Inquiry to Buy
An Inquiry to Buy allows you to specify the type of steel you are interested in, along with the location and type of companies you wish to target. An inquiry is non-binding and subject to your reconfirmation.

When you submit an Inquiry to Buy, you are considered the Initiator throughout all negotiations that develop. If, in the process of this negotiation you accept a firm offer or submit a firm bid that is accepted by the party you are in negotiation with, you are obligated to complete the sale.

Level 2 Associate Account Users and above are authorized to submit Inquiries directly to iSteelAsia.com. Level 1 Associate Account Users send their inquires directly to their company's Approval Queue.

Offer to Sell
An Offer to Sell is received from another iSteelAsia.com member and meets the criteria specified in your buying preferences. You will create an firm bid to respond to an Offer to Sell. Firm bids you created are firm and legally binding, so you cannot change the terms specified in them or withdraw them.

When you respond to an Offer to Sell, you are considered the Bidder throughout all negotiation that develops. If, in the process of this negotiation you accept a firm offer or submit a firm bid that is accepted by the party you are in negotiation with, you are obligated to complete the sale.

1. From the Trading Center, click Create an Inquiry.
   This takes you to the Create an Inquiry page.
   
   
2. From the drop-down menus in the Expiration fields select the date and time of expiration for your Inquiry.
   
   Example: 2 Jan 2003 10:00 AM HKT (Hong Kong Time)
   
   
3. From the drop-down menu in the Product Detail field choose the type of product you wish to buy. The product type you choose will determine who receives the Inquiry.
   
   
4. In the Material Description field type any necessary descriptions. Add any details about the materials you would like to buy, including chemical description, material quality and standards met by the materials. To upload attachment files, click View/Unload Attachment.
   
   
5. In the Quantity field enter the desired quantity, choose a unit from the menu and specify delivery tolerance.
   
   Example: 10000 MT +/- 10%. (Note: KG = Kilograms, MT = Metric Tonnes, PC = Piece, SH = Sheet, TN = Ton)
   
   
6. In the Unit Price field, you can specify the unit price or let seller specify the unit price. If you do not want to specify the unit price, click 'Open'. To specify the unit price, select a type of currency from the drop-down menu and enter the desired price per unit as specified in the Quantity field above. You do not need to enter a dollar sign.
   
   Example: HKD 100 per unit. (Note: HKD = Hong Kong Dollars, YEN = Japanese Yen, NTD = Taiwan Dollar, SGD = Singapore Dollar, USD = U.S. Dollars)
   
   
7. In the Delivery Terms field select an option from the drop-down menu. If you select Other, please enter additional details in the below text box.
   
   
8. In the Start Shipment Date field use the drop-down menus to select a starting date for which you would be willing to take shipment of steel.
   
   Example: 1 Sep 2001.
   
   
9. In the Final Shipment Date field use the drop-down menus to select a ending date for which you would be willing to take shipment of steel.
   
   Example: 1 Feb 2002.
   
   
10. From the Origin drop-down menu select the location in which the steel was manufactured, if you know.
    
    
11. In the Mill of Origin field type the mill in which the steel was manufactured, if you know.
    
    
12. From the Targeted Companies list select the types of companies you wish to target with your Inquiry. This choice will help determine which iSteelAsia.com users receive your Inquiry. To choose multiple company types press Control while clicking on the desired options.
    
    
13. In the Transhipment field select an option from the drop-down menu. If you select Other, please enter additional details in the text box.
    
    
14. In the Partial Shipment field select an option from the drop-down menu. If you select Other, please enter additional details in the text box.
    
    
15. In the Insurance field type in the appropriate information.
    
    
16. In the Payment field select an option from the drop-down menu. If you select Other, please enter additional details in the text box.
    
    
17. In the Packing field type the necessary information.
    
    
18. In the Shipping Marks field select an option from the drop-down menu. If you select Other, please enter additional details in the text box.
    
    
19. In the General Remarks field type any additional comments you wish to add.
    
    
20. If you are a Level 1 Associate Account User, click Submit Inquiry. This sends your Inquiry to your company's Approval Queue to be approved by a Level 2 user or above.
    
    
21. If you are a Level 2 Associate Account User or above, review your Inquiry carefully. Once it is submitted you cannot change the terms specified in it. Click Submit Inquiry. This displays a verification page.
    
    
22. When you are sure that you are ready to submit your Inquiry click Submit Inquiry. This displays a confirmation page.
    
    

From the Trading Center, click Buying Negotiatons

Completed Negotiations
The Completed Negotiations table shows your completed negotiations to buy steel along with the status of how each negotiation ended. To view details of a negotiation, click the Reference number. To sort negotiations, click the column title you wish to sort on.

These negotiations will remain in this table until you move them to the Buying History table. To move them to Buying History, click Move Completed Negotiations to History.

Ongoing Negotiations
The Ongoing Negotiations table shows your active negotiations to buy steel. To view a negotiation in more detail, click the Reference number. To sort negotiations, click the column title.

Negotiations that have new activity since your last login are in the lighter color and are counted under New Firm Bids. Negotiations that are awaiting an action by you are counted under Awaiting your Action. Inquiries to Buy you have created are counted under Total Inquiries Created. Each negotiation with an active interaction is counted under Total Active Negotiations.

If your list of negotiations is longer than one page, click Next to view older negotiations and Previous to view newer negotiations.

To view an Inquiry Activity Summary, from the Trading Center, click Buying Negotiations, then click the Reference number of an Inquiry you created.

Inquiry
To view details of the Inquiry you created, click View Inquiry.

Completed Negotiations
The Completed Negotiations table shows your completed negotiations to buy steel along with the status of how each negotiation ended. These negotiations were generated from the Inquiry to Buy you created.

To view details of a negotiation, click the Reference number. Negotiations completed since your last login are counted under New Completions.


Ongoing Negotiations
The Ongoing Negotiations table shows your active negotiations to buy steel.

To view more detail on the negotiation, click the Reference number. To sort negotiations, click the column title you wish to sort on. These negotiations were generated from the Inquiry to Buy you created.

Negotiations that have new activity since your last login are in the lighter color and are counted under New Firm Offers. Negotiations that are awaiting an action by you are counted under Awaiting your Action. Inquiries to Buy you have created are counted under Total Inquiries Created. Each negotiation with an active interaction is counted under Total Active Negotiations.

If your list of negotiations is longer than one page, click Next to view older negotiations and Previous to view newer negotiations.

 

Accept a firm offer:
If the firm offer satisfies the terms on which your are willing to buy and you do not have a need for further negotiation you can accept it. Once you have accepted the firm offer, you are obligated to complete the sale.

To accept a firm offer:

1. From the Trading Center, click Buying Negotiations. This displays the Buying Negotiations page.
   
   
2. Click the desired Reference number to dispaly the Negotiation Details page. If you select a negotiation that you initiated, the Inquiry Activity Summary page is displayed.
   
   
3. Click the desired Reference number under Ongoing Negotiations. This displays the Negotiation Details page.
   
   
4. When you are sure your want to accept the firm offer, click Accept. This displays a verification page.
   
   
5. Carefully review the firm offer. Once it is accepted, you must complete the sale based on the terms specified in it.
   
   
6. When you are sure you want to accept, click Accept. This displays a confirmation page with instructions for how to proceed. You should print the confirmation page with the other party's contact information and make contact with the other party to create and finalize the contract, as well as make arrangements for payment and shipping.

Reject the firm offer:
If the firm offer does not provide a satisfactory starting point for negotiation or it does not satisfy the terms on which you are willing to buy, you can reject it. Once this is done you will no longer have access to this firm offer, so you will no longer be able to participate in negotiation based on it.

To reject a firm offer:

1. From the Trading Center, click Buying Negotiations. This displays the Buying Negotiations page.
   
   
2. Click the desired Reference number to display the Negotiation Details page. If you select a negotiation that you initiated, the Inquiry Activity Summary page is displayed.
   
   
3. Click the desired Reference number under Ongoing Negotiations. This displays the Negotiation Details page.
   
   
4. When you are sure you want to reject the firm offer, click Reject. This displays a verification page.
   
   
5. Carefully review the firm offer. Once it is rejected the negotiation is terminated.
   
   
6. When you are sure you want to reject, click Reject. This displays a confirmation page that the firm offer has been rejected.

Let the firm offer expire without responding to it:
You can let a firm offer expire without responding to it. Once the firm offer has expired you can no longer return a firm bid or respond to it in any way.

Return a firm bid:
If you wish to negotiate, you can respond to a firm offer by returning a firm bid that more closely matches the terms on which you are willing to buy. Once a firm bid is submitted, you can not change the terms specified in it or withdraw it. Whether submitting your initial firm bid or the latest in a series of firm bids in an ongoing negotiation the procedure is the same.

To return a firm bid:

1. From the Trading Center, click Buying Negotiations. This displays the Buying Negotiations page.
   
   
2. Click the desired Reference number to display the Negotiation Detaisl page. If you select a negotiation that you initiated, the Inquiry Activity Summary page is displayed.
   
   
3. Click the desired Reference number under Ongoing Negotiations. This displays the Negotiation Details page.
   
   
4. Click negotiate. This displays the Create a Firm Bid page.
   
   
5. Evaluate the original firm offer in the left-hand column and determine which items you would like to change. Enter your changes into the creation form in the right-hand column.
   
   
6. Click Submit. This displays the Verify Firm Bid Details page.
   
   
7. Review your firm bid carefully. Once you submit a firm bid, you cannot change the terms specified in it or withdraw it. When you are sure that you submit the firm bid, click Submit. This displays the Firm Bid Submitted page.
   
   
8. To return to the Trading Center, click Return to Trading Center.

Firm Bid on another party's Offer to Sell:
If you wish to begin a negotiation to buy, you can respond to an Offer to Sell by submitting a firm bid that more closely matches the terms under which you are willing to buy. Once a firm bid is submitted, you cannot change the terms specified in it or withdraw it.

To create firm bid on an Offer to Sell:

1. From the Trading Center, click Offers to Me. This takes you to the Offers to Me page.
   
   
2. Click on the desired Offer number. This displays the Offer Details page.
   
   
3. If attachments are included click View Attachments in the Material Description field. This displays the View and Upload Attachments page that contains links to any photos or files attached to the Offer to buy.
   
   
4. Review the Offer and evaluate its terms.
   
   
5. Click Create a Firm Bid. This displays the Create a Firm Bid page.
   
   
6. Evaluate the Offer in the left-hand column and determine which items you would like to change. Enter your changes into the creation form in the right-hand column.
   
   
7. Review your firm bid carefully. When you submit a firm bid, you cannot change the terms specified in it or withdraw it.
   
   
8. Click Submit. This displays the Verify Firm Bid Details page.
   
   
9. When you are sure that you submit the firm bid, click Submit. This will display the Firm Bid Submitted page.
   
   
10. To return to the Trading Center, click Return to Trading Center.

Create Firm Bid on an ongoing negotiation based on an Offer to Sell:
If you wish to continue a negotiation based on an Offer to Sell that was submitted to you, you can respond to the latest firm offer in the negotiation cycle by submitting a firm bid that more closely matches the terms on which you are willing to sell. Once a firm bid is submitted you cannot change the terms specified in it or withdraw it.

To create firm bid on an ongoing negotiation based on an Offer to Sell:

1. From the Trading Center, click Buying Negotiations. This displays the Buying Negotiations page.
   
   
2. Click the desired Reference number to display the Negotiation Details page.
   
   
3. Click Negotiate. This displays the Create a Firm Bid page.
   
   
4. Evaluate the earlier firm offer in the left-hand column and determine which items you would like to change. Enter your changes into the creation form in the right-hand column.
   
   
5. Review your firm bid carefully. When you submit a firm bid, you cannot change the terms specified in it or withdraw it.
   
   
6. Click Submit. This displays the Verify Firm Bid Details page.
   
   
7. When you are sure that you submit the firm bid, click Submit. This displays the Firm Bid Submitted page.
   
   
8. To return to the Trading Center, click Return to Trading Center.

Let the Offer expire without responding to it:
If you are not interested in an Offer you can simply let it expire without responding to it. Once the Offer expires, you will no longer have the opportunity to return a firm bid to it in any way.

To view the details:

1. From the Trading Center, click Buying Negotiations. This displays the Buying Negotiation page.
   
   
2. Click the desired Reference number to display the Negotiation Detail page. If you select a negotiation that you initiated, the Inquiry Activity Summary page is displayed.
   
   
3. Click the desired Reference number. This displays the Offer Details or Negotiation Details page.
   
   
4. To return to the Trading Center, click Return to Trading Center.

To view your buying history:
From the Trading Center, click Buying History.

This displays the User Buying History page, which lists all Inquires sent from you and all Offers sent to you.

To view a single Inquiry history:
From the Buying History page, select the Reference number of an Inquiry you created. This displays the Single Inquiry History page, which details the results of your Inquiry. To view details of the Inquiry you created, click View Inquiry.

The Completed Negotiations table shows your completed negotiations to buy steel along with the status of how each negotiation ended. These negotiations were generated from the Inquiry you created.

To view details of a negotiation, click the Reference number. To sort negotiations, click the column title. Negotiations completed since your last login are counted under New Completions.

To save an Inquiry as a template:

1. From the Trading Center, click Create an Inquiry. This displays the Create an Inquiry page.
   
   
2. In the form provided enter the information.
   
   
3. Click Save as a Template. This displays the Save Inquiry as Template page.
   
   
4. In the space provided type the title of the template.
   
   
5. Click Save Template. This displays a confirmation page.
   
   
6. Click Return to Inquiry.

To load an Inquiry Template:

1. From the Trading Center, click Create an Inquiry. This displays the Create an Inquiry page.
   
   
2. Click Load Template.
   
   
3. Locate the template you wish to use and click the template title. This loads the template so that you may submit the inquiry.
   
   

To delete an Inquiry Template:

1. To delete an Inquiry template, click the checkbox next to the template you wish to delete and click Delete.

To view the details of a submitted Inquiry:

1. From the Trading Center, click Buying Negotiations. This displays the Buying Negotiations page.
   
   
2. Click the desired Inquiry number. This displays the Inquiry Activity Summary page.
   
   
3. Click View Inquiry. This displays the Inquiry Detail page, which shows the details of the selected Inquiry.
   
   
4. To return to the Trading Center, click Trading Center.

To view current Company Buying Negotiations:

1. From the Trading Center, click Company Buying Negotiations. This displays the Company Buying Negotiations page, which lists all negotiations being conducted by company account users.
   
   
2. Click the desired Reference number. If it is an Offer submitted by another iSteelAsia.com user, the Company Negotiation Detail page is displayed. If it is an Inquiry submitted by one of your company's account users, the Company Offer Activity Summary page is displayed.
   
   
3. Click the desired Negotiation number. This displays the Company Negotiation Detail page, which shows the details of the selected negotiation.
   
   
4. To return to the Trading Center, click Trading Center.

To view Company Buying History:

1. From the Trading Center, click Company Buying History. This displays the Company Buying History page, which lists all Inquiries submitted from and all Offers submitted to your company.
   
   
2. Click the desired Inquiry or Offer number. If it is an Inquiry submitted by one of your company's account users, the Company Single Inquiry History page is displayed, which lists all negotiations related to the selected Inquiry.
   
   If it is an Offer submitted by another iSteelAsia.com user, the Company Negotiation Detail History page is displayed.
   
   
3. To return to the Trading Center, click Trading Center.

To close an Inquiry:

1. From the Trading Center, click Buying Negotiations. This displays the Buying Negotiations page.
   
   
2. Click the desired Inquiry number. This displays the Inquiry Activity Summary page. All negotiations related to this Inquiry are listed here.
   
   
3. Click View Inquiry. This displays the Inquiry Detail page.
   
   
4. Review the Inquiry carefully. After the Inquiry is closed it will no longer be sent to iSteelAsia.com members.
   
   
5. Click Close Inquiry. This displays a verification page.
   
   
6. When you are sure you want to close the Inquiry, click Close Inquiry. This displays a confirmation page. The Inquiry is now closed.
   
   
7. To return to the Trading Center, click Trading Center.

To review your ongoing negotiations:

1. From the Trading Center, click Buying Negotiatons
   
   
2. The Ongoing Negotiations table shows your active negotiations to buy steel. To view a negotiation in more detail, click the Reference number. To sort negotiations, click the column title.
   
   Negotiations that have new activity since your last login are in the lighter color and are counted under New Firm Offer. Negotiations that are awaiting an action by you are counted under Awaiting your Action. Inquiries to Buy you have created are counted under Total Inquiries Created. Each negotiation with an active interaction is counted under Total Active Negotiations.
   
   If your list of negotiations is longer than one page, click Next to view older negotiations and Previous to view newer negotiations.

To view all the firm offers and firm bids related to a particular Inquiry:

1. From the Trading Center, click Buying Negotiations. This displays the Buying Negotiations page.
   
   
2. Click the desired Inquiry number. This displays the Inquiry Activity Summary page, which lists all negotiations based on the selected Inquiry.
   
   
3. To view the details of a particular negotiation, click the desired Reference number. This displays the Negotiation Detail page, which shows the details of the negotiation.
   
   
4. To return to the Trading Center, click Trading Center.

To view the Approval Queue:

1. From the Trading Center, click Inquiries Approvals. This displays the Inquiries Approval Queue page, which lists all Inquiries in the Approval Queue.
   
   
2. If you wish to view the details of a particular Inquiry click on its Inquiry number. This displays the Inquiry Approval page.
   
   
3. To return to the Trading Center, click Trading Center.

To approve an Inquiry:

1. From the Trading Center, click Inquiries Approvals. This displays the Inquiries Approval Queue page, which lists all Inquiries in the Approval Queue.
   
   
2. Click the desired Inquiry number. This displays the Inquiry Approval page.
   
   
3. Review the Inquiry carefully.
   
   
4. Click Approve Inquiry. This displays a verification page. Remember that after an Inquiry is approved it will be submitted to iSteelAsia.com and you cannot change the terms specified in it.
   
   
5. When you are sure you want to approve the Inquiry, click Approve Inquiry. This displays a confirmation page.
   
   
6. To return to the Trading Center, click Return to Trading Center.

To reject an Inquiry for approval:

1. From the Trading Center, click Inquiries Approvals. This displays the Inquiries Approval Queue page, which lists all Inquiries in the Approval Queue.
   
   
2. Click the desired Inquiry number. This displays the Inquiry Approval page.
   
   
3. Review the Inquiry carefully.
   
   
4. Click Reject. This displays a verification page. Remember that after an Inquiry is rejected it cannot be submitted to iSteelAsia.com.
   
   
5. When you are sure you want to reject the Inquiry click Reject. This displays a confirmation page.
   
   
6. To return to the Trading Center, click Return to Trading Center.