Chapter 313: Chapter 313: Jiang Changhai’s Business Savvy
Then, he pulled out a pair of pearl earrings from his pocket for Su Wanyu, “Wife, take a look, what are these?”
“Pearl earrings! Did you also buy these in Haicheng?” Su Wanyu asked excitedly.
“Yes, I bought over ten pairs and sold them all to the Supply and Marketing Cooperative. I specially chose the prettiest pair to bring back for you,” Jiang Changhai said, fishing for compliments.
“That must’ve cost a fair amount of money, right?” Su Wanyu asked, looking at the pearl earrings.
“Hehe, wife, if you were to buy these at the Supply and Marketing Cooperative, they would indeed be quite expensive. But in Haicheng, they’re not costly. I got them for nine yuan and eighty cents. Guess how much I sold them to the Cooperative for?” Jiang Changhai asked proudly.
“Seventeen?” Su Wanyu guessed boldly.
Jiang Changhai held out two fingers, saying excitedly, “Twenty yuan and fifty cents! Wife, I sold them to the Cooperative for double, and the salesperson there was even very grateful to me.”
“That’s… you’re quite bold with your pricing,” Su Wanyu said in surprise.
With an experienced look on his face, Jiang Changhai explained, “Wife, that’s what you don’t understand. In this line of business that’s exclusive to us, you have to be bold in pricing, and it has to be worth it. Rarity commands a premium, and who else but us has the goods?”
Jiang Mianmian was dumbfounded when she heard this. Her dad really had a business mind!
Then she became excited and happy. With her dad being so good at business, it was bound to be a future of affluence!
Su Wanyu nodded in agreement, “You make a good point.”
Jiang Changhai became even more enthusiastic, “Wife, though my price is high, it won’t lead to a loss for them. A pair of earrings can sell for twenty-two or three easily, and just by moving their lips, they could make a profit of two or three yuan, plus I even gifted an extra pair to the salesgirl.”
Suddenly his tone shifted, as he said softly, “In fact, giving away a pair of earrings did hurt a bit, but you can’t make a catch without putting out some bait. For the sake of a long-term partnership, it’s worth it to invest a bit at the start.”
“So you’ve created a mutually beneficial situation.”
Su Wanyu did some quick calculations, feeling that the numbers didn’t quite add up, and asked, “So you’ve created a mutually beneficial situation, Brother Hai, did you buy anything else? Just pearl earrings?”
“Not just that, with the remaining money, I bought the most popular little toys in Haicheng. I got them for eleven yuan each and sold them to Old Niu for twenty.”
Jiang Changhai flashed two fingers and spoke with a strategic tone, “Initially, I could have sold them for more to the people at the Cooperative, but Old Niu and I go way back. It’s only right to help him make some money too. Plus, I’m planning to ask him to help collect some dried wild mushrooms to sell in Haicheng next time I make a trip. I saw people selling them, and they go for a few yuan per jin (pound).”
Jiang Mianmian listened to his business strategy in utmost admiration; her dad intended to profit from both ends and make sure not a single trip was wasted!
Furthermore, his ability to choose these two items out of the plethora of goods in Haicheng also proved his discerning eye.
Buying many things in Haicheng is very cheap, but knowing what to buy and sell is also an art. Too expensive, and there’s no market in a small town; too cheap, and there’s not much profit to be made.
So if you don’t have a good eye and don’t know what sells well, you could very likely end up stuck with stock and face losses.
Su Wanyu took a sharp intake of breath; in their area, wild mushrooms were commonly dried for their own consumption, and almost every household had some. If one were to collect them, it was estimated that a jin could be gathered for just one or two mao (cents).
Now knowing just how much money Jiang Changhai made from a trip to Haicheng, she realized that working at the transportation company was an incredibly lucrative position.