Quotation vs invoice, which paper first

In April 2023 a coaching sir from Talwandi, Kota, came to my brother's mobile shop.

I was there for two weeks, helping, because brother went to a wedding in Jhunjhunu.

Sir wanted eight phones for his staff. Same model. Same colour if possible.

He did not want to buy that day. He wanted a paper to show the coaching owner.

I almost made invoice. My hand went to the GST draft page like habit.

He stopped me. He said quotation. Not bill. We didn't purchase yet.

I sat quiet for a second. I knew the words. I still mix them when customer is in hurry.

Quotation vs invoice, what actually happened

Quotation is I will sell at this rate, till this date, if you say yes.

Invoice is you already took the thing, now this is the bill.

Sir needed first one. Coaching owner is strict with money. They compare three shops.

I opened quotation maker on BillOnDesk.

I put shop name, his coaching name, eight pieces, rate 11,499 each.

Total looked big on the preview. Around ninety two thousand. I checked twice because I don't like those numbers on a small shop screen.

I put valid till 30 April 2023. That felt fair. Phone rates jump in Kota when new lot come from Delhi.

I marked it like estimate. DRAFT / ESTIMATE. I don't pretend this is GSTN paper.

BillOnDesk is not GSTN. If they later buy, tax filing is on official portal with CA.

Sir took PDF on mail. He also asked WhatsApp. I sent both.

Two days later he came with a red pen mark on a print.

Owner said rate is high. Another shop in Rajeev Gandhi Nagar quoted 11,250.

I told him my rate include screen guard fitting and a cover. Other shop maybe naked phone.

He said write that on quotation.

I opened the same quotation maker again. I added two lines. Tempered glass fitting. Back cover.

I did not add extra money. I only wrote included.

He smiled. He said owner like when things are written, not spoken.

Spoken promise disappear. Paper stay.

On 28 April they said yes. Then I made invoice. Separate paper. Separate number.

I did not just change the title from quotation to invoice on same file.

I used to do that in Word. Title change, rest same. CA in Jaipur told my brother that is lazy and confusing for audit later.

Quotation number Q-023. Invoice number INV-088. Different.

If they cancel, quotation can die. Invoice means goods moved.

One girl from a dental clinic in Sikar did opposite with me, years back in my own Jaipur shop.

She asked invoice first for a 6,700 phone. I made it. She said I will take tomorrow.

Tomorrow she didn't come. Next week she said her husband bought from Amazon.

I had a bill in my folder for a sale that never happen.

I had to explain to myself at month end why stock still here.

Now I don't make invoice until money or phone is leaving.

Quotation first. Always, if they are only asking.

Some customers get angry. They think quotation is extra drama.

I say it is for you also. Rate lock for few days. You can show your family.

My uncle in Bikaner send quotation on WhatsApp photo of handwritten pad.

Buyer in a hotel read it wrong. 13,500 looked like 18,500 because 3 was fancy.

Fight. Uncle lost the order. Hotel took from another dealer.

Typed quotation would save that. Valid till date also save that.

If rate change after valid date, I make new quotation. I don't silently change old PDF.

How I make the quotation on this site

January 2025 I updated this habit after a Udaipur tourist shop order.

A guest house near City Palace wanted four power banks and two earphones for staff.

They asked quotation. I sent. Valid till 10 January.

On 16 January they said we accept last quote.

I said rate of that power bank went up 120 rupee. New quotation.

They were not happy. I showed them wholesale bill date. I am not making story.

They accepted new paper. We did invoice after they paid 40 percent advance, rest on delivery.

Advance is another confusion. Some people want invoice for advance.

For that there is proforma type paper. I use that when money is coming but goods not fully decided.

But for Kota coaching, it was clean. Quote, then buy, then invoice.

The coaching sir later asked, can quotation have GST.

I put GST 18 percent as a line so owner see final number.

I wrote this is estimate tax. Final invoice may match if HSN and rate same.

I don't want owner to approve 92,000 and then invoice come 1,08,000 and they think I cheated.

Show tax in quote if you will charge tax in bill. Simple.

If I am not sure of GST for some accessory, I write rate without tax and a note, tax extra as applicable.

I ask CA when the item is new for me. I don't invent percent.

A hardware friend in Ajmer put 12 percent on a thing that was 18. He spent two months correcting.

I don't want that life.

Which paper first.

If customer is only thinking, quotation.

If customer already took phone and paid, invoice.

If customer send a driver to pick and bill will go later, that is challan story. Different article in my head. Different paper.

Don't mix three papers because you have only one Word template.

I did that in 2021. Header said invoice. Body said quotation. Footer said received with thanks.

Customer in Malviya Nagar forwarded it to four people. One of them called me, is this paid or not.

I had to call back and say not paid, only rate.

Shame.

Now the quotation page has valid till, items, total. Invoice page has paid or due. I keep them separate on purpose.

When brother came back from Jhunjhunu, I showed him the eight phone order.

He said you did right. He used to give invoice first because it look more serious.

Serious is not the point. Correct paper is the point.

Kota coaching paid in two parts. I wrote that on invoice. Not on quotation.

Quotation was only rates.

If you run a shop in a town like Kota, Jaipur, Sikar, people will ask paper before they ask colour of phone.

Give them quotation. Put a date when it dies.

If they come after that date, smile, make new one.

Don't fight. Don't copy old number.

And don't tell them BillOnDesk filed your GST. It did not. It only helped me type.

I file with CA. Official portal. End of month headache, same as always.

The coaching owner later sent a thank you message. Staff phones working.

Sir came for his own cover, 199 rupee. He said no quotation needed.

I said for 199 I also don't make quotation. I laughed. He laughed.

Small cash, notebook. Big order, quotation first.

That is the only rule I keep now. It saved me from fake sales in the folder.

It also saved the coaching from approving a number they didn't understand.

Paper first, sale second. Invoice last.