Freshdi Market Insight

Whole Coffee Beans suppliers and buyer demand, backed by real data

Indonesia (23.4%) leads Whole Coffee Beans supply, followed by Vietnam (13.9%) and India (7.2%) among 552 suppliers across 67 countries, offering a broad but concentrated base. Typical offers range from USD 850 - 3,108 per metric ton FOB, centered at a USD 1,912 median. Buyer inquiries increased 65.6% to 265 in the last 30 days.

Window365 daysData as ofSample1,875 listings · 2,537 supply observations · 192 buyer requests
1875Whole Coffee Beans supply
1216New supply in 12 months
$1,912Whole Coffee Beans price
FOBLeading term
Whole Coffee Beans · last 12 monthsDec 2025 – Nov 2026
Price · median USD/MT FOB$1912
Supply18 −87.8%
01

What is in this market?

The size and shape of Whole Coffee Beans on Freshdi before you shortlist anyone: how many sellers, how much product, how many origins, and which way demand is moving.

Products

1,875supply

1,875 Whole Coffee Beans supply listings are active on Freshdi as of 14 November 2026.

Suppliers

552companies

As of 14 November 2026, 552 active Whole Coffee Beans suppliers, 3.9% of all suppliers on the platform, are listed on Freshdi.

Countries

67origins

Whole Coffee Beans suppliers on Freshdi are spread over 67 countries, led by Indonesia at 23.4%, as of 14 November 2026.

Trending · inquiries

+65.6% over 12m

Whole Coffee Beans drew 265 buyer inquiries on Freshdi in the 30 days to 14 November 2026, up 65.6% from the previous 30 days.

552 suppliers are actively selling Whole Coffee Beans, offering a broad range of options for buyers to compare. This level of supplier activity ensures strong competition on price and terms, giving buyers more leverage to negotiate favorable conditions without having to rely on a single source. 1,875 listings are currently live, covering a wide variety of roasts, origins, and packaging options. With such depth, buyers can quickly find a match for their specific needs—whether it’s a particular flavor profile or a specific grade—without needing to start from scratch with a custom request. Suppliers come from 67 countries, making this one of the most globally diverse coffee categories on the platform. This wide geographic spread means buyers have access to a broad range of origins, allowing them to source based on quality, sustainability, or regional preferences rather than being limited to a few major producers. Buyer inquiries surged 65.6% to 265 in the last 30 days, signaling a sharp rise in demand. This spike suggests that suppliers are being actively sought after, so buyers should act quickly to secure their preferred beans before the available inventory is snapped up by others.

Trending — demand and supply activity, daily counts
Buyer inquiries · demandSupplier quotations · supply
Feb 2026 – Nov 2026trend 65.6% · volatility 93.21%

In the 365 days to 14 November 2026, Freshdi logged 192 buyer requests for Whole Coffee Beans globally.

Quotable — Freshdi Whole Coffee Beans market size
  • Over the 365 days to 14 November 2026, Freshdi tracked 1,875 active Whole Coffee Beans supply listings from 552 suppliers in 67 countries, built on 394 source documents and 2,537 supply observations.
  • Compared with the previous 30 days, buyer inquiries for Whole Coffee Beans on Freshdi rose 65.6% in the 30 days to 14 November 2026, with 93.21% volatility in monthly inquiry and quotation activity over 276 days.
  • In the 365 days to 14 November 2026, 192 buyer requests for Whole Coffee Beans on Freshdi met 1,875 active listings, 9.8 listings per request globally.
02

Who exactly is selling?

The verified Whole Coffee Beans suppliers buyers actually reach on Freshdi, ranked by the inquiries they received in the last 30 days and how reliably they answered them.

Sosa Merchant Solutions

Silver – membership plan badge
1 yrs

Distributor/Wholesaler, Trading Company

Austria – country flag, supplier location, market insight supplier card

5.0

Verification level 3

100% PREMIUM ARABICA COFFEE BEANS IDEAL FOR DAILY COFFEE ENJOYMENT 500g JACOBS KRöNUNG SIGNATURE COFFEE – product thumbnail, market insight supplier cardBuy Premium Coffee Lavazza Espresso Italiano Cremoso Medium Roast Coffee Beans 1000g – product thumbnail, market insight supplier cardPremium Green Robusta Raw Coffee Beans 10kg OEM Bags Private Label Available – product thumbnail, market insight supplier card
Official Filing certifiedTechnical DataSheet certifiedPATRON SILVER EU DATASHEET certified
0
Inquiries Received
91%
Response rate
8
Products
View online store

WOLU ARTHA GLOBAL

Bronze – membership plan badge

Trading Company

Indonesia – country flag, supplier location, market insight supplier card

5.0

Verification level 2

Robusta Green Coffee Beans – product thumbnail, market insight supplier cardVIETNAMESE ARABICA GREEN BEANS COFFEE FULL WASHED FOR BULK, EXPORT QUALITY – product thumbnail, market insight supplier cardIndonesian Robusta Green Coffee Beans Grade 1 Special Quality Reliable Supply For Bulk – product thumbnail, market insight supplier card
Legal Entity Decree certifiedHALAL certified
0
Inquiries Received
79%
Response rate
6
Products
View online store
View all Whole Coffee Beans suppliers
How this list is ranked

Verified suppliers first, then by buyer inquiries received in the last 30 days, then by response rate. No supplier pays for placement in this list.

Certifications shown are the two or three most relevant per supplier — the full set is on each supplier's profile.

Quotable — most-contacted Freshdi Whole Coffee Beans suppliers
  • The most-contacted verified Whole Coffee Beans supplier on Freshdi received 0 buyer inquiries in the 30 days to 14 November 2026 and replied to 91% of them.
  • Freshdi counts 2 of its 552 Whole Coffee Beans suppliers as Level 2+ verified with a response rate of 70% or more, as of 14 November 2026.
03

How stable is this supply base?

Three separate questions, answered in order: is the product fresh, is the market busy, and can the sellers be trusted.

Block 1 · Product freshness

Is there much new product?

114
6.1% of total products62.9% vs previous month
333refreshed within 90 days · 17.8%
970first listed within 6 months · 51.7%

Whole Coffee Beans gained 114 new listings in the last 30 days, more than the 70 the month before. New offers are arriving at a faster rate, so the catalog a buyer browses today includes more recent entries than it did last month. Compare the listing dates when evaluating offers that look similar.

Total Listings · by quarter
79
Dec – Feb 26
150
Mar – May 26
741
Jun – Aug 26
191
Sep – Nov 26
Block 2 · Market density

Is the market busy?

552Whole Coffee Beans suppliers in total
380 · 68.8%active in the last 12 months
34newly registered in 12 months

34 of the 552 suppliers joined in the last 12 months, mostly long-standing suppliers. The pool includes a mix of sellers with long listing records and a smaller number of new entrants. The established names have a history of consistent offerings, while newcomers have less track record to assess. Review each supplier’s listing history before contacting them.

Activity tiers · by each supplier's last update
HighActive within 1 month

8515.4% of 552

MediumActive within 3 months

7814.1% of 552

LowActive within 6 months

9717.6% of 552

Block 3 · Suppliers trust

Can these suppliers be trusted?

certifications n = 192 profiles
Certification distribution
FDA_REGISTRATION7.3%
HACCP6.8%
HALAL6.2%
ISO5.2%
CERTIFICATE_OF_ORIGIN5.2%
85.3%of Whole Coffee Beans suppliers verified — 471 of 552

471 of 552 suppliers are verified, at least three in four, so it’s safe to contact several verified suppliers at once. 192 of 552 list a certificate, and FDA_REGISTRATION is held by 14 of them. For a shipment requiring FDA compliance, filter for suppliers with FDA_REGISTRATION before reaching out.

Quotable — Freshdi Whole Coffee Beans supply stability
  • Freshdi refreshed 333 of 1,875 Whole Coffee Beans supply listings (17.8%) within 90 days to 14 November 2026, and 114 (6.1%) within 30 days.
  • 380 of 552 Whole Coffee Beans suppliers on Freshdi (68.8%) were active in the 12 months to 14 November 2026, with 85 (15.4%) active within the last month, and 34 suppliers registered during the year.
  • On Freshdi, 85.3% of Whole Coffee Beans suppliers are verified as of 14 November 2026.
  • Among 192 certified Freshdi Whole Coffee Beans supplier profiles, 7.3% hold FDA_REGISTRATION, 6.8% hold HACCP, 6.2% hold HALAL, 5.2% hold ISO, and 5.2% hold CERTIFICATE_OF_ORIGIN; a profile can hold more than one certificate.
04

What are the selling conditions, and where do the two sides disagree?

Part A reads the supply side on its own terms — price, trade term, MOQ, origin. Part B puts buyer demand next to it and measures the gaps in percentage points.

ASupply insight — what sellers are offering

Default settings of a typical Whole Coffee Beans offer — how it ships, what it costs, the smallest quantity accepted and where it comes from. Each figure is drawn from every quote in the last 365 days, not from one seller.

Leading term

FOB37.8%

As of 14 November 2026, FOB leads the trade terms of Whole Coffee Beans supply on Freshdi at 37.8%, followed by CIF at 37.4% and EXW at 12.8%.

Typical price

850–3108

USD/MT FOB

Typical Whole Coffee Beans supply prices on Freshdi run from USD 850 to 3,108 per metric ton on a FOB basis, median USD 1,912 across 379 listings, as of 14 November 2026.

MOQ

20MT median

Most Whole Coffee Beans listings on Freshdi set a minimum order between 1 and 25 MT, typically 20 MT, as of 14 November 2026.

Origins

67countries

Indonesia (23.4%), Vietnam (13.9%) and India (7.2%) lead Whole Coffee Beans supply origins on Freshdi, as of 14 November 2026.

Trade terms offered
FOB37.8%
CIF37.4%
EXW12.8%
CFR7.8%
Payment terms accepted
T/T42.9%
L/C18.8%
D/P8.7%
Western Union8.5%
Each type in one sentence

Whole Coffee Beans listings show a typical price range of USD 850 - 3,108 per metric ton on an FOB basis, with the median landing at USD 1,912. Arabica is the largest variety among priced listings at 14.8%, with a median price of USD 850. Robusta accounts for 7.7% of listings at a median of USD 1,613. Green Bean is represented in 6.3% of listings at a median of USD 1,912. Roasted Bean is the rarest variety, making up 1.1% of listings with a median price of USD 8,891, indicating significant price variation by grade and processing type. The typical minimum order quantity for Whole Coffee Beans is 20 MT, with most listings falling within the common range of 1 to 25 MT, offering buyers a broad spectrum of order sizes to consider. Whole Coffee Beans suppliers offer FOB at 37.8% and CIF at 37.4%, with both terms equally represented — most suppliers leave freight and insurance arrangements to the buyer or destination port. T/T is the most commonly used payment term for Whole Coffee Beans at 42.9%, followed by L/C at 18.8%, indicating a preference for bank transfer as the primary method of transaction.

Whole Coffee Beans types on Freshdiprice ranges are the middle half (P25–P75), USD/MT, FOB basis
TypeRange (P25–P75)MedianNTermMOQ
arabica750–2012 USD/MT85056FOB20 MT
robusta1513–1912 USD/MT161329FOB20 MT
green bean6–1912 USD/MT191224FOB20 MT
roasted bean7894–9888 USD/MT88914FOB20 MT
Each type in one sentence

Arabica has the lowest median at USD 850 per metric ton, within a USD 750 - 2,012 range. Robusta has the tightest range, USD 1,513 - 1,912 per metric ton. Green bean lists at USD 6 - 1,912 per metric ton, with a median of USD 1,912. Roasted bean carries the highest median of USD 8,891 per metric ton and the widest range, USD 7,894 - 9,888 per metric ton.

BDemand versus supply — where the two sides disagree
Demand · buyersSupply · sellers
Gap 1 · Volume — listings available per buyer request868 requests · 394 listings · 90 days
MarketDemandSupplyOffers/req
Global868 requests394 products
0.5
Middle East & North Africa176 requests394 products
2.2
USMCA175 requests394 products
2.3
United States150 requests394 products
2.6
Gulf Cooperation Council100 requests394 products
3.9

Worldwide, 394 listings meet 868 buyer requests - 0.5 listings per request, so buyers compete for the listings on offer. The Middle East & North Africa sends 176 requests (20.3%) and the same 394 listings make 2.2 listings per request there. With fewer listings than requests, suppliers can be selective about which requests they answer.

Gap 2 · Trade termdemand: global, n = 631 · supply: n = 626
5.4%EXW7.4 pts12.8%
43.5%FOB5.7 pts37.8%
3.5%CFR4.3 pts7.8%
5.1%FCA3.8 pts1.3%

FOB shows the clearest demand gap: 43.5% of buyer requests ask for it, versus 37.8% of listings (631 demand vs 626 supply observations) - buyers ask for it 5.7 pts more often. EXW runs the other way: 12.8% of listings versus 5.4% of buyer requests - suppliers offer it 7.4 pts more often.

Gap 3 · Payment instrumentdemand: global, n = 545 · supply: n = 662
T/T · bank transfer
50.3%demand · global
42.9%supply
7.4 points apart
L/C · letter of credit
27.9%demand · global
18.8%supply
9.1 points apart

L/C is the widest payment gap: 27.9% of buyer requests (27.9%) ask for it, versus 18.8% of listings (545 demand vs 662 supply observations) - buyers ask for it 9.1 pts more often. Western Union is the reverse: 8.5% of listings versus 0.3% of buyer requests - suppliers offer it 8.2 pts more often. Most listings still expect T/T (42.9%).

Gap 4 · Price range — buyer target against supplier quoteUSD/MT, FOB basis both sides · middle half and median
Whole Coffee Beans typeBuyer rangeMedianSupplier rangeMedianGap
Arabica1800 – 18001800750 – 2012850-52.8%
Robusta6 – 500061513 – 19121613+26781.7%
Green bean6 – 350035006 – 19121912-45.4%
Roasted bean2600 – 260026007894 – 98888891+242.0%

Whole Coffee Beans buyers price at a USD 20 median across 43 buyer prices, below the USD 1,912 supply median (379 observations) - expect negotiation on the first quote. Arabica demand at USD 1,800 median (3 prices) exceeds its supply median of USD 850 (56 listings) - room to hold firm.

Gap 5 · Origindemand: global, n = 81 · supply: n = 375
Origins buyers ask for
Brazil22.2%
Vietnam17.3%
Indonesia16.0%
Ethiopia14.8%
Kenya11.1%
Origins suppliers ship from
Indonesia22.9%
Vietnam8.3%
Kenya5.6%
Brazil3.5%
Ethiopia2.9%

Buyers ask for Brazilian origin in 18 requests against only 13 listings (1.38 requests per listing) - an opening for Brazilian suppliers. Vietnam has 14 requests against 31 listings (0.45 requests per listing) - more listings than requests, so buyers have choice.

Quotable — Freshdi Whole Coffee Beans demand versus supply
  • Buyers price Whole Coffee Beans at a USD 20 median across 43 buyer prices on Freshdi, below the USD 1,912 supply median across 379 listings, as of 14 November 2026.
  • On Freshdi, Whole Coffee Beans buyers price green bean at a USD 3,500 median (16 buyer prices) against USD 1,912 in listings, as of 14 November 2026.
  • For Whole Coffee Beans on Freshdi, FOB is the widest trade term gap - 43.5% of buyer requests against 37.8% of listings - while EXW runs the other way at 12.8% of listings against 5.4% of requests, as of 14 November 2026.
  • For Whole Coffee Beans on Freshdi, L/C is the widest payment term gap - 27.9% of buyer requests against 18.8% of listings - while Western Union runs the other way at 8.5% of listings against 0.3% of requests, as of 14 November 2026.
  • Freshdi had 394 Whole Coffee Beans listings against 868 buyer requests (0.5 listings per request), and buyers in the Middle East & North Africa posted 176 of them (2.2 listings per request), in the 90 days to 14 November 2026.
  • Whole Coffee Beans buyer requests on Freshdi asked for Brazil 18 times against 13 listings, Vietnam 14 times against 31 listings and Indonesia 13 times against 86 listings, in the 90 days to 14 November 2026.
  • The United States (150), the United Arab Emirates (76) and India (45) led the 868 Whole Coffee Beans buyer requests on Freshdi with a known buyer country, in the 90 days to 14 November 2026.
05

What do I do now?

Act on the numbers above — post request, or browse every listing.

Post buying request for Whole Coffee Beans

Freshdi received 192 buyer requests for Whole Coffee Beans in the last 12 months. Verified suppliers quote against your spec — no platform fees on either side.

Post buying request

Browse all Whole Coffee Beans suppliers

1,875 listings from 552 sellers, filterable by type, MOQ, trade term and certification.

Go to Whole Coffee Beans listings
Frequently asked about Whole Coffee Beans on Freshdiprice · MOQ · trade term · payment · origin · certification

Whole Coffee Beans on Freshdi range from USD 850 to USD 3,108 per metric ton, FOB, with a median price of USD 1,912 based on 379 listings. The wide price spread indicates significant variation by type and origin, so buyers must evaluate each listing's specific grade, roast, and quality details before making a decision.

The typical minimum order quantity for Whole Coffee Beans is 20 MT, with a range from 1 to 25 MT across current listings. This gives buyers flexibility, especially for smaller operations, as several suppliers offer volumes below the typical threshold, making it possible to source in manageable, scalable batches.

FOB is the most commonly used trade term for Whole Coffee Beans, appearing in 37.8% of supplier listings on Freshdi. While it's the default expectation, buyers should verify the exact term with each supplier since demand for FOB is slightly higher than supply, creating a small but notable gap in alignment.

Freshdi lists four Whole Coffee Beans grades: roasted bean, green bean, robusta, and arabica. The roasted bean has the highest median price at USD 8,891 per metric ton, while arabica is the lowest at USD 850, with green bean and robusta falling in between. Buyers must specify the exact type to avoid mispricing or receiving incorrect product.

Whole Coffee Beans face significant gaps in trade and payment terms. FOB is in demand by 43.5% of buyers but only offered by 37.8%, with a 5.7-point mismatch. T/T is also in demand by 50.3% but only offered by 42.9%, a 7.4-point gap. L/C is demanded by 27.9% but only offered by 18.8%, highlighting a clear mismatch in financial terms that buyers must address directly.

85.3% of the 552 Whole Coffee Beans suppliers on Freshdi are verified, totaling 471 verified accounts. Additionally, 192 suppliers list a certificate, with FDA registration being the most common at 14 suppliers. This high level of verification and certification provides strong assurance of quality and compliance for buyers making large or long-term commitments.

Post a buying request detailing your required grade, volume, destination, and preferred terms. Alternatively, browse live Whole Coffee Beans listings directly on Freshdi to compare current offers. Contacting a verified supplier from either path allows you to confirm availability, pricing, and compliance details before finalizing any order.

◆

Methodology

How the numbers on this page are produced, and what they do not cover.

Source

Every figure comes from Whole Coffee Beans listings, supplier quotes and buyer requests posted on Freshdi in the 365 days to 3 November 2026 - 1,875 active listings, 191 buyer requests, 394 source documents, and 2,537 supply observations from the last 90 days. External export benchmarks are cited separately and never mixed into Freshdi figures.

How ranges are read

Price and MOQ ranges are the interquartile range - the middle half of quotes, a quarter below and a quarter above - with the median reported alongside. A Whole Coffee Beans type is priced only once it holds at least 5% of supply price quotes and 3 priced listings with a real range; below that it is not listed. Buyer prices are compared only once there are at least 5 of them.

One basis only

All prices are FOB, in USD per metric ton; quotes on other Incoterms are converted to a FOB equivalent. Freshdi does not hold a CIF price series for Whole Coffee Beans, so no landed-cost comparison is possible from this data.

Gaps in percentage points

Demand-versus-supply differences in trade and payment term shares are stated in percentage points, and origin rows add buyer requests per listing. Each figure carries its market scope - global - beside the number rather than in a footnote.

What counts as what

Product freshness counts listings created or updated. Supplier activity counts sellers by their last update. The two are different measurements and will not agree.

Update cadence

Freshdi reprocesses market data every hour, with one snapshot a day for trends. This page's figures, certification coverage included, refresh every 14 days on a rolling 365-day window.

About Whole Coffee Beans

Whole Coffee Beans is part of Agriculture, Food & Beverage > Coffee on Freshdi. Whole Coffee Beans shares its group on Freshdi with Coffee Capsules, Jacobs Kronung Instant Coffee, Nespresso Capsules, Bulk Coffee Beans and International Delight Iced Coffee. On Freshdi, Whole Coffee Beans is tracked as Coffee Beans (HS code 0901). Offers of Whole Coffee Beans on Freshdi are compared by Form and Species. Buyers posted 192 requests for Whole Coffee Beans on Freshdi in the 365 days to 14 November 2026. Looking for Whole Coffee Beans? Post a buying request on Freshdi and compare the quotations suppliers send.

What to know about Whole Coffee Beans distributors


Before you contact Whole Coffee Beans distributors, read what the offers of this category state.

What do suppliers charge for Whole Coffee Beans, and what is the MOQ?


For Whole Coffee Beans, the nearest reference on Freshdi is Coffee Beans, priced at $750–$2,012/ton FOB as of November 2026.

Usual price ranges and MOQ across Coffee Beans, as a reference for Whole Coffee Beans.
Product typePrice rangeMOQTrade term
Arabica$750–$2,012/ton1–25 tonsFOB
Robusta$1,513–$1,912/ton20–25 tonsCIF
Roasted bean$7,894–$9,888/tonEXW

Treat these Coffee Beans figures as a reference and get Whole Coffee Beans quotations on the same terms.

Where can importers source Whole Coffee Beans from?


As of November 2026, 23% of the Whole Coffee Beans suppliers on Freshdi are based in Indonesia, ahead of Vietnam (14%) and India (7%). No single country dominates, as the three leading ones account for 44% of the Whole Coffee Beans suppliers, which come from at least 8 countries.

Countries of the Whole Coffee Beans suppliers listed, with their share of the suppliers.
CountryShare of suppliersSuppliers
Indonesia23%129
Vietnam14%77
India7%40
Kenya7%37
Ethiopia6%33
Uganda5%28
Tanzania4%24
South Africa2%12

Origin changes freight, lead time and import duties, so compare offers from more than one country.

Which shipping and payment terms are usual for Whole Coffee Beans?


As of November 2026, Coffee Beans offers on Freshdi most often state FOB (38%); Whole Coffee Beans terms may differ.

Terms seen across Coffee Beans, shown for Whole Coffee Beans as a guide.
TermTypeShare
FOBIncoterm38%
CIFIncoterm37%
EXWIncoterm13%
CFRIncoterm8%
FCAIncoterm1%
DAPIncoterm1%
DDPIncoterm1%
CPTIncoterm1%

Terms across Coffee Beans are a guide; agree the Whole Coffee Beans terms deal by deal.

Which similar categories can Whole Coffee Beans importers browse?


On Freshdi, Whole Coffee Beans belongs to Coffee; related categories include Green Beans Coffee, Premium Coffee Beans and Natural Coffee Beans. The biggest of these listings on Freshdi is Green Beans Coffee (679 suppliers).

How Whole Coffee Beans fits in the catalogue, with the parent group, the sub-groups and the neighbouring categories.
CategoryRelationSuppliers
CoffeeBroader category103
Green Beans CoffeeSame-group category679
Premium Coffee BeansSame-group category618
Natural Coffee BeansSame-group category585
Ethiopian Coffee BeansSame-group category580
Bulk Coffee BeansSame-group category578
Espresso Coffee BeansSame-group category578
Specialty Coffee BeansSame-group category576

Neighbouring categories often share suppliers and buyers, so they are worth a look.

Trade terms and how to compare quotations

A reference for every category: what the usual trade and payment terms mean, and the points to check when you compare quotations.

Trade and payment terms explainedPlain-language meanings of the Incoterms and payment terms used in trade between companies.
TermTypeMeaning
EXWIncotermThe buyer collects the goods at the seller's premises and pays every cost from there.
FCAIncotermThe seller hands the goods, cleared for export, to the buyer's carrier at a named place.
FOBIncotermThe seller loads the goods on the vessel at the port of loading; freight is the buyer's.
CFRIncotermThe seller pays sea freight to the destination port; the risk passes once loaded.
CIFIncotermLike CFR, and the seller also insures the goods until the destination port.
CPTIncotermThe seller pays carriage to a named place; the risk passes at the first carrier.
CIPIncotermLike CPT, and the seller also insures the goods to the named place.
DAPIncotermThe seller delivers to a named place, ready for unloading; import duties are the buyer's.
DPUIncotermThe seller delivers and unloads the goods at a named place in the destination country.
DDPIncotermThe seller delivers to the buyer's place and pays import duties and taxes too.
FASIncotermThe seller places the goods alongside the vessel at the port of loading.
T/TPayment termA bank transfer, often a deposit before production and the balance against documents.
L/CPayment termA letter of credit, under which the buyer's bank pays once the shipping documents match its terms.
D/PPayment termDocuments against payment, where the buyer gets the shipping documents once it pays.
D/APayment termDocuments against acceptance, where the buyer gets the documents by accepting to pay later.
CADPayment termCash against documents, where payment is made when the shipping documents are presented.
Bank TransferPayment termA direct transfer between bank accounts, agreed in the contract.
EscrowPayment termA third party holds the payment until the buyer confirms delivery.
CashPayment termPayment in cash, usually only for small or local orders.

Name the Incoterm with a place, and agree it and the payment term in writing before production starts.

How to compare quotationsThe points two quotations must share before their prices compare.
PointWhat to checkWhy it matters
Incoterm and placeEvery quotation names the same Incoterm and port or place.Prices on FOB and on CIF differ by the freight and the insurance.
SpecificationThe grade, size or composition quoted matches the one asked for.A lower grade can hide behind a lower price.
Quantity and MOQThe price is for the quantity ordered, above the minimum order.Unit prices change with the order size.
PackagingPacking type, size and labelling are stated and the same.Custom packing adds cost.
Payment termThe payment term and the deposit asked.It moves the risk between buyer and seller.
Lead timeThe production and shipping time to the destination.A late shipment can cost more than a higher price.
DocumentsThe certificates and export documents included.Missing papers can block customs.
ValidityHow long the quoted price holds.Quotations are often valid for a limited time only.

Ask every counterpart to quote on the same basis: only then does the lower price win.