Quoting by Email

You do not need an account to work with a partner that uses Seminode. Reply from your normal mailbox; each line of your reply is matched to the right request by its Seminode Thread ID.

How it works

The Seminode Thread ID is a reference beginning with SN-, such as SN-4f2a9c1b or SN-K7T2MQ3XB4ZPA. Its length varies between files and carries no meaning. One ID identifies one request; the same part requested again for another program or quantity gets its own ID, and a line you quote with several offers gets one ID per offer. Rules that apply to every reply:

Keep the Seminode Thread ID column and each line’s ID exactly as delivered.
Reply from an address on a company domain your partner has registered for you. It does not have to be the address that received the request, and it does not have to be in the same email thread.
Return the workbook you received, with its headers. A renamed or replaced layout may be rejected or need manual review.
One reply can carry many lines. If you send both a filled-in file and a table in the email body, the file is used.
Send order forms and other documents as PDF, never as spreadsheets.

What you receive

A request for pricing
A response to your quote
A request to correct lines

An attached .xlsx workbook with no Action column.The email body says how many line items the workbook holds. The workbook name varies (often listings.xlsx, or the name of the batch). Each row carries a Seminode Thread ID, the requested part and quantity, and blank amber cells for your quote. A Directions sheet explains the colours and reply steps.A very long list arrives as several files named ... (part 1 of 3).xlsx. Each part is self-contained, with its own rows and IDs. Return them together or separately, in any order.

Your partner’s answer to a quote you sent, attached as .xlsx.The email is a reply in the thread of the original request. The workbook has a Response Status column showing what your partner did on each line: Counter quote, Accepted, Rejected, or Note added, and an Action column for your decision.For a one-line response, supporting files are attached. For a multi-line response, the email lists per-line download links that work for 7 days.

Your own workbook, marked up, attached as .xlsx.Sent automatically, in the same thread as a workbook reply of yours, when some of its lines could not be read. The affected cells are filled red and two grey columns are added, Seminode Note and Seminode Ref. Fix the red cells, keep the Ref column, and reply with the file. See When a line needs correcting.

Reply to a request for pricing

For each line you quote, enter both a quoted unit price and a quoted quantity, both greater than zero. To pass on a line, leave both cells blank or delete the row. Do not enter 0. This is what arrives:

Seminode Thread ID	MPN	Manufacturer	Qty	Unit Price
SN-K7T2MQ3XB4ZPA	AX-3580D	Northstar	5,000	0.182
SN-B2X7PQ4MK6RTC	CX-1041KA	Blue Ridge	25,000	0.0074
SN-P4W2NT6ZQ3XKB	RX-1003FK	Redwood	100,000	0.0031

This is what you send back. The third line is not quoted, so its row is deleted. Only the amber columns changed:

Seminode Thread ID	MPN	Manufacturer	Qty	Unit Price	Quote Unit Price	Quote Qty	Quote Lead Time	Quote Message
SN-K7T2MQ3XB4ZPA	AX-3580D	Northstar	5,000	0.182	0.1750	5,000	12 weeks
SN-B2X7PQ4MK6RTC	CX-1041KA	Blue Ridge	25,000	0.0074	0.0069	10,000	stock	Partial qty only

A row left blank, or deleted, creates no quote and sends nothing to your partner. Explain in the email if you want them to know why you passed. To quote in the email body instead, label each value and keep the Thread ID with its line:

Seminode Thread ID: SN-K7T2MQ3XB4ZPA
MPN: AX-3580D
Quote Qty: 5000
Quote Unit Price: 0.1750
Quote Lead Time: 12 weeks

Reply to a response

Your partner has countered on three lines. The blue columns show the current terms; the amber columns are yours:

Seminode Thread ID	MPN	Manufacturer	Response Status	Qty	Unit Price
SN-4f2a9c1b	AX-3580D	Northstar	Counter quote	5,000	0.1780
SN-7d1e3b8a	CX-1041KA	Blue Ridge	Counter quote	25,000	0.0071
SN-9c5a2f04	RX-1003FK	Redwood	Counter quote	100,000	0.0029

You reply with one action per line:

Seminode Thread ID	MPN	Manufacturer	Response Status	Qty	Unit Price	Action	Quote Unit Price	Quote Qty	Quote Lead Time	Quote Message
SN-4f2a9c1b	AX-3580D	Northstar	Counter quote	5,000	0.1780	Accept
SN-7d1e3b8a	CX-1041KA	Blue Ridge	Counter quote	25,000	0.0071	Counter	0.0074	25,000	14 weeks	Best we can do at this quantity
SN-9c5a2f04	RX-1003FK	Redwood	Counter quote	100,000	0.0029	Reject				Allocated until Q1

Action	What happens	Price and quantity needed?
Accept	Records your acceptance of the terms in the blue columns, including an alternate part when the row carries one. The line closes as Accepted only after both sides accept the same terms.	No
Reject	The line is recorded as declined. The message column is optional and is delivered to your partner.	No
Counter	Proposes new terms and keeps the line open. If the price or quantity cannot be read, the line comes back to you in a correction email.	Both
(blank)	No decision is applied from that row.	—

The dropdown is a convenience. Plain text works in the cell and in the email body: accept, accepted, yes, ok, confirm for Accept; reject, rejected, decline, no, pass for Reject; counter, counter offer, counteroffer for Counter. Capitalisation and spaces do not matter; anything else is treated as blank. A line that is already closed cannot be reopened with Accept or Reject; send a Counter with new terms. A Counter that repeats the terms already on the table changes nothing and sends nothing.

One action per line. If one reply marks the same line Accept on one row and Reject on another, neither is applied: you receive a correction email asking for one action per line, and the line waits in your partner’s review queue until you resend. Several priced rows for one line are a different case; see Quote more than one offer for a line.

A decision in the email body:

Seminode Thread ID: SN-4f2a9c1b
MPN: AX-3580D
Action: Accept

For Counter, add Quote Qty and Quote Unit Price.

Offer an alternate part

The line keeps the part your partner asked for; your alternate is recorded on your quote and shown to your partner with an alternate flag.

If your file has columns for an alternate part and manufacturer (standard names Quote Material No and Quote Mfr; your partner decides whether they are present and how they are labelled), enter the substitute there. An alternate given this way is recorded with the basis AVL.
Otherwise state it in the email body, one block per line. The basis can be AVL, form, fit, and function compatible, or buyer approved.

Seminode Thread ID: SN-K7T2MQ3XB4ZPA
Requested MPN: AX-3580D
We are offering alternate MPN: AX-3580D-R
Alternate Manufacturer: Northstar
Substitution basis: form, fit, and function compatible
Quote Qty: 5000
Quote Unit Price: 0.1690

Leave the blue MPN and Manufacturer columns unchanged. A manufacturer typed there is discarded, and a part number typed there is recorded as a substitution with no basis.

When your partner proposes an alternate

The response workbook carries three extra blue columns, Alternate Material No, Alternate Mfr, and Alternate Basis, and the email says: One or more lines propose an alternate part — the Alternate Material No and Alternate Mfr columns in the attached spreadsheet show the exact substitute alongside the requested part. The exact part is in the file, not in the email.

Accept on that row accepts the substitute part at the terms shown.
To quote the requested part instead, Counter with your terms and say so in the message column.

Quote more than one offer for a line

To quote a price break, or to split a quantity across date codes or conditions, copy the row in the returned workbook. Keep the same Seminode Thread ID on every copy and give each copy its own quantity, price, and lead time. Each copy becomes a separate offer, numbered in the order of your rows. No confirmation is sent that offers were separated.

You send	Result
Two rows, different quantities (`1,000 @ 0.25` and `5,000 @ 0.21`)	Two offers
Two rows, same quantity, different price, lead time, or currency	Read as one line quoted twice: both rows are held and a correction email asks for one set of terms per part
A row identical to an earlier row	Ignored
More than 10 offers on one line	Rows beyond the tenth are held for your partner’s review; no message is sent to you
Tiers written in the email body	Only the first tier is read; use the workbook
Two attachments with different terms for the same line	Two offers, in attachment order; the email body is ignored

Afterwards:

Each offer has its own Seminode Thread ID. A response to one offer arrives with that ID in the file; reply under it. A workbook reply under the original request’s ID, once offers exist, comes back in a correction email asking which offer the line belongs to.
Accepting one offer leaves the others open, and your partner can still accept them. Each accepted offer can become its own order. Nothing tells you when a line has been settled on another offer; withdraw the others yourself if you need to.

Read the workbook

Header colour	Meaning	Editable?
Grey	The Seminode Thread ID. It routes your reply to the right line.	No
Blue	Your partner’s fields: the part, quantity, and current price.	No
Amber	Your response fields.	Yes

In the real file only the header row is coloured. The examples on this page tint whole columns to keep the bands visible.

Do not edit, retype, or fill-handle drag the Seminode Thread ID column. Dragging it down is the most common way a reply lands on the wrong line or on no line. Some files lock the column; treat it as read-only either way.

Every amber column arrives blank, including, on a response file, the values you quoted last round. Fill in only what you are offering now; the current terms are in the blue columns. Which amber columns you receive is configured by your partner, and labels vary between companies. The standard fields:

Column	What to enter	Required
Quote Unit Price	Your price per unit, up to 6 decimal places.	Initial quote or Counter
Quote Qty	The quantity you can supply at that price.	Initial quote or Counter
Action	Response files only: `Accept`, `Reject`, or `Counter`.	For a decision
Quote Lead Time	Free text, for example `12 weeks` or `stock`.	No
Quote Message	Any comment on the line.	No
Quote Date Code	Date code of the material you are offering.	No
Quote Packaging	Reel, tray, tube, and so on.	No
Quote Condition	Condition of the material.	No
Quote MOQ / Quote MPQ	Minimum order quantity (MOQ) and minimum package quantity (MPQ).	No
Quote Stock Available	Quantity on hand.	No
Quote Description, Quote Region, Quote Commodity, Quote Full Label	Requested attribute details.	No
Quote Contact	The address your partner should reply to. Semicolons, commas, or pipes separate several.	No
Quote Material No / Quote Mfr	A substitute part and its manufacturer. Present only when your partner includes them.	No

Extra amber columns with your partner’s own labels are filled in the same way.

Send your reply

Fill in the file

For a request, enter price and quantity on the lines you quote. For a response, choose an Action on each line you answer and enter price and quantity only for Counter. Delete or leave untouched the lines you are not answering.

Reply to the email

Reply from a registered company domain. A fresh email also works as long as each line carries its Thread ID.

Attach the completed file

Attach the workbook you received. Order forms and other paperwork go in the same email as PDFs.

A file without a price column, quantity column, or Seminode Thread ID column is rejected as a whole, and no correction email is sent for it. Ask your partner to resend the original.
If the Thread ID column is present but one line’s ID is blank, the line is matched against a single-line email reply, then by exact part number. Both are best-effort.
Replying in the body works for any stage. Put the Seminode Thread ID next to each line with the values beside it.

When a line needs correcting

If some lines of a returned workbook could not be read, you receive an automated email within a few minutes, in the same thread as your reply. It says how many lines need attention, for example 9 of 24 lines could not be processed. Please correct the highlighted rows in the attached file and reply., and ends with This is an automated message — reply to this email with the corrected file. Attached is your own workbook, renamed with a _corrections suffix (for example quotes_corrections.xlsx), with two changes:

The rows that could not be read are filled red. When a single cell is the problem, only that cell is red. Your values are never altered.
Two grey columns are added after your last column: Seminode Note, the reason in plain words (for example Row 6 in ‘quotes.xlsx’ has an unreadable unit price), and Seminode Ref, a reference that ties the row to the problem it answers.

Correct the red cells

The usual causes: a quantity or price typed as text (one thousand, call, 1e3), a decimal quantity, a negative value, a quantity left blank next to a price, an edited Seminode Thread ID, the same quantity quoted twice at different terms, or two different actions for one line.

Leave every other row as it is

Rows that were processed the first time are recognised as unchanged and are not created again.

Keep the Seminode Ref column and reply

Reply to the correction email with the file attached. The reference on each fixed row closes the matching item on your partner’s side.

Up to three corrections are sent for one reply. The third says that someone from the team will follow up on the remaining lines. A question sent in reply to a correction is not read by a person; write to your partner directly.

A correction is sent only when your reply was a workbook that still had its Seminode Thread ID column. A reply typed in the email body, a file without that column, or a file that could not be opened is set aside for your partner to review, without a message to you. A successful reply receives no confirmation.

Order forms and other attachments

Once a line is agreed, paperwork moves over the same thread. You may receive an order document from your partner with a subject like Attachment: PO-40182. Return an order confirmation, acknowledgement, or countersigned copy by replying with it attached. Datasheets, certificates of conformance, and test reports follow the same rules.

Send order forms as PDFs, never as spreadsheets. Every .xlsx, .xls, and .csv on a reply is read as a quote file. A PO or order confirmation in Excel is parsed for prices, found to have none, and set aside instead of being filed against your line, with no message to you. Export it to PDF before attaching.

A message carrying an SO number, or saying “confirming your order”, “PO issued”, or “order confirmed”, is read as accepting the quoted terms, even when the rest of the email only restates part, quantity, and price. If you are confirming receipt but not the terms, say so, and do not include an SO number yet.

How a document is matched to a line, strongest signal first:

If your reply resolves to a single line, every document in the email goes to that line.
Otherwise, if the email you replied to was about a single line, every document goes to that line.
Otherwise, per file: if the file name contains a part number from one of your quoted lines, it goes to that line.

Covering several lines in one email? Put the part number in each file name, for example PO-40182_AX-3580D.pdf. Part numbers shorter than four characters cannot be matched, and a document in a multi-line reply that names no part may not be filed. One order form covering several lines is safer as its own email replying to a single line.

Limit
Maximum per file	25 MB
Maximum per email	50 MB total
Blocked	Executables and scripts, detected by extension and by content
Dropped	Signature images under 10 KB, such as the `image001.png` and `logo.png` files mail clients add to footers
Deduplicated	The same file sent twice against the same line is stored once

An oversize file is reported to your partner rather than silently dropped.

FAQs

Do I need a Seminode account?

No. If your company wants platform access, contact Seminode.

Will I get a confirmation that my reply was processed?

Not when it succeeds. If lines could not be read, you receive a correction email with your file marked up within a few minutes. To be certain about a specific line, ask your partner.

My reply never appeared. Why?

Check that you sent from the registered domain, kept the exact SN- Thread ID and MPN, and supplied the required values. A reply from an unregistered domain, a file that could not be opened, or a file missing the Thread ID column is set aside for your partner’s review without a message to you. Ask your Seminode contact to check Email Review.

I marked a line Accept but it did not take effect.

Request files have no Action column; enter price and quantity there. In a response file, Accept records your side; the line closes only after both sides accept the same terms. The line may already be closed, or the reply may carry conflicting actions. Ask your partner to review it.

I accidentally deleted the Seminode Thread ID column.

Do not send that workbook. Ask your partner to resend the original file.

Can I rename the columns?

No. Some common alternatives are recognised as a fallback, but the delivered headers are the supported layout.

Can I send more than one file in a reply?

Yes. Every spreadsheet is parsed as a quote file. A document is filed when the reply identifies one line or its file name contains a matching part number.

How long do the download links last?

7 days. Anyone the email is forwarded to can use them in that window. Ask your partner to resend an expired link.

Support

Reply to the email you received and tell your partner what happened. For Seminode platform support:

Documentation

Complete guides and tutorials

Contact Support

Contact the Seminode team

Get Started

For Partners

Core Concepts

Build Your Network

Post & Manage Data

Quote & Fulfill

Approvals

AI & Templates

Settings

Connectors

How it works

What you receive

Reply to a request for pricing

Reply to a response

Offer an alternate part

When your partner proposes an alternate

Quote more than one offer for a line

Read the workbook

Send your reply

When a line needs correcting

Order forms and other attachments

FAQs

Support

Documentation

Contact Support

​How it works

​What you receive

​Reply to a request for pricing

​Reply to a response

​Offer an alternate part

​When your partner proposes an alternate

​Quote more than one offer for a line

​Read the workbook

​Send your reply

​When a line needs correcting

​Order forms and other attachments

​FAQs

​Support

Documentation

Contact Support

How it works

What you receive

Reply to a request for pricing

Reply to a response

Offer an alternate part

When your partner proposes an alternate

Quote more than one offer for a line

Read the workbook

Send your reply

When a line needs correcting

Order forms and other attachments

FAQs

Support