Wholesale ASIC purchases run on quotations, not list prices. You send a request for quotation (RFQ), receive a time-limited offer, confirm it with a proforma invoice, pay on the agreed terms and take delivery under a named Incoterm. The price you are quoted depends on quantity, on whether the machines already exist or come from a future production batch, on where the seller's responsibility ends, and on how you pay.
Key points
- A precise RFQ gets a precise quote. State model, hashrate version, quantity, condition, destination, delivery term and payment method.
- Compare quotes only on the same basis. An ex-works price and a delivered duty-paid price are different products.
- Spot stock exists now. Futures and batch orders commit your money before the machines are made, and the delivery date is an estimate.
- The proforma invoice is the contract in practice. Check every line, and check that the beneficiary matches the seller's legal entity.
- Under CIF, risk passes to you at the origin port even though the seller pays the freight. Know where risk transfers under whichever term you sign.
Step 1. Write the RFQ
| RFQ field | What to state |
|---|---|
| Model and version | Manufacturer, model and hashrate version, plus any alternatives you would accept |
| Quantity | Units per model, and whether you can take a partial allocation |
| Condition | New, refurbished or used, and any grade limits |
| Electrical and cooling | Site voltage, phase and cooling method, so incompatible models are not offered |
| Destination | Country, city and whether delivery is to a port, an airport or your site |
| Delivery term | The Incoterm you want quoted, or ask for two for comparison |
| Required date | When the site can receive and power the machines |
| Payment method | Bank wire, USDT or BTC |
| Buyer details | Legal entity, address and tax number for the invoice and customs documents |
| Inclusions | Power supplies, power cords, spare parts |
| Inspection | Pre-shipment inspection or serial number list, if required |
You can send this through the wholesale quote request.
Step 2. Read the quotation
Validity. Hardware prices move with mining revenue and manufacturer batch pricing, so quotations carry an expiry date and time. After it passes, neither price nor allocation is held.
Price basis. Convert every quote to price per TH, unit price ÷ hashrate. An illustrative 200 TH/s machine at $3,000 is $15.00 per TH. Then check what the price includes. Power supply, cords, freight, insurance, duty and tax may each be in or out.
MOQ. Minimum order quantity is the smallest order the seller accepts at that price. Ask whether it applies per model or to the order as a whole, and what the next price tier requires.
Spot or futures. These are different commitments.
| Spot | Futures or batch | |
|---|---|---|
| Goods | Exist now, in a warehouse or in transit | From a manufacturer production batch for a stated period |
| Delivery date | Dispatch after payment clears | An estimate that depends on the manufacturer |
| Payment | Usually in full before dispatch | Deposit or full payment in advance |
| Price | Reflects today's market | Fixed now for later delivery |
| Main risk | Units not as described | Batch delay, and market change while you wait |
| What to get in writing | Serial list, test evidence | Batch month, remedy for delay, refund terms |
Batch allocation means a share of a production batch reserved for you. Ask whether the allocation is confirmed by the manufacturer or only requested.
Step 3. Agree payment terms and method
Terms describe when money moves. Common structures are full payment before dispatch for spot goods, and a deposit with the balance before shipment for futures. For large orders, negotiate the balance against a pre-shipment inspection report or shipping documents.
| Method | Speed | Reversibility | Check before sending |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank wire | One to several business days | Difficult once credited | Beneficiary name equals the seller's legal entity. Bank country is plausible for that entity |
| USDT | Minutes | None | Network as well as address. The same token exists on several networks |
| BTC | Minutes to an hour or more | None | The exchange rate, how long it is locked, and the exact amount due |
Changed payment details are a well-known route to loss in this market. Confirm bank details or a wallet address through a second channel, such as a phone number taken from the seller's official site, and compare with its published payment information. For a large crypto payment, send a small test amount, have receipt confirmed, then send the remainder to the same address. How to Buy a Bitcoin Miner lists the seller checks in full.
Step 4. Check the proforma invoice
A proforma invoice (PI) is the seller's offer set out in invoice form before payment. Your bank may need it to send the wire, and the commercial invoice used for customs should later agree with it. It should show:
- Seller's legal name, address and registration details, and your own.
- PI number, date and validity.
- Each line with manufacturer, model, hashrate version, condition, quantity, unit price and line total.
- Currency and total.
- The Incoterm, the named place and the edition, for example "DAP [your city], Incoterms 2020".
- Payment terms, and bank or wallet details.
- Estimated dispatch date, or batch month for futures.
- Warranty terms, dead-on-arrival window and remedy.
- Country of origin, which customs will ask for.
Read it against your RFQ line by line before paying.
Step 5. Understand the Incoterm
Incoterms are standard trade terms published by the International Chamber of Commerce. Each one fixes where the seller's delivery obligation ends, where risk of loss passes to you, and who pays for carriage, insurance and customs formalities. The current edition is Incoterms 2020. The table is a plain-language summary. The ICC text governs.
| Term | Seller delivers when | Risk passes to buyer | Export clearance | Main carriage | Insurance | Import clearance, duty and tax |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| EXW (Ex Works) | Goods are made available at seller's premises | At seller's premises | Buyer | Buyer | Buyer's choice | Buyer |
| FOB (Free on Board) | Goods are on board the vessel at the named port | Once on board | Seller | Buyer | Buyer's choice | Buyer |
| CIF (Cost, Insurance and Freight) | Goods are on board the vessel at origin | Once on board at origin | Seller | Seller, to the named destination port | Seller, minimum cover | Buyer |
| DAP (Delivered at Place) | Goods arrive at the named place, ready to unload | At the named place | Seller | Seller | Seller's choice, at seller's risk | Buyer |
| DDP (Delivered Duty Paid) | Goods arrive at the named place, import-cleared | At the named place | Seller | Seller | Seller's choice, at seller's risk | Seller |
Points that catch buyers out:
- CIF is not delivered. The seller pays freight and insurance to your port, but the goods travel at your risk. If they are damaged at sea, you claim on the insurance. ICC states that the default cover under CIF is the minimum level, Institute Cargo Clauses (C), unless you agree more.
- FOB and CIF are sea terms. ICC reserves FAS, FOB, CFR and CIF for sea and inland waterway transport. Miners often travel by air. The matching rules for any mode are FCA, CPT and CIP, and CIP requires the higher Institute Cargo Clauses (A) cover. If a quote says "FOB" for an air shipment, ask exactly where delivery and risk transfer are meant to occur.
- DAP leaves import to you. You are the importer, and you pay duty and tax before the goods are released.
- DDP makes the seller the importer. Confirm the seller can legally act as importer in your country, and ask how the import tax will be documented for your accounts.
- EXW puts export on you. You or your forwarder must clear the goods out of the seller's country.
To compare quotes, bring them to one basis.
Landed cost = goods + freight + insurance + duty + import tax + broker and local delivery
With placeholder amounts, an EXW quote of $3,000 per unit plus $120 freight and insurance, $250 duty and tax and $40 broker and delivery lands at $3,410. A DDP quote of $3,400 is the lower of the two. Get the real duty and tax figures from your customs broker. See How to Import Bitcoin Miners.
Mixed-model orders
Ordering several models at once is normal. Check four things:
- Whether quantity pricing and MOQ count per model or on the total.
- Whether all models ship together. Spot and futures lines on one order mean split shipments and two sets of freight and clearance costs.
- Whether every model suits the site. Air and hydro units, or single-phase and three-phase units, need different infrastructure.
- That the packing list and serial list are separated by model.
Inspection on delivery
- Before shipment, obtain the serial number list and the packing list with carton and pallet counts.
- At delivery, count cartons and pallets against the packing list and the transport document before signing.
- Write visible damage on the carrier's receipt and photograph it. A clean signature weakens an insurance claim.
- Match serial numbers to the list.
- Power-test every unit, or an agreed sample, inside the dead-on-arrival window. Record hashrate, board count and fan status per serial number.
- Report faults in writing with evidence before the deadline in the PI.
Sources
- International Chamber of Commerce, Incoterms 2020, https://iccwbo.org/business-solutions/incoterms-rules/incoterms-2020/ (checked 2026-10-01)
- U.S. International Trade Administration, Know Your Incoterms, https://www.trade.gov/know-your-incoterms (checked 2026-10-01)