Field note
Ask what your payment starts before you approve an invoice. One seller asked whether the quoted total would be settled before payment or whether a later freight change could add a charge. Another wanted to make that decision before goods were purchased. The landed-price quote guide explains the price itself; the next question is when each approval happens.
Separate the invoice from the next shipment
A quote for a future order and an invoice already paid are different documents. A future quote may change as the product, destination or shipping rate changes. Ask for the amount and service that apply to the particular invoice before you pay it.
Today our rule is that a paid invoice is final. We tell you about changes before they apply to future invoices. If an invoice contains an adding-up error, we correct the error. Keep the quote and invoice together so the team can see which document you approved.
Ask when buying begins
The point at which you approve a shipment may come after the supplier has already prepared or sent the goods. In one conversation, the seller asked for the full amount before procurement. The concern was that a later refusal could leave domestic return freight to settle. The team estimated two to five working days from factory to warehouse after payment proof. That was one estimate, not a promise for every order.
Ask your provider what the first payment authorises. Does the team buy the goods immediately, or does it wait for a separate instruction? List any part that needs a later quotation.
Decide what happens if the next quote changes
Before you authorise a staged purchase, ask what happens if you choose not to send the goods onward. The answer may depend on what the supplier has already made, where the goods are and the terms agreed for that order. Ask who would hold them and whether a domestic return would involve a cost.
Do not turn a question about one order into a general promise of free storage or a cancellation right. Get the proposed options in writing while you can still decide whether to proceed. If the team needs a fresh shipping quote, ask when it will obtain that number and what you must approve next.
Name the decision before paying
For your next order, obtain one written sequence: the invoice amount, the purchase instruction, any later freight quotation and the decision if you decline it. Keep that answer with the order. The pricing guide explains the items that shape the quoted amount.