Starting an RFQ by Email
Email rfq@buyer24.ai with what you need — no account required — and get back a drafted RFQ ready to review and send.
What This Is
You don't need a Buyer24 account to start an RFQ. Just email what you need to:
rfq@buyer24.aiWrite it the way you'd write to a colleague — "we need 5,000 widgets by Q3, specs attached" — and attach whatever you have: PDF specifications, drawings, bills of materials. Buyer24 reads your email, sets up a workspace for you, drafts a professional RFQ, and emails you a secure link to review and send it.
This is the fastest way to try Buyer24: one email in, a ready-to-ship RFQ out.
See it in action: the interactive walkthrough plays this whole flow with a realistic example — no account needed.
Step by Step
- Send your email. Describe what you need — items, quantities, deadline, delivery location. Attach specs, BOMs, or drawings if you have them. Use your work email address (personal addresses like Gmail or Outlook.com aren't accepted for new sign-ups).
- Get a personalized reply. Buyer24 replies with what it understood from your email — the items and details it would put in the RFQ, what it could infer about your company, and a couple of short questions about anything that's missing.
- Reply to confirm. Answering the reply confirms it's really you (and fills in the gaps you answered). No reply, no account — nothing happens without your confirmation.
- Buyer24 sets up your workspace. Behind the scenes it creates your organization, builds a company profile, drafts your RFQ from your email and attachments, matches candidate suppliers, and grants you starter credits so your first sends are covered.
- Get the "your RFQ is ready" email. It contains a secure sign-in link. Click it, set a password (or continue with Google / Microsoft), and you land directly on your drafted RFQ.
- Review and send. A pending-approval card lists the suppliers Buyer24 matched. Edit anything you like, then approve to send. Sending uses one credit.
The confirmation email also tells you how to keep improving the draft just by replying — see Updating a Draft by Reply.
What Gets Set Up for You
Confirming your reply triggers a real workspace setup, not just an account shell:
- Company profile — name, industry, and address, inferred from your email, your reply, and (for corporate domains) your company website
- RFQ templates — a few starter templates matched to your industry
- Procurement guidelines — a first draft of the documents that steer Buyer24's AI for your organization
- Your drafted RFQ — built from your original email and attachments, with candidate suppliers attached
- Starter credits — so your first sends are included
Everything is editable once you're in — see Setting Up Your Organization.
What to Expect
- Attachments are read, not just stored. PDF specs and BOMs are parsed and their content flows into the draft RFQ.
- The reply is tailored, not a form letter. It reflects what you actually wrote and asks only about genuine gaps.
- Already a Buyer24 user? If you email from the address on your account, the confirmation round-trip may be skipped entirely — the draft goes straight into your existing workspace and you get the ready link.
- Your company is already on Buyer24? If your email domain matches an existing organization, you're added to that workspace instead of getting a new one. Depending on your organization's settings, an admin may need to approve your request before the draft is prepared.
- Asked a question instead of requesting quotes? If your email reads as a general question rather than an RFQ, you'll get a helpful reply — no account is created.
Credits and What Comes Next
- New workspaces created this way receive a starter credit grant. Sending your RFQ to suppliers consumes a credit through the normal flow.
- When the starter credits run out, you'll choose a plan to keep sending. See Billing & Credits.
- After your first RFQ, everything in Buyer24 is open to you — see Quick Start to get oriented, and Setting Up Your Organization to sharpen the profile Buyer24 drafted for you.
Tips & FAQ
What makes a good intake email?
Items with quantities, a deadline, and a delivery location. Attachments help a lot — a parts list or drawing gives the draft real substance. But even a rough two-liner works; Buyer24 asks about what's missing.
Why do I have to reply before anything happens?
The reply proves you own the email address. It's the verification step — dressed up as the useful conversation you wanted to have anyway.
Why was my personal email rejected?
New sign-ups need a corporate email address so Buyer24 can identify your company. If you already have a Buyer24 account on a personal address, emailing from it still works.
How long is the sign-in link valid?
Links are time-limited for security. If yours has expired, reply to the thread and ask for a fresh one, or sign in from the website.
Can I forward a customer's email instead of writing my own?
Yes — that's a core workflow for distributors. See Forwarding Emails to RFQs.