Deciding to accept
What you can see before spending credits on an enquiry, how to triage a queue in minutes, and the signals that separate a buyer worth answering from one who is shopping.
Acceptance costs credits, so the decision deserves a minute — and should never take more than a few.
What you can see before you commit
Everything except how to contact them.
| The requirement in full | Lines, quantities, units, specifications, timing |
| The kind | Product, service, general or franchise |
| Who is asking | Individual, business or agent, and whether verified |
| Their standing | How they have behaved on previous enquiries |
| When you must respond by | The date after which it lapses |
You are not deciding blind. You are deciding without the ability to phone them first, which is different and intentional.
Triage in three questions
Can we actually do this?
Not "is it adjacent to what we do". Can you supply this thing, at this quantity, to this place, by this date.
If no, decline now. It costs nothing and takes seconds, and the buyer learns something useful today rather than in a week.
Can we price it from what is written?
If yes, this is a good enquiry — accept it.
If nearly, accept it anyway. The gap is usually one question, and you will be able to ask directly once you have.
If not at all — no unit, no scope, no timeline — it is a decline. Accepting an unpriceable enquiry means spending credits to start a conversation the buyer should have finished before sending.
Is this buyer worth the effort?
Verification and standing are on the enquiry. A verified business with a history of closing enquiries properly is a different proposition from an unverified individual with none.
This is a judgement, not a rule. But it is why the information is there.
Signals worth weighting
Good sign — they enquired from a specific listing. They looked at what you actually sell and asked about that. Contrast with a blank enquiry describing something in their own words.
Good sign — the specification includes the things that change price. Grade, tolerance, packing, certification. Somebody who names those has bought this before.
Good sign — a real date. Not "urgent". A date they need it by.
Poor sign — quantity with no unit. The commonest defect, and it means at minimum one round trip before you can quote.
Poor sign — a general enquiry that is clearly a purchase. Somebody avoiding the detail. It will not get less vague after you accept.
Poor sign — a franchise enquiry with no investment figure or location. The two things that decide whether the conversation can happen at all.
The queue clock
Every pending enquiry has a response date. Past it, the enquiry is marked missed, the sender is refunded, and it counts against your response score.
Missed is worse than declined
A decline is a professional answer. A miss says nobody was minding the queue — and it is visible to the next buyer deciding whether to spend credits writing to you.
Nothing is gained by letting the clock run out. If the answer is no, say no.
After you accept
Contact details are exchanged both ways and you name the person who owns it. See Assigning an owner.
Then respond. Accepting and going quiet is the one outcome that costs you credits and your standing at the same time.
Overview
Receiving enquiries — why acceptance costs you something, what you can see before deciding, how to keep a queue from rotting, and what unanswered enquiries do to your standing.
Assigning an owner
Every accepted enquiry is handed to a named person with their own contact details — what the buyer sees, why a shared inbox is not an option here, and how to route enquiries sensibly.