Those Years When I Was Forced to Top the Forbes List

Chapter 28 Determining the Channel (Part 1)

Mr. Zhao's explanation ends here.

Before leaving, Zhao Wanping generously gave him the gold Nokia 3310.

Perhaps in Zhao Wanping's view, the fact that he personally came to negotiate the sale of dozens of machines and even gave him a mobile phone as a gift was already a great gesture towards the payment.

Chen Xuebing's expectation of "dozens of units" is, of course, an understatement. Nowadays, people yearn for big foreign brands and are helpless against their prices. "Super high-quality replicas" will undoubtedly be the solution for most people. It is conceivable that if the products are really as good as he said, and are given a low price, they will definitely sell well.

However, he didn't intend to boast to Zhao Wanping that he could sell hundreds or thousands of units. Saying that, whether Zhao Wanping believed it or not, would not be good for him.

Once he believed it, Zhao Wanping would become curious about his connections.

If Zhao Wanping didn't believe him, he would feel uneasy.

Too much contact with the big boss is not a good thing, as the other party will have many ways to speculate and confirm those speculations. It is the best outcome for Zhao Wanping to have a young subordinate lead them.

...

The three of them went back into the distance to look out.

"Brother Gao, you guys don't have a stall in the Huaqiang Electronics Market? Why are all the mobile phone sellers looking from afar?"

Chen Xuebing asked a question that had always been a source of curiosity for him.

Zhao Wanping's subordinate, Xiao Gao, was in his twenties and spoke Mandarin with a strong Hakka accent, but when he spoke, it blended well with his surroundings.

"Huaqiang's market... Huaqiang and SEG are the two big landlords on this street, but they both work with Japanese manufacturers on color TVs. Huaqiang works with Sanyo, and SEG with Hitachi. The SEG building also rents out space to some electronics businesses. Huaqiang almost exclusively sells color TVs; they don't care about small businesses like renting out shops. This year, SEG and Hitachi collaborated on a plasma TV series. Do you know how much it costs? Thirty-five thousand nine yuan a unit! When it first came out at the beginning of the year, so many people were scrambling to buy it! The property management makes so little money; it's just a drop in the ocean compared to what they make!"

Oops.

Chen Xuebing was a little surprised.

The plasma TV that paved the way for "Rampage" is so expensive?
However, based on Gao Shu's description, Chen Xuebing also outlined the transformation path of the two major landlords in Huaqiangbei.

As core TV technologies were gradually mastered by major OEM manufacturers such as TCL and BOE, and prices became increasingly affordable, the market gradually shifted towards an electronics market dominated by mobile phones.

Japan remains the dominant force in this era, reigning supreme in Asia with its electronics and automobiles.

However, twenty years have passed, and the market is still the same market with a limited capacity. Everyone is engaged in intense and highly overlapping competition within the same circle. The rise of Chinese products is the same path that led to the decline of the Japanese economy.

This can be considered a form of revenge.

Chen Xuebing has a strong sense of nationalism. When he was a child, he liked to have his friends draw mustaches on them and play the role of a little bastard, while he would play the role of an Eighth Route Army soldier and then chase after them to beat them up. He got a lot of beatings from his father for this.

As I grew up, many of my perceptions matured and changed, but my view on that period of the invasion of China became more profound and firm: the wolf's ambition has never been extinguished, and the stick to beat the dog must be practiced more!
So the more I thought about it, the more pleased I felt.

With such strong talent reserves and technological capabilities, Huaqiangbei should be properly integrated into a giant manufacturing center!
"Gao Shu." Huo Xiaowen called out, but Chen Xuebing glanced at him, so he awkwardly changed his address, "Brother Gao... how do you usually tell if a cell phone is good or bad when you collect it?"

"Oh! Our phones are brand new, you don't need to inspect them. We even offer a one-year warranty, unlike grey market phones! But other stalls might not be so reliable. Some owners send used phones to acquaintances, and they don't inspect the motherboard. They only judge the condition by the screen, casing, keyboard, and functions. They ship them out, and if the customer finds a problem, they return it, and the owners return it to their acquaintances. If you send your phones out, it's a murky business. I advise you not to do it. If one phone explodes, you'll lose a lot. The dismantled parts here are very readily available. Many people know how to dismantle and sell parts, and they're very skilled. Even our inspectors sometimes make mistakes when they help people buy phones. Eight out of ten phones outside have problems, and the ones that are fine are given to the stall owners. If you send your phones out, you'll be paying endless tuition fees!"

Gao Shu's explanation refreshed their understanding and shattered Chen Xuebing's illusions.

Chen Xuebing and Huo Xiaowen exchanged a glance and coughed awkwardly.

Damn, at least I found someone knowledgeable to ask.

He had expected there to be many defective machines, but he hadn't anticipated such a high percentage.

Plans revised!

"Then... can I take the used machines from the stall?"

According to Chen Xuebing, the secondhand market should still be developed. There is market demand, the volume is large, and most Taobao customers who buy these machines will proactively communicate with him, which leads to positive reviews. In the early stages of Taobao, positive reviews and order volume are very important, and he doesn't want to easily give up this market where he can easily generate a large number of fake orders and positive reviews.

However, he first needs to solve the problem of Taobao's credit mechanism. During this period, every time he went to an internet cafe, he would bump up his post, hoping that Taobao's management would see it as soon as possible and make an update.

Even Taobao's employees don't work as hard as him.

"I'll introduce you to two business owners. You can get their products. My family uses their machines, but they're quite expensive."

Gao Shu was very honest and answered everything.

There are quite a few honest people here, but everyone should learn to be wary of others.

"Thank you so much, Brother Gao."

As Chen Xuebing spoke, he pulled Huo Xiaowen aside and whispered a few words to him, instructing him to be respectful when he saw Gao Shu in the future, and even if he didn't want to call him "brother," he should still call him "Engineer Gao."

We chatted all the way, and soon arrived at the stall on the third floor.

This time, they were no longer bystanders rejected by the bosses. Many bosses along the way greeted Gao Shu, which clearly showed that Boss Zhao's status in this market was not low.

"Raw materials are sometimes in short supply, so prices fluctuate daily. Nobody wants to compete. Whenever there's a big fluctuation, we all get together for a meeting after closing our stalls. After hanging around here for a while, everyone gets to know each other. That's Brother Li from Hong Kong, that's Sister K, and that's the vermicelli girl from Hangzhou, the one on the third floor!"

Gao Shu introduced the place to them as if he were introducing his own home.

The stalls were very close together, and a rather attractive "vermicelli girl" nearby rolled her eyes at Gao Shu when she heard this.

Gao Shu just chuckled, and anyone could see his wicked intentions.

The shopkeeper next to him joked, "Gao Shu! You're way out of her league! Give up!"

This caused a burst of laughter.

This feeling of being part of a large community should be one of the unique memories of that era. People all over the country still had a Northeastern identity, unlike the high-rise buildings and walls that later severed the warmth.

Chen Xuebing watched from the sidelines, thoroughly enjoying the atmosphere.

"arrive!"

Gao Shu pointed to the corner of the three-story building, which was circular. Chen Xuebing saw a counter that was three or four meters long and brightly lit. In terms of both decoration and size, it was luxurious compared to the stalls in front of it.

"Tsk tsk, you guys must have shares in this mall, right? The shops upstairs and downstairs are all so big!" Chen Xuebing exclaimed in amazement.

Gao Shu, who had been talking non-stop, smiled without saying a word, opened the partition, and went behind the counter.

Silence has already revealed a lot.

Chen Xuebing's assessment of Zhao Wanping has risen even higher.

But right now, he's more concerned about his phone.

"Brother Gao, where's your phone?" Chen Xuebing asked, somewhat dazed.

There were only three old-looking mobile phones on the counter in front of me.

There are three employees watching the counter.

Gao Shu laughed and waved his hand: "How can we put our machines outside? Come in, come inside."

(End of this chapter)