Commercial Correspondence

Unit 4 (cont’d)

 Offers and
 Cover Letters of Offers

Faculty of English for Specific Purposes

Commercial Correspondence
 What is a cover letter of an offer?

It is a business letter enclosed with an

offer to explain what are not said, make
everything clearer, and add some
favourable comments.

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 Opening

Express thanks for the enquiry

Express pleasure in enclosing the offer
• We thank you for your enquiry of … for … and

are pleased to enclose our offer for the said

goods.
• … and take pleasure in enclosing our offer for…

• … and please find enclosed our firm offer No. …

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 Main message

 Repeat important terms

• We would like to make clear the following points.
• We would like to draw your attention to the
following points.
• We would like to emphasize the following terms
and conditions.
 Give explanation, comments or more information:
prices, delivery, samples, discounts, other goods…
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 Prices

• The net price of this article is £100.00, to which VAT

must be added at 17.5%, marking a gross price of
£117.50.
• We can quote you a gross price, inclusive of delivery
charges, of £347.50 per 100 items. These goods are
exempt from VAT.
• We can offer you a price of £5,200.00 per engine, firm
21 days, after which the price will be subject to an
increase of 5%.

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 Delivery time

• As there are regular sailings from Liverpool to

New York, we are sure that the consignment
will reach you well within the time you
specified.
• As there is a heavy demand for fans at this
time of year, please allow at least six weeks
for delivery.

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 Discounts

Trade discounts
Quantity discounts
Cash discounts
Loyalty discounts
•The prices quoted are CFR Yokohama, but are
subject to a 20% trade discount off net prices. We
can offer a further 10% discount off net prices for
orders of more than 2,000 units.
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 Discounts

• We allow a 3% cash discount for payment within

one month.
• We do not normally give discounts to private
customers, but because of your long association
with our company we can offer you 12% off the
retail price.
Note: Remember to mention the offer and other
documents you want to enclose at the end of the
letter (Enc.)
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Practice 4
Dear Mr Smith
We thank you for your enquiry of 20
September 20__, in which you asked for
children’s woolen sweaters and children’s
jackets. We are pleased to enclose our firm
offer No. OF09/09 for children’s jackets, code
876/NQ, as illustrated in our winter catalogue
already sent to you.
In addition, we would like to draw your
attention to the following points:
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Practice 4
Payment is to be made in pounds sterling, by
an irrevocable letter of credit, to be opened
through the Bank of Lloyd, London, 20 days
before (prior to) the shipment, to the
account of Vietcombank, in the seller’s favour
for 100% of the value (the total value) of the
goods to be shipped.
We are willing (pleased) to offer you a 2.5%
quantity discount for orders of £150,000.00
or more.
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Practice 4
The goods are to be delivered (shall be
delivered) in one lot in mid November in time
for Christmas rush (Christmas selling season/
sales before Christmas).
We are sorry (regret) to inform you that the
woolen sweaters, code 421/GL, you asked
for, are no longer in production. However,
we can offer the substitutes, code 521/GL,
which are in a wider and better range of
colors and flowery patterns but cheaper than
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Practice 4
This offer will only be valid (subject to
acceptance) until 20 October 20__. After
this time, the prices, terms and conditions
stated in this offer may be subject to
change.
Yours sincerely
(Signed)
Nguyen Nam
Sales Manager

Enc. Firm Offer No. OF09/09

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Practice 5
Thang Long Garment Company
245 Minh Khai Street, Hai Ba Trung District, Hanoi
Tel: 0438633745 Fax: 0438652337

Your ref: MJ/rm

Our ref: TH/mh
 
23 November 20__
 
F. Lynch & Co. Ltd
Nesson House
Newell Street
Birmingham B3 3EL
United Kingdom
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Practice 5
Dear Mr Johnson
We thank you for your enquiry of 18 November
20__ for men’s shirts and we are pleased to
enclose our offer No. OS/05 together with our
summer catalogue and current price list as you
asked for.
We are confident that our products will be
popular with the UK customers and will all be
selling well in your market. The specifications,
sizes, colours as well as designs of the shirts are
as per samples sent to you by air. The prices
are quoted CIF London port including packing.
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Practice 5
We are willing to offer you a 5% quantity
discount off net prices for orders of over
£20,000.00 and an extra 5% cash discount for
prompt payment. As we have all the goods in
stock, delivery can be made as requested.
Payment is to be made in pounds sterling, by an
irrevocable letter of credit at sight to be opened
at Northminster Bank, Birmingham, 15 days
prior to the shipment, to the account of Thang
Long Garment Co. Ltd. with Vietcombank for the
total value of the goods to be delivered.
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Practice 5
In addition to the products you asked for, we also
make goods to customers’ orders with their own
designs, sizes and materials, and delivery can be
made as promptly as requested.
We look forward to receiving your order soon.
Yours sincerely,
Signed
Le Thi Thanh Ha (Mrs)
Export Manager
 
Enc. 1.Offer No. OS/05
2. Summer catalogue
3. Price list
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Practice 6
Dear Mr Smith
Re: Enquiry for tea sets
We thank you for your enquiry of 23
November 20__, in which you asked for tea
sets. We are pleased to enclose our offer No.
CH/09 and the latest catalogue.
We would like to draw your attention to
(emphasize) the following points:
The price offered (the quoted price) is fixed
£10.00 per set, CIF London port, including
packing charges, valid within one month.
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Practice 6
We are willing to give (offer) you the usual
trade discounts of 5%, and an additional
10% quantity discount for orders of over
1,000 sets at one time.
The goods you ordered can be supplied from
stock and we can deliver the goods within
two weeks from receipt of your official order
if the quantity ordered is less than (under)
1,500 sets. For larger quantities (orders),
delivery time may be longer.
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Practice 6
Payment is to be made in pounds sterling by
an irrevocable letter of credit at sight to be
opened through a first-class bank in the UK
15 days prior to the shipment to the seller’s
account with VietinBank, Hanoi Branch, in
favour of the seller for 100% of the value
(for the total value) of the goods to be
shipped.
We are confident that our products will be
very popular in your market thanks to their
fine designs and reasonable prices.
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We look forward to your early order and can
assure you that your order will be completed
(processed/ executed) to your satisfaction.
Yours sincerely,
(Signed)
Do Xuan Bac
General Manager
 

Enc: 1.Offer form No. CH/09

2. Catalogue
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