This page applies only when commerce is on and the platform has licensed inquiries.
How you review and quote in the admin is in Work an inquiry.
An inquiry and an online purchase are two different flows. An inquiry does not become an order, and it does not go through ECPay. After the quote, you and the customer agree how to close the sale.
How to switch a product to inquiry, and how to set options, is in Publish a product and Set options and pricing.
What the buyer goes through
- On
/shop, open an inquiry product. The page does not show a checkout price. The main button adds it to the inquiry. - After choosing options, add it to the inquiry (the header can show an inquiry icon; the path is
/inquiry). - Several inquiry products can go in together. Then submit (
/inquiry/submit) with contact details and a note. - The success page shows the inquiry number. The system can email a confirmation and offer LINE for later notices.
- After you send a quote, the customer can:
- Signed in: under My inquiries in the member area, view the quote and accept or decline it.
- Guest: use the private link in the email or LINE message (
/inquiry/q/…) to view and reply.
- If they decline, you can quote again. If they accept, they agree to that quote. Closing the sale is still arranged outside the site. This stage does not turn it into an order.
A guest does not get a public list of every past inquiry. If they are not signed in, they follow the email or the LINE link.
How a product becomes an inquiry
On the product’s Basic tab, set Sales mode to Inquiry only (it cannot also be Purchase). The list can change this in bulk.
| Result | On the public site |
|---|---|
| Inquiry product | No checkout price and no quantity quote. It joins the inquiry. |
| Purchase product | It can be quoted, added to the cart, and checked out (online purchase must be on). |
Also:
- If the platform has licensed inquiries but not online purchase, public products usually follow the inquiry flow even when the admin still says they can be purchased.
- An inquiry product can still have option fields and a long description. Pricing quotes, lookup tables, and other purchase-only settings stay hidden.
- You can turn on related products so the detail page recommends other products in the same categories.
What you do in the admin
| Work | What it means |
|---|---|
| Confirm the sub-feature | Commerce and inquiries are licensed by the platform. |
| Set the sales mode | The product list and the editor can switch Purchase and Inquiry only. When both modes are available, you can change them in bulk. |
| Adjust the inquiry form | Store settings → Inquiry: add or remove fields in the form editor. Email and name are required system fields. They cannot be deleted. |
| Work an inquiry | The steps are in Work an inquiry. |
| Notifications | Store settings → Notifications → the inquiry section: buyer confirmation and quote mail, merchant notices, and the LINE “View inquiry” button. See Email notifications. |
The usual statuses are: Submitted → Under review → Quoted (or Closed / Cancelled). If the customer declines, it can return to Under review so you can quote again.
Paths: /admin/commerce/inquiries and /admin/commerce/store.
Keep in mind
- An inquiry is not an order. It will not appear under Orders. Open Inquiry management.
- The same customer can submit the same product more than once. Each time is a separate inquiry.
- Sending a quote notifies the customer. For a guest, check the inbox and LINE, and whether the link has expired.
- The confirmation and the LINE message show an item summary. If you do not want the customer to open the site from LINE, turn off the LINE “View inquiry” button in notifications.
- The header inquiry icon appears only when inquiries are licensed. It is separate from the cart icon.
- No Inquiry management item means the sub-feature is off, or this account cannot open it. See How modules are turned on and When permission is missing.