Create a quote yourself

Read time: 4 minutes. Last updated: June 20, 2026 Who it's for: Merchants who want to start a quote from the admin - for a lead who called or emailed, a repeat wholesale buyer, or a deal that began off-store - instead of waiting for a storefront request.

You don't have to wait for a buyer to press Request a quote. From the Quotes page you can create a quote yourself, pick or enter the customer, add catalog products or custom lines, and land straight in the proposal editor to price and send. It's the same quote object as a storefront request - it just starts on your side.

⚠️ Creating a quote yourself requires the Starter plan or higher. On Lite, quotes begin from a buyer's storefront request.

What you'll achieve

By the end you'll have a new quote addressed to a specific customer, with the products and prices you intend to offer, ready to send as a Proposal.

Before you start

You're on Starter, Professional, or Enterprise (or in your 14-day trial of a paid plan).
You know who the quote is for - an existing Shopify customer, or an email address for a new lead.
You know what you're quoting - catalog products, custom one-off lines, or both.

Step 1 - Start a new quote

How do you begin a merchant-created quote? Open Apps → QuotWay → Quotes and select Create quote. A blank quote opens, ready for you to add a customer and lines.

Step 2 - Pick or enter a customer

Who is the quote for? You have two paths:

Pick an existing customer. Search by name or email to attach the quote to a Shopify customer you already have - for example, Acme Restaurant Group. Their details and any company context carry over.
Enter a new lead. Type any email address to create the quote for a customer who isn't in Shopify yet. This is the right path for a lead from a call, a trade show, or an inbound email.

The customer you choose determines where the accepted proposal is delivered - the Buyer portal or their customer-account view - and which email receives the proposal link.

Step 3 - Add catalog or custom lines

What can you put on the quote? Add either kind of line, or mix both:

Catalog products - search your Shopify catalog and add products and variants. QuotWay pulls in the variant, so quantities and base prices come from your store.
Custom lines - add a free-text line for something not in your catalog: a setup fee, a bespoke bundle, freight, or a one-off service. Set its description, quantity, and price by hand.

Set the quantity on each line. You'll set buyer-facing pricing in the next step.

Step 4 - Price and send in the proposal editor

How do you finish the quote? Adding lines drops you into the proposal editor - the same editor you use to answer a storefront request:

Set the per-line buyer price, or apply a discount (percentage or fixed amount).
Add a message for the buyer - terms, context, or a note.
Select Send proposal.

The quote moves to PROPOSAL_SENT, and QuotWay emails the customer a link to review it. From there it follows the same path as any quote: the buyer accepts (status FULLY_ACCEPTED) or counters, and you convert the accepted quote to a Shopify draft order.

💡 Confirmation and Pro-Forma PDFs are a Professional+ feature. The Proposal PDF is available on every plan, including the proposals you create yourself.

Your first quote in 5 minutes - the full request-to-order loop.
Convert a quote to a draft order - turn an accepted quote into a Shopify order.
Plans, trial, and billing - what each plan includes, and the 14-day trial.