Remember the abbreviations: Art No. (article number, 物品号)

Basic terms and expressions of one good:

    1. CIF London net ;

    2. each pair in a box lined with (内衬…) moisture-proof paper (防潮纸), 24 boxes to a carton (纸箱);

    3. confirmed L/C available by draft at sight

Specimen 3：Ordering by fax

Fax Distinctive Features (传真特色)

Date:   5 March 2012

To:     T-shirt Slogan

Attn:    SALES DEPT---Sun Pompela

From:   Roger Chen, Elite Jeanswear Exim Co. Ltd

No. of Pages:   1

Typographical features (排版特征)

listed items (omitted)

Specimen 4: Suggesting D/P payment for a trial order

    Payment for Order No. 1357

Thank you for your letter of January 15, 2012, informing us that you are interested in promoting the sale of our electric toys in your market.

We greatly appreciate your trial order for 5000 electric toys, but we are unable to accept your request for payment by D/A term since L/C is our usual practice.

However, in order to promote the sale of our goods in your market, we are prepared to accept payment by D/P at sight for your trial order. In other words, we will draw on you a sight draft through our bank on a collection (托收) basis.

We hope that our proposal is acceptable to you.

Specimen 5：Rejecting the buyer’s delivery terms

Thank you for your fax of Order No. 1122 for 1500 men’s leather shoes. However, we regret to inform you that it will be impossible to meet your required shipment date before November 15, 2012.

The reason for this is that our factories are heavily committed to (大负荷执行) outstanding (未完成的) orders throughout November. May I suggest that the delivery be made by December 14, 2012.

We hope that you will accept our proposal and send us your revised order accordingly.

    Yours sincerely

Specimen 6: Acknowledging the purchase order

We have received your order No. MTJ/135. We accept the order and are enclosing our Sales Confirmation No. 345 in duplicate (一式两份).

The details of your order are as follows: (omitted)

     USD 200 per doz. CIF Antwerp (安特卫普)

 

    Please countersign and return one copy of the Sales   

     Confirmation No. 345.

 

 

Section 3  Useful Expressions (Self study after class)

We have received your offer of 15 August 2012 and are now interested in ordering 1 000 dozen men’s shirts. The details are as follows:

Thank you for the samples of curtain materials you sent us a few days ago. We enclose our order for …

We enclose our order No. 3375, which is placed on the following conditions: …

Please accept our order No. 09345 for the sewing machines on our usual discount terms.

Our trial order is enclosed, and provided the goods are up to expectations, we will place substantial orders with you.

Prompt delivery is essential, and we understand that you are arranging for immediate delivery from stock.

 

Please give this order your immediate attention, and ensure that the items reach us within the date stipulated.

Please fax us immediately if any of the goods ordered are not available from stock.

If the first order is satisfactorily executed, substantial business will follow.

A difficulty with processing your order now is the heavy backlog of previous commitments. However, as soon as we are able to begin processing new orders, we will give priority to yours, and anticipate that this will take no more than one week.

We regret to inform you we cannot now proceed with your Order No. 334 at the prices we quoted nine weeks ago. Since both freight and the cost of materials have risen substantially during this time, we have been compelled to adjust our prices upwards to some extent.

We have booked your Order No. 4509 covering 5 000 yards of Article No. 60. Please open the relevant L/C, which should reach us here one month before the date of shipment.

In reply to your letter of 5 July, we are delighted to accept your order for 5 000 men’s shirts. We are sending you herewith our S/C No. 100 in duplicate, one copy of which please sign and return for our file.