Buy a dining set direct from China.

Three Chinese-design manufacturers to research.

These profiles replace the former general-purpose furniture suppliers. Use the same brief to request an existing Eastern or minimalist model, then confirm its construction, dimensions and delivery scope.

Save factory contacts (CSV) ↗

Before a deposit, collect these four records.

Ready-to-send buying messages.

Replace the square-bracket fields. Each message is available in this page’s language; the English option is useful for international trade correspondence.

Subject: One dining table + six chairs — DINING-01

Hello [name],
I want to buy one residential dining set for [country, city, postcode]. Please quote your closest existing models: one oak dining table 180 × 90 × 75 cm, nominal 30 mm solid-oak top, and six armless oak chairs with upholstered seats, target 50 × 55 × 80 cm and seat height 46 cm. Price custom changes separately.
Please confirm one-set availability, exact materials, top construction, finish sample, table/chair drawings, leg spacing, seat clearance, production time and warranty/remedy terms.
Quote table and chair unit prices separately in USD, quantities, export packing, and FCA [named place], Incoterms 2020. State excluded fees, validity, deposit/balance schedule and final carton dimensions/weights. Attach actual product photos and legal seller details.
Thank you, [name]

Subject: Material and fit approval — DINING-01 / quote [number]

Please identify wood species, actual top construction/thickness, veneer/core if any, edge build-up, base joints and detachable fittings. Quote any alternative separately. Explain drying/moisture control for [destination climate], with dated readings and method.
For chairs, confirm frame joints, seat-board construction, foam density and firmness separately, fabric composition/code, seat dimensions and cleaning. Send underside/frame photos, seat section and physical finish/fabric samples.
Provide a dimensioned drawing with all six chairs, clear distance between table supports and seat-to-underside clearance. State tolerances and obtain written approval before any substitution.

Subject: Pro forma invoice before deposit — DINING-01

Please issue an invoice listing one table and six chairs as separate lines, approved model/drawing versions [ ], wood/top specification [ ], finish sample [ ], fabric code [ ], quantities and unit prices.
Record export packing, carton count, total/currency, FCA [exact named place] Incoterms 2020, excluded fees, lead-time trigger, deposit [ ], balance [ ], inspection before balance, dispatch date and warranty/remedy process.
Confirm the legal seller, registered address and bank beneficiary. Explain any mismatch in writing through a second established contact. Include hardware, tools and assembly instructions. No change of material, finish, dimensions or model without written approval.

Subject: Itemised freight quote — DINING-01, eight cartons

Pickup: [factory address]. Delivery: [country, city, postcode, full address]. Planning packing list: tabletop 195 × 105 × 12 cm × 1, 35 kg/carton; base 85 × 65 × 35 cm × 1, 18 kg/carton; chairs 60 × 65 × 95 cm × 6, 11 kg/carton. Total eight cartons, 2.662075 m³, 119 kg. Final measurements to follow. Value [USD].
Quote LCL and suitable consolidated door delivery. Itemise pickup/export/origin, main freight W/M/minimum, destination handling, brokerage, duties/taxes, insurance and last mile. Confirm stackability, pallet/wood-packaging requirements, importer, exclusions, validity, transit and free storage.
State curbside/inside/upstairs delivery, unloading and assembly. If palletised, quote final external packed dimensions without double-counting cartons.

Subject: Pre-shipment inspection — DINING-01

Before balance, send dated photos/videos of all seven pieces, measured table and chair dimensions, tabletop surface/underside/edges, approved finish and fabric, connectors, chair joints and level-foot check. Confirm six-seat fit from the approved drawing and all assembly hardware/instructions.
Send invoice and packing list identifying eight cartons or the final agreed packing arrangement, dimensions, gross weights and labels. Show surface/corner/moisture protection and photos before/after packing. Ask the forwarder to confirm applicable wood-packaging requirements.
Resolve any specification mismatch before release. At delivery I will count cartons, photograph damage, record it on the delivery document and notify seller/forwarder within the applicable claim deadline.

Download all five templates (TXT) ↗

Count every carton, then price the whole shipment.

A tabletop, a base and six chairs do not share one box size. Calculate each carton group separately and request collection, destination charges and final delivery as distinct items.

Choose the handover point in writing.

Editable LCL teaching exercise: one top carton, one base carton and six chair cartons, eight cartons in total. Replace all sizes, weights and rates with the factory’s final packed measurements and the forwarder’s quote.

If the shipment is palletised, enter the final external pallet dimensions and weight instead of counting both the loaded pallet and its internal cartons. Confirm stackability; a carton arrangement is not an agreed loading plan.

Ask the destination broker whether raw-wood crates, pallets or dunnage require ISPM 15 treatment and marking. The standard concerns wood packaging; confirm furniture import requirements separately. Do not assume processed-wood packaging and raw wood have identical requirements.

Total CBM = sum of each group’s length × width × height × carton count ÷ 1,000,000. Gross kg = sum of kg per carton × count. W/M uses the greater of CBM, total metric tonnes and the quoted minimum. Confirm any rounding and surcharges.

Duty and VAT are separate inputs, not a universal percentage. Ask the destination broker to confirm classification, customs value, tax base and payable amounts. Final-delivery charges must specify unloading and access.

Keep one order folder.

• Approved table/chair drawings and six-seat layout
• Wood species, finish sample, fabric code and agreed specifications
• Seller details, pro forma invoice and payment receipts
• Commercial invoice, carton list and transport document
• Insurance, broker instructions and relevant packaging records
• Inspection, packing and delivery photos with signed receipt

Sources for the working file

Manufacturer details come from official websites checked on 21 October 2026. Wood, packaging and trade references support the guidance. Financial figures are editable ZSBL teaching assumptions.

• USDA Forest Products Laboratory ↗
• IPPC — ISPM 15 ↗
• DHL Global Forwarding ↗
• ICC Academy ↗