Hello, 

I am in the market for a cup of coffee. If you are receiving this message, it is because your coffee shop has been selected for the bidding process. If you wish to be considered as the vendor for my next purchase, read the instructions below carefully. Only fully complete bids will be considered. Please note that I am soliciting bids from many coffee shops in and around VA, DC, and MD.

1) I will be purchasing a dark Sumatran roast cup of coffee. I am leaning toward 12oz but could be persuaded to consider a 16oz. Either way, this cup of coffee must be fair trade. I am not flexible about the roast. If you can only sell me a cup of coffee out of a thermos, there is no need to reply. While I am strongly predisposed toward a drip, I will consider a french press.

2) Send me your absolute, no-games, best price on this cup of coffee. I do not wish to be contacted by phone. EMAIL ONLY! When pricing out your cup of coffee, please be sure to SPECIFY exactly what cup of coffee you are offering to sell me. Itemize any taxes (state or county), any additional costs, and give me your final "out the door" cost. If your pricing is not clear, IT WILL BE DISCARDED. I will not negotiate back and forth with you and will make my purchase from the coffee shop who offers me the best price. ***DO NOT QUOTE ME PAYMENTS AS THIS WILL BE A CASH PURCHASE!***

3) List any additional perks of doing business with your coffee shop, e.g. buy 10 cups, get 1 free; whole organic milk free for customers; free cup of coffee on birthdays, etc. I may or may not take this into consideration.

4) There is to be absolutely no company branding on the cup itself. I do not want to see the name of your coffee shop on the cup, lid, etc. This is MY coffee and I do not see the need to promote your coffee shop as part of this transaction - my purchase should be enough.

5) Do not send me any emails other than the one I have just requested. I am not authorizing you to send me any subsequent information on sales, promotions, etc. If I receive any emails other than the specific price quote I requested, I promise that I will never do business with your coffee shop and will promptly report your coffee shop to the BBB.

Thank you very much, and I look forward to hearing from you. I will be purchasing my new cup of coffee within the next several months and will reach out to the winning bidder by email at that time.

Sincerely,
Jim Bunting