Supplier asks for my website before launch
Say that your shop has not launched and that you have no sales history to share. Offer a short business brief and a defined trial-order request, with repeat buying dependent on results. Ask whether the supplier accepts buyers at this stage. You can coordinate that conversation through Cambridge China Bridge.
Explain your status and ask what they need
Reply directly: your shop is preparing to launch, the website is not live, and there is no trading history to provide. Explain your intended products, customers and sales channel. If you have relevant experience from previous work, describe it as your experience, rather than presenting it as sales achieved by this business.
Ask what the website or sales records would help them assess. They may be checking your product fit, readiness to order or suitability for their sales arrangements. Ask whether a business brief and trial-order proposal would be acceptable instead. This helps establish whether missing information or the supplier's buyer policy is the obstacle.
Offer evidence of preparation, not invented traction
Send a short business brief covering who you are, the intended market, product requirements, planned sales channel and who makes purchasing decisions. A business plan can help suppliers understand your proposal. Share the relevant extract rather than your full financial plan, customer contact list or account credentials.
If available, offer a preview page, draft catalogue or product presentation clearly labelled as pre-launch material. Describe customer enquiries as enquiries and research as research. Do not use another shop's website, invented reviews or altered sales screenshots. If no preview exists, say so; a clear brief is more useful than a misleading storefront.
Make the trial request concrete
State the product, proposed quantity and variant mix you actually want quoted, together with the delivery destination. Explain what the trial will evaluate, such as product suitability, customer response or fulfilment. Describe the quantity as proposed if you have not approved the purchase. Use writing a factory enquiry for the quotation documents and reply format.
Ask whether the supplier can quote the trial independently of future orders. For practical ways to simplify the batch, see MOQ and sampling. Do not accept a larger purchase merely to appear established. If the supplier offers trial pricing only against a repeat commitment, ask for terms without that commitment before deciding.
Adapt this reply to your actual position
Dear [contact], Thank you for asking about our shop. We are preparing to launch [business name] for [target customers] through [planned sales channel]. Our website is [not yet live / available as a pre-launch preview], and we do not yet have sales history. I can share [business brief or product presentation] explaining our plans.
We would like a quotation for a proposed trial order of [quantity and variant mix] of [product], delivered to [destination]. The purpose is to assess [trial objectives]. Please confirm whether you accept pre-launch buyers and can quote this trial without a repeat-order commitment. Please identify any conditions attached to accepting the trial.
We cannot confirm repeat quantities or an ordering schedule before reviewing the trial and actual demand. Please treat this message as an enquiry, with purchasing and production subject to separate written approval. Kind regards, [name, role and business contact details]. Replace the bracketed text with facts and remove any offer of material you cannot supply.
Working out your own order? Send us the product on WhatsApp and we reply the same working day: WhatsApp us
Keep the next decision separate from the introduction
If asked for annual volume, say it is not yet established. Explain what will inform a reorder decision: trial results, actual sales, available funds and stock remaining. If you share a forecast later, use demand forecast versus firm order to keep planning information separate from permission to spend.
If the supplier insists on established sales or a guaranteed repeat schedule, ask whether it has a suitable route for new buyers. If not, seek another supplier rather than inventing a trading record. Cambridge China Bridge's own staff in China can explain your actual status and ask factories about trial-order options, while leaving purchase decisions with you.
Frequently asked questions
Can I approach a Chinese supplier without a website?
You can make an enquiry. Explain that you are preparing to launch and offer a business brief instead. Ask whether the supplier accepts pre-launch buyers; acceptance depends on its sales arrangements.
What should I send if I have no sales history?
Say there is no sales history yet. Share your intended market, products, sales channel and proposed trial scope. Label research, enquiries and draft shop material accurately.
Should I promise bigger orders to get a trial?
Do not promise volumes you cannot commit to. Ask for a trial quotation without a repeat commitment and explain that reordering depends on the trial and actual demand.
What if the supplier insists on annual sales figures?
State that annual sales are not yet established. Ask what the figures would help assess and whether a business brief is acceptable. If established trading is essential to them, look for a supplier suited to new buyers.