Some orders should be finished in five minutes at a published price. Others should never be bought that way — the moment a dimension, a voltage, a language or a floor plan changes, the number on a web page stops being true. This page draws the line between the two, so a week is not spent on the wrong route.
That is the whole rule. The rest of this page is the working-out: what counts as a change, what each route includes, and why the two prices are not competing offers.
| A catalogue model, unchanged | Dimensions, colour, voltage, language and control package exactly as published — nothing re-drawn. |
|---|---|
| 1 to 10 units | Single units are normal work on both routes; the store is simply the faster one. |
| A budget figure this week | The published price is the number you can put into a business case today, without an email. |
| A sample before a larger order | Test one unit at the published price, then quote the rest against what you learned. |
| A known delivery window | Standard models run on a fixed lead time that does not move with the size of the order. |
| Any dimensional change | Ceiling height, door width, a wall to fit against, a floor plan that is not a rectangle. |
|---|---|
| Themed or branded content | The exhibit has to carry a storyline, a client's graphics, or a second language as standard. |
| A whole hall or floor | Mixed categories, one packing plan, one delivery schedule, one installation visit. |
| Export, install, commissioning | Packing lists, certificates of origin, engineers on site, staff handover. |
| OEM to your drawings | Contract manufacturing to a drawing, a sample, or a unit you already own. |
| Interface with other trades | Power, structure, rigging — and a main contractor who needs drawings by Friday. |
Read down the left column until you find your order. If the route still is not obvious, the test is simple: does the exhibit differ in any way from the published specification? If not, the web price is the correct price.
| Situation | Route | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| A catalogue model, unchanged, 1–10 units | Online | Published unit price, ordered without an email. |
| The same model, thirty of them, for one floor | Quote | Quantity price, one packing plan, one delivery date. |
| You need a budget figure this week | Online | The published price is the budget figure. |
| The unit has to fit under a 2.6 m ceiling | Quote | Re-drawn structure, re-checked price. |
| Your logo, your language, your storyline | Quote | Graphics and content work, quoted as a change. |
| One unit to test quality before a framework order | Online | A sample at the published price, no negotiation. |
| A whole children's floor, mixed categories | Quote | Layout, unit mix, installation, one contract. |
| OEM to a drawing you already have | Quote | Tooling, bill of materials, confidentiality. |
| Export documents and a forwarder | Quote | Packing list, invoice, certificate of origin, freight terms. |
| Pricing a tender with a hard deadline | Quote | Line-by-line against your list, with a validity date. |
A quotation is not a bigger version of the store. It is a different document: it prices the changes, the packing and the site work, and it is signed by the people who will build the unit.
A web price is the price of one standard unit, built to the specification on its page, with standard packing. A factory quotation starts from that same number and moves it along four lines: the changes you asked for, the packing and freight terms, the installation, and a quantity discount that starts at five units.
| One standard unit | The published price. There is no negotiation on a single catalogue model, in either direction. |
|---|---|
| Five units or more | Below the published price — quoted per order, because the discount depends on the mix and the schedule. |
| A unit with changes | Published price as the starting point, then re-engineered and re-quoted line by line. |
| Packing, freight, installation | Separate lines. You see what the exhibit costs and what moving it costs. |
We do not publish a discount table, because the discount depends on the mix, the schedule and the packing. It appears as one line in the quotation, so you can see what it is worth before you sign.
Lead times and warranty terms are confirmed per contract. Figures above describe standard, non-customised models.
PopSciCat is our own store, not a reseller or a marketplace listing. Every unit on it comes off the same floor in Jiading as a factory-quoted one — same drawings, same test cycle, same spare-part sheet.
If your question is not here, it belongs in an email — and we answer those within one working day.
Take the route that matches your list. If you are not sure which half of it belongs online, send us the list — telling you is free, and it is usually one line of reply.
Attach a theme outline, a floor plan, or nothing at all — a photo of the space is enough to start. Quotations are issued against a real exhibit list, not per-square-metre guesses.
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