A quote list that works like a cart
Add to quote sits next to Add to cart, or replaces it, on product pages and in product grids. On a variable product it is ready once the shopper has chosen the options, so the quote is for exactly the size or finish they want. The quote page, created when you activate the plugin, lists the products with editable quantities and a note per line, and can show today's prices with an estimate. Underneath is the request form: name and email address, plus phone, company and delivery address, each off, optional or required. Logged-in customers have their saved details filled in, and guests can be allowed or asked to log in. Spam is kept out without a captcha: a hidden honeypot field, five requests per hour per IP address and an hourly ceiling for guest requests across the site.
Every request is a WooCommerce order
A request arrives as a WooCommerce order with the status Quote request, with a Quote column on the orders list and a WooCommerce → Quotes menu that shows how many are waiting. You price it the way you already edit orders: change the line prices, add shipping, fees or a coupon, and recalculate tax. In the Quote box set the valid until date (30 days from sending by default) and a message to the customer, tick "Send the quote to the customer when I update the order" and click Update. The order action "Send quote to customer", or choosing the status Quote sent, does the same. Phone and email enquiries work too: create an order with Add order and give it the status Quote request.
Accept and pay at exactly the quoted total
The customer's email links to their quote page: items, prices, totals, the valid until date, your message and your quote terms, with Accept and pay, Decline and a printable version they can save as a PDF. Accepting checks the stock for the quoted quantities and holds it with WooCommerce's stock reservation, then opens WooCommerce's own Pay for order page at the total you sent. Nothing is recalculated, so the shipping and fees you added stay put, and they can pay with any of your payment methods, including bank transfer. Or they decline, with a reason. An expired quote cannot be accepted; one click on Request an updated quote sends it back to you as a Quote request. My Account → Quotes lists every quote with its status, total and the next step.
Catalogue mode: hide prices and Add to cart
Show Add to quote on all products, on chosen categories or product by product, for everyone, for guests only or for logged-in customers only. Set those products to quote only and Add to cart disappears, and is refused at every storefront add to cart route: the product form, add to cart links, AJAX and the cart and checkout blocks. With Hide prices on, quote-only products show your own text, such as "Price on request". Hidden prices are also kept out of variation data, the Store API and the product's structured data for search engines, and price filters are switched off while prices are hidden, so a price cannot be narrowed down by filtering. Products without a price become quote only automatically instead of showing nothing. A typical trade setup: guests ask for quotes and see no prices, logged-in trade customers shop normally.
Quotes stay out of your sales figures
Quote requests, sent quotes and declined quotes have their own order statuses and colours, and are left out of WooCommerce Analytics; an accepted quote counts once it is paid, like any order. Open quotes stay out of My Account → Orders until accepted, and accepted quotes waiting for payment are not cancelled by WooCommerce's unpaid order clean-up. Four WooCommerce emails cover the loop: New quote request and Quote answered for you, Quote request received and Your quote for the customer, each one editable, previewable and overridable in your theme.
