Frequently Asked Questions
Last Updated on May 21, 2026
General questions
What is OTEPLACE?
OTEPLACE is a B2B marketplace for safety equipment. Professional can browse products from manufacturers, request quotes, negotiate pricing, place orders, and pay by bank wire.
Is OTEPLACE a normal online shop?
No. OTEPLACE does not work like a classic “add to cart and pay immediately” online shop. The main buying flow is based on quote requests. You request a quote, the supplier responds, you accept or refuse the offer, and the quote can then become an order.
Who can buy on OTEPLACE?
OTEPLACE is designed for professionals and companies looking for safety equipment.
Who sells on OTEPLACE?
Products are sold by approved suppliers. Each supplier manages their own products, documents, quote responses, and invoice terms.
Can I buy directly without requesting a quote?
No. The normal purchasing process starts with a quote request.
Client FAQ
Account and Login
Do I need an account to request a quote?
You can start preparing a quote request before logging in, but you must log in or create an account before submitting it.
Where can I see my quotes?
You can view your quote requests in My Quotes.
Where can I see my orders?
You can view converted orders in My Orders.
Can I update my company or billing information?
Yes. You can update your account and billing information from your account area.
Why is my billing address important?
Your billing address is used for invoice and VAT calculation purposes. Make sure it is correct before submitting a quote request.
Products & Documents
How do I find products?
You can browse the marketplace, search for products, and open product pages to review details.
What information is available on product pages?
Product pages may include product descriptions, images, specifications, and downloadable documents such as technical sheets, certificates, brochures, or manuals.
Can I download product documents?
Yes. When available, product documents can be downloaded from the product page.
What should I do if a product document is missing?
Contact OTEPLACE support or the supplier, depending on the available contact options.
Can I request a quote without downloading documents?
Yes. Downloading documents is optional, but recommended when you need technical or compliance information before buying.
Quote Requests
How do I request a quote?
Open a product page, click Request a quote, add the product to your quote request, enter the requested quantity and your offer price, then log in and submit the quote.
Can I request a quote for multiple products?
Yes, you can request a quote for multiple products from the same vendor.
Can one quote include products from different vendors?
No. A quote request can only include products from one supplier.
Can I offer my own price?
Yes. The client starts the quote process by offering a price for the requested products.
What happens after I submit a quote request?
The vendor reviews your request. They can accept your offer or send a counteroffer.
Can I edit a quote after submitting it?
No. Once submitted, the quote cannot be edited by the client.
Can I cancel a quote after submitting it?
No. The client cannot directly cancel a submitted quote.
What does “Pending” mean?
The quote has been submitted and is waiting for the vendor’s response.
What does “Updated” mean?
The vendor has updated the quote, usually by sending a counteroffer.
What does “Accepted” mean?
The client has accepted the vendor’s offer.
What does “Converted” mean?
The vendor has converted the accepted quote into an order.
What does “Rejected” mean?
The quote has been refused.
What does “Expired” mean?
The quote is no longer valid.
What does “Cancelled” mean?
The quote has been cancelled and will not continue.
Vendor Offers and Negotiation
What is a counteroffer?
A counteroffer is a new offer sent by the vendor after reviewing your initial quote request.
Can I accept or refuse a vendor counteroffer?
Yes. You can accept or refuse the vendor’s updated offer.
What happens if I accept a vendor offer?
Once you accept the vendor’s offer, the vendor can convert the quote into an order.
What happens if I refuse a vendor offer?
The quote will not continue toward an order.
Does accepting a quote automatically create an order?
No. After the client accepts the offer, the vendor converts the quote into an order.
Orders
When is my order created?
Your order is created after you accept the vendor’s offer and the vendor converts the accepted quote into an order.
Is the order created manually or automatically?
When the vendor converts the accepted quote, the WooCommerce order is created automatically.
Where can I find my order?
You can find your order in My Orders.
What does “To pay” mean?
The order has been created and is waiting for you to start the payment process.
What does “On hold” mean?
The payment process has started by bank wire, the invoice has been created, and OTEPLACE is waiting to confirm payment.
What does “Processing” mean?
Payment has been confirmed and the vendor should process the order.
What does “Completed” mean?
The order has been fulfilled.
What does “Cancelled” mean?
The order has been cancelled.
What does “Refunded” mean?
The order has been refunded.
What does “Failed” mean?
The order did not complete successfully.
Payment & Invoices
How do I pay for an order?
Orders are paid by bank wire.
Who receives the bank wire payment?
Payment is made to OTEPLACE.
Are bank details different for each vendor?
No. Bank details are global OTEPLACE bank details.
When is the invoice created?
The invoice is created when the order moves from To pay to On hold, which starts the bank wire payment process.
Where can I find the bank details?
Bank details are shown on the invoice.
Do I pay the vendor directly?
No. Payment is made to OTEPLACE using the bank details shown on the invoice.
What should I do after making the bank transfer?
Wait for payment confirmation. If required, provide proof of payment through the available support or communication channel.
Why is my order still “On hold”?
The order remains on hold while OTEPLACE waits to confirm the bank wire payment.
When will my order move to “Processing”?
After OTEPLACE confirms that payment has been received.
Can I pay by credit card?
The current payment flow is based on bank wire.
VAT and billing
Which address is used for VAT?
The billing address is used for VAT calculation.
Can I change my billing address?
Yes. You should update your billing information in your account before submitting a quote request.
What should I do if VAT looks wrong?
Check your billing address and company information first. If the issue remains, contact OTEPLACE support with the quote or order reference.
What should I do if my invoice address is wrong?
Update your billing information and contact support with the relevant order or invoice reference.
Can VAT be corrected manually?
In some cases, OTEPLACE may be able to review and correct VAT information. Contact support with the quote/order reference and billing details.
Vendor FAQ
Vendor account
How do I become a vendor?
You need to register as a vendor and wait for approval.
Can I sell immediately after registering?
No. Your vendor account must be approved first.
Where do I manage my vendor activity?
You manage your activity from the vendor dashboard.
What can I manage from the vendor dashboard?
You can manage products, quote requests, orders, product documents, vendor profile information, and invoice terms.
Product Management
Can I add products myself?
Yes. Vendors can add products from the vendor dashboard.
Are my products published immediately?
No. Products must be approved by an admin before publication.
What product information is required?
Products should include the usual product fields, such as title, description, category, images, and product information required by the platform.
Can I edit a product after creating it?
Yes. You can edit existing products from the vendor dashboard.
Can I delete a product?
Yes. Vendors can delete products.
Should I delete a product if it already has quote requests or orders?
Be careful. Deleting a product may affect existing quote or order history. When in doubt, check with OTEPLACE support first.
Can I import products by CSV?
Yes. Products can be imported by CSV.
Can product documents be imported by CSV?
Product documents are mainly managed through the UI, but imports may be possible depending on the CSV setup.
Product Document
Can I upload product documents?
Yes. Vendors can upload product documents mainly through the product management UI.
What documents should I upload?
Useful documents may include technical sheets, certificates, manuals, brochures, installation guides, and compliance documents.
Why are product documents important?
OTEPLACE is a B2B marketplace for safety equipment, so buyers often need technical and compliance documents before requesting a quote.
Can I replace outdated documents?
Yes. You can edit the product and replace outdated files.
What should I do if a document does not appear on the product page?
Check the product edit page first. If the document is uploaded correctly but still does not appear, contact OTEPLACE support.
Quote requests
Who processes quote requests?
The vendor processes quote requests.
Where do I see incoming quote requests?
Incoming quote requests are available from the vendor dashboard.
What does the client provide in a quote request?
The client selects products, quantities, and offers a price.
Can a quote contain products from multiple vendors?
No. A quote can contain multiple products, but only from one vendor.
Can I accept the client’s offer?
Yes. You can accept the client’s offered price if it works for you.
Can I make a counteroffer?
Yes. You can update the quote and send a counteroffer to the client.
What happens after I send a counteroffer?
The quote status becomes updated, and the client can accept or refuse your offer.
What happens if the client accepts my offer?
You can convert the accepted quote into an order.
What happens if the client refuses my offer?
The quote does not continue toward an order.
Quote and order conversion
Who converts a quote into an order?
The vendor converts the accepted quote into an order.
When can I convert a quote into an order?
You can convert the quote after the client accepts your offer.
Is the order created automatically?
Yes. When you convert the quote, the order is created automatically.
What is the first order status after conversion?
The order starts as To pay.
What happens after the order is created?
The client starts payment by bank wire. When the payment process starts, the order moves to On hold and the invoice is created.
Vendor order processing
When should I process the order?
You should process the order when it reaches Processing status, meaning payment has been confirmed.
Should I process an order while it is “To pay”?
No. “To pay” means the client has not started or completed payment yet.
Should I process an order while it is “On hold”?
Usually no. “On hold” means OTEPLACE is waiting to confirm bank wire payment.
What does “Processing” mean for me as a vendor?
Payment has been confirmed and you should prepare or deliver the order.
What does “Completed” mean?
The order has been fulfilled.
Invoice terms and payment
Can I customize invoice terms?
Yes. Vendors can freely edit their invoice terms from the vendor dashboard.
What kind of terms can I add?
You may add payment terms, delivery terms, commercial conditions, disclaimers, or other invoice-related terms.
Can I add my own bank details to the invoice?
No. Bank details are global OTEPLACE bank details.
Who receives the payment?
OTEPLACE receives the bank wire payment.
Do I receive payment directly from the client?
No. Clients pay OTEPLACE by bank wire.
Will my invoice terms appear on the invoice?
Yes, vendor invoice terms can appear on customized invoices.
Vendor troubleshooting
My product is not visible. What should I check?
Check whether the product has been submitted and approved. Products require admin approval before publication.
My product document is missing. What should I check?
Check whether the document was uploaded correctly on the product edit page. If needed, re-upload the file or contact support.
I cannot convert a quote into an order. What should I check?
Make sure the client has accepted your offer. Only accepted quotes can be converted into orders.
The order is not processing yet. What should I check?
Check the order status. If it is To pay or On hold, payment has not yet been confirmed.
The invoice terms are wrong. What should I do?
Check your invoice terms in the vendor dashboard and update them if needed. If an already generated invoice is wrong, contact OTEPLACE support.
More Information
Quote Status
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Pending | Quote submitted by client and waiting for vendor response |
| Updated | Vendor updated the quote or sent a counteroffer |
| Accepted | Client accepted the vendor offer |
| Converted | Vendor converted the quote into an order |
| Rejected | Quote was refused |
| Cancelled | Quote was cancelled |
| Expired | Quote is no longer valid |
Order Status
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| To pay | Order created and waiting for client payment |
| On hold | Bank wire payment process started, invoice created, waiting for confirmation |
| Processing | Payment confirmed, vendor should process the order |
| Completed | Order fulfilled |
| Cancelled | Order cancelled |
| Refunded | Order refunded |
| Failed | Order failed |
How should I contact support?
Contact support if:
- you cannot submit a quote,
- quote or order status seems incorrect,
- product documents are missing,
- invoice information is wrong,
- VAT seems incorrect,
- payment has been made but the order is still on hold,
- you cannot access your account,
- you are a vendor and cannot manage a product, quote, or order.
What information should I include when contacting support?
Include:
- your account email,
- quote reference,
- order reference,
- invoice reference, if available,
- product name,
- vendor name,
- screenshots if useful,
- a clear explanation of the problem.