Introduction

When an importer intends to make purchases of some goods，he/she sends a letter of enquiry to an exporter. An enquiry is made to seek the supply of products，services or information. In order to obtain the needed information，the writer should state simply，clearly and concisely what he/she wants：general information，catalogues or price lists，samples，and quotations，etc. Enquiries should be specific and provide the necessary details to enable the receiver to answer the questions completely. Every time he/she makes such an enquiry，he/she can write in simple English.

The outline of an enquiry is often as follows：

1. Introduce your firm to the receiver；

2. State the purpose of your letter；

3. Explain what you want the receiver to do；

4. Give exact description or specification of the products you want；

5. Express your request for early reply.

As soon as the necessary information comes to hand，he/she has to find out whether the quality is satisfactory and the price is reasonable. Once he/she decides to buy，he/she will send a specific enquiry，mentioning not only the name of the article but also the quantity and other particulars.