After a quotation or an offer from the seller is agreed upon and confirmed by the buyer，an order will be issued accordingly．It should be noted that an order is just to show the wish to buy，and like the non-firm offer，it is not legally binding1 unless it is accepted and confirmed by the seller，usually in the form of a sales confirmation(S/C)or a sales contract．

An order normally covers the following necessary elements:

(1)the buyer's name，address，and contact;

(2)the order number and the date;

(3)the description of the goods，item numbers，quantity，unit prices，total amounts;

(4)package and shipping marks;

(5)delivery terms，the time of shipment，and the port of destination;

(6)terms of payment2;

(7)insurance and arbitration3

While a purchasing order is often countersigned4 by the buyer to make it an official order5(or purchasing contract)，a sales confirmation is always countersigned by the seller to make it legally binding．