Chapter 18: Isolda Evergarden IV (1)
In trading goods, there was one important difference between a customer and a merchant.
That was… basically, the customer approached the merchant with trust, but the merchant approached the customer with distrust.
Most customers who simply wanted to buy goods didn't consider things in detail. They bought the goods based on feelings, and wouldn’t care even if the price was a bit high, or even if there was an obvious trick in how the product was being advertised. Even if they noticed it, they would talk it out in moderation.
That phenomenon inevitably occurred due to the limitation or lack of information and because the customer was in fact was the target consumer of the product.
Therefore, customers basically had no choice but to trust the transaction process and the merchant.
Even if there was doubt, their insistence on wanting the merchant to be honest would be quite low.
Because what they ultimately pursued was convenience and pleasure, not profit.
However, that was not the case with merchants.
The purpose of a merchant was to make a bigger profit on every single penny by any means.
As their livelihood depended on trade and profit, merchants didn’t have the luxury to seek convenience, so they don’t hesitate to travel long distances and travel to various places to make a profit.In addition, as the amount of information they have on the product was different from that of customers, they inevitably doubt the other party when conducting transactions, and they must do so.
On the other hand, if the other party was a merchant like him, rather than a customer approaching with trust in him, the merchant has to fight a hard hard battle.
Because they already know that the other was basically telling lies for the sake of profit.
That invisible battle between merchants was called bargaining.
The battle would last until they both reached a proper understanding of the other party and succeed in balancing their interests. Finally, the continuous battle would be over and through it they would get to know each other somewhat clearly, creating a different kind of trust between them in the process.
It would be a trust based on cold and calculated belief.
For that reason, merchants needed to go through countless doubts, trials and errors through bargaining until that kind trust gradually built up.
In other words, doubt and trust were the most necessary virtues and weapons for merchants, and a person without them could be said to have no qualifications as a merchant.
And, for Isolda, that was the biggest criterion for judging a merchant, who once led a reputed top tier merchant company.
To her, those who were swayed by vague trust and compassion without thinking couldn’t be called merchants.
From the time when she used to lead a small merchant company, to the time when she owned a strong one, if there was someone who carelessly made a deal without showing doubt and didn’t choose to bargain, Isolda evaluated that person as unworthy of the name merchant.
That was also the case with the man named Bahamut in the past, but in that respect, Isolda recognized that he was a special being.
She had never seen a person who could hide their claws so perfectly and pulls them out at the right moment.
On the other hand, in that respect, Isolda was giving a passing grade to this young merchant named Yuria in front of her.
“I said I’ll give you 2000. Aren’t you going to make a deal?”
“I’ll make a deal, but… well, I heard that the price of iron ore has risen too much these days. Can’t you pay a little more than that?”
“… ”
Isolda nodded slightly as she watched Yuria cautiously begin to bargain with the other party.
Although the sign announcing the purchase of iron ore already stated that it would be purchased at 200 per crate, and the market price around it was also written similarly.
Even less advanced traders, unless they were fools who hadn’t abandoned the habit of approaching from the standpoint of naive customers, would’ve been able to estimate, at least roughly, what a great profit that price could make for the buyers here.
And this girl knew that as well.
Despite being in a position of transporting only a small amount of goods, she was attempting to negotiate a higher price. However, at the words of such a girl, the male buyer shook his head as if he wouldn’t even consider it.
“If you’re going to say something useless, just leave. There are people who want to sell iron ore besides you.”
“Don’t say that, just lift the price up a little. You’ve done this many times before, so you’re already making a profit! So can’t you give me about 2300?”
“If you want that much, sell it somewhere else! The young birdie is growing wings. If you’re going to do that, don’t come here again!”
“Ha… but… But…”
The man raised his voice and bluffed, and Yuria, who started to cry a little and showed signs of weakening.
Seeing that, Isolda unknowingly slightly frowned.
‘It’s natural for merchants to seek profit… but this is….’
Logically looking at the situation, Yuria was right.
In this situation, 2000 was too cheap, and if they had made a transaction before, it meant that the girl had made an effort to build some connections.
Even if the scale was small, if there was a person who steadily brought in goods in the current situation, it would be beneficial in the long run to treat them accordingly.
Isolda knew from experience that if a certain amount of treatment was not given to a useful person, they would eventually leave.
However, the man in front of her was completely ignoring that.
He was throwing away his own connections, focusing only on small gains.
At the same time, despite the fact that the other party was an outright merchant, he was engaging in transactions in a vulgar manner suitable for dealing with tourists at a tourist destination.
He was a short-sighted and rude person who didn’t know the value of trust, and if it was up to Isolda she would have immediately gotten rid of him.
Unfortunately, the girl named Yuria in front of her couldn’t think that far.
Judging from the conversation so far, it was clear that this girl also knew that even if it took more effort to find a new buyer, it would be more profitable to sell elsewhere.
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