Message buyers on a quote

Read time: 5 minutes. Last updated: June 20, 2026 Who it's for: Merchants who want to talk to a buyer during a negotiation - sending messages, attaching files, and understanding what the buyer sees and what the email notifications include.

Every quote has its own message thread, so the conversation lives next to the prices instead of in a separate inbox. This article covers the admin composer, where the buyer reads and replies, message attachments, and why the email notifications mention the buyer by name but never include prices.

Where is the message thread?

Each quote has a dedicated message thread, visible on the quote in three places:

Admin composer - on the quote detail page in your QuotWay admin, you write messages to the buyer and read their replies in the same thread.
Buyer portal - buyers using the hosted buyer portal see and reply to the thread there.
Customer account - buyers using their Shopify customer account see the thread in QuotWay's customer-account view.

Because the thread is attached to the quote, every message sits alongside the proposal versions and counters. You don't have to cross-reference an email chain to remember what was discussed in which round - the conversation and the pricing history are in one place.

How do I send a message?

From the quote detail page, type your message in the composer and send it. The buyer is notified by email that there's a new message and given a link to read and reply. Their reply appears back in the same thread for you to see.

Use the thread for the things that surround a price - clarifying quantities, confirming a delivery window, explaining a discount, or asking what a buyer meant by an unusual counter-offer. Keeping it on the quote means the context travels with the negotiation.

Can I attach files to a message?

Yes - you can attach a file to a message, such as a spec sheet, a revised line breakdown, or a reference image.

⚠️ Message attachments require the Professional plan or higher.

QuotWay validates each file's type and rejects files with malicious or active content, so the thread stays safe to use. Attachment counts and sizes follow your plan's limits. (Form and quote attachments - files the buyer adds when requesting a quote - follow separate per-plan limits; see the Attachments article for the full breakdown.)

What does the buyer see?

The buyer reads the thread wherever they're handling the quote - the hosted buyer portal or their Shopify customer account. They see your messages, any attachments you've sent, and a place to reply. They reply in that same view, and their message comes back to your admin composer.

This keeps the buyer in one trusted surface for the whole negotiation: the proposal, the prices, the version history, and the conversation are all in the portal or customer account, not scattered across email.

Why do email notifications only mention the buyer by name?

When there's a new message or a new proposal, QuotWay emails the buyer to let them know - but the email is deliberately minimal. It mentions the buyer by name and gives them a link to the quote. It never puts prices, line items, or proposal details in the email body.

This is a privacy choice. Email isn't a private channel - it can be forwarded, sit on a shared server, or land in a mailbox other people can read. Negotiated B2B prices are sensitive, so QuotWay keeps them behind the authenticated portal or customer account and uses email only as a notification that points the buyer there. The buyer follows the link, signs in, and sees the full detail in a trusted place.

How do I know a message email was delivered?

QuotWay shows the send status on the quote. An email that QuotWay handed to the mail provider shows SENT - that means it left QuotWay successfully, though it could still land in a spam folder, so it's worth asking the buyer to check there if they don't see it. QuotWay does not confirm inbox delivery, so you won't see a "delivered" status.

The one delivery-failure signal QuotWay does surface is BOUNCED: if the buyer's mail server rejects the email, the quote shows a bounce warning until you re-send to a working address. Short of a bounce, follow up through the message thread or confirm the address with the buyer directly.

Counter-offers and buyer prices - the priced back-and-forth the message thread sits beside.
Build and send a proposal - sending a proposal also notifies the buyer by name with a link.
Convert a quote to a draft order - what happens once the buyer accepts.