Stage one: the first two days after the show
The first follow-up decides whether a lead survives. Send it within two days, address the person who answered your technical questions, and write three or four sentences only: who you are, the market you serve, the codes you looked at, and what you need next. Attaching a photograph of the nameplate or the model code you recorded prevents the supplier from quoting a different platform. State your volume intention honestly, even if it is a first trial container, because a realistic base produces a realistic offer. Ask for the reply in writing against the codes you list, and ask the supplier to mark anything that needs your input. A short, specific message almost always beats a long enquiry with a general request for the best price.
Stage two: shortlist to written offer
The second stage is a technical sorting exercise. Compare the codes on offer against your market requirement: capacity steps that sell in your cities, fixed speed or inverter for your price bands, refrigerant and climate class for your ambient conditions, and the certification file your importer needs. Ask for the offer in writing with the code, the capacity, the compressor type, the packing and the loading figure for each line, so that two offers can be compared without translation. Where a series description is doing the work instead of a code, the comparison is not yet real. If the supplier quotes a range instead of a figure, ask what the range depends on and how it narrows; that answer tells you more about the supplier than the number does.
Stage three: samples and documents
Samples and documents are verified together, because a sample that cannot be documented is only a demonstration. Decide what the sample is for: checking build quality, confirming the panel and the display, or showing your dealers. Ask which configuration the sample will be built in, and confirm in writing that it represents the production version of the ordered code rather than a hand-built unit. In parallel, start the document track. Collect the company profile, the model list, the test reports and the destination conformity file, and note who issues each one. Certification and labelling requirements vary by country, so the correct specification here is the one that belongs to your importing entity, and the details are confirmed with the quotation before production starts.
Stage four: the trial order and the container plan
A trial order should be planned like a small version of the business you intend to run, not as a random assortment. Choose a small number of codes with a clear role each: one volume platform, one step up for display, and the accessory or spare parts that your installers will ask for. Ask for the loading plan of that exact mix, including carton count and the number of units per room of the container, and check that the plan leaves the container balanced rather than half empty. Confirm the payment terms, the packing and the branding on paper before production. Minimum order quantity and price per code belong to this mix; both are confirmed with the quotation because they move with the codes and the destination.
Stage five: production, inspection and documents
Between deposit and shipment the buyer has two jobs: verify and prepare. Verification means asking for production photographs or an inspection at the agreed point, checking the nameplate and carton marking against the codes you ordered, and confirming that the shipping marks and the packaging follow your requirement. Preparation means the import side: the commercial invoice, the packing list and the transport document have to match the order exactly, including the model descriptions used on the label, because a mismatch between carton marking and documents is a common reason for delay at destination. Ask early which documents the supplier issues and which your forwarder handles, and keep every version of the model list you have been quoted so that the finally shipped codes can be traced back to the offer.
Stage six: what to change before the repeat order
The first container is data. Before the repeat order, review which codes moved, which sat in the warehouse, which capacity steps were asked for but not stocked, and what the service side cost you in spare parts and claims. Distributors often discover that the volume platform was ordered too conservatively while the premium platform was over-ordered, or that accessories were forgotten entirely. Adjust the mix rather than only increasing the quantity, and ask for updated loading figures because capacity steps and packing can change. If your market requires additional labelling or documentation, fix that in the specification for the next order instead of correcting it shipment by shipment. The full platform overview is on our Shinco model list and the brand context on the Shinco air conditioners hub page.