Reborn in 1999: Starting as a black marketeer

At that time, the ruble to US dollar exchange rate was still fluctuating around 25:1. According to Wang Feiyang, the ruble would continue to depreciate in the next few years. Therefore, Liu Jianjun said that the price of jeans in the market was generally around 200 rubles, which is about 8 US dollars, or about 70 yuan.

If Wang Feiyang also sells at this price, he will definitely make a profit, since the cost of his batch of goods is 40 yuan.

But don't forget that the cost also includes transportation and customs clearance fees, shop rental fees, labor costs, and even losses due to exchange rate fluctuations!

So, if you were to sell it for 200 rubles, you could make a profit, but not a large one...

Wang Feiyang was certain that the quality of his batch of goods was far superior to those jeans that sold for 200 rubles in the market. Logically speaking, it wouldn't be unreasonable to sell them for 300 or even 400 rubles!

But what good is good quality?

Since you're also selling goods in the market, and there are probably many shops on the street that wholesale jeans, and everyone else is selling them for 200 rubles while you're selling them for 300 rubles, customers might just skip your shop and buy the cheaper ones.

Because everyone already agrees that the goods sold in the big market are low-end and don't deserve to be sold at high prices!

But if I sell them for 200 rubles each, it's like working hard for months, only to find out I haven't made much money...

Do I have to go back to China to select other goods to ship over and sell? That would waste several months!

Besides, I don't have enough money to rent a shop.

Wang Feiyang frowned, took a deep drag on his cigarette, and remained silent.

Liu Jianjun could tell from Wang Feiyang's expression that he was in trouble, so he asked with a smile:

"What's wrong, little brother? Did your purchase cost go a bit too high?"

I've been doing this for a few years now, so I have some experience. Let me tell you one thing: the cheaper the price of what you sell, the better!

Therefore, the bosses who are truly making money in the big market all have their own factories in China, so that they can keep costs to a minimum!

As for wholesaling goods from domestic suppliers to resell, it's basically impossible to make a lot of money. It was possible a few years ago when competition wasn't so fierce, but now it's very difficult.

Wang Feiyang smiled wryly, "Brother Liu guessed right. I was thinking of getting a batch of decent quality jeans at a reasonable price so they could sell quickly and build a good reputation among customers. I never expected the competition to be so fierce, and prices to plummet like this!"

This was indeed an oversight by Wang Feiyang. He forgot that although he had also been a middleman, that was experience gained several years later!

A few years later, the market for ants was almost gone. The larger businesses concentrated in Lyublino, and there were more powerful middlemen who had broken away from the low-price competition. Many of them even started their own companies and built their own brands.

Of course, this is also because since 2000, Russia has gradually stabilized and its economy has begun to develop rapidly.

When people have more money, they naturally pursue a higher quality of life. Correspondingly, the quality and price of popular goods on the market are also improving, instead of just pursuing cheap prices as they did a few years ago!

Liu Jianjun laughed heartily, not out of schadenfreude, but because he had seen similar things far too often in the market!

Many middlemen who come here to do business for the first time like to apply their domestic experience, always thinking they are different from others, that they can't just cut prices, they can cut quality, and that their products are better than others...

As a result, when they came to sell, they all remained silent, and then they all obediently started to raise prices.

He reassured me, "It's alright. As long as the purchase price isn't too high, you basically won't lose money. At worst, you can share a shop with someone else to reduce shop expenses, get rid of this batch of goods as soon as possible, and then get cheaper goods for the next batch. Everyone has to pay their dues in business. If you need any help, just contact me. I'll give you my phone number and shop location later. I'm usually at the shop from 6 am to 2 pm every day."

Wang Feiyang thanked him repeatedly, saying that he would visit him at the market once he settled in Moscow.

Liu Jianjun is a pretty warm-hearted person. It's not a bad thing to make more friends like him. After all, you rely on your parents at home and your friends when you're away from home.

However, Wang Feiyang needed to think about the jeans more; he was unwilling to just sell them off at a low price.

Because that would mean the channel would be cut off in the short term, and everything would have to start all over again, which would definitely be a blow to Wang Feiyang's career!

When I returned to my seat after finishing my cigarette, I found Zhang Liang sipping a bottle of sake. I guess he saw Liu Jianjun ask for it and was curious about what this so-called Japanese sake tasted like, so he asked the flight attendant for a bottle.

However, the taste probably isn't very good; you can tell from Zhang Liang's expression.

"Feiyang, when did you learn to smoke? I never saw you smoke during training," Zhang Liang asked curiously.

"I only smoke one occasionally, I'm not addicted, I'm the kind of person who can smoke or not smoke," Wang Feiyang explained with a smile.

"I'll try it sometime. I've heard that a lot of Russians smoke, especially women. If I learn to smoke, it'll be easier to pick up girls," Zhang Liang said dreamily.

Before he came, he had set lofty ambitions: to find a beautiful Russian girl as his girlfriend!

Otherwise, wouldn't this trip to Moscow have been a waste...?

…………

After chatting for a while, Zhang Liang and Liu Jianjun both drank some alcohol, and now that the effects of the alcohol were kicking in, they both wanted to take a nap.

So Liu Jianjun and Wang Feiyang switched seats, with Wang Feiyang sitting in the aisle seat while he moved to the inside, which would be more comfortable for him to sleep in.

The lights on the plane dimmed, and most people were drowsy. These long-haul international flights can be quite boring if you don't get a nap in between.

However, Wang Feiyang was in good spirits, and he was also thinking about how to make a living from his batch of jeans, so he wasn't sleepy.

As I leaned back in my chair, deep in thought, a sweet voice reached my ears.

"Sir, would you like something to drink?"

It turned out to be a flight attendant pushing a trolley over.

"A cup of coffee, please," Wang Feiyang said with a smile and a nod to the flight attendant.

Although the lights were dim, it was clear that the flight attendant was very beautiful. Her tall figure was encased in her uniform, her long hair was styled in a bun, revealing her slender neck, her lips were red and her teeth were white, and her smile was sweet. She didn't look very old, and looked about the same age as Wang Feiyang, probably someone who had just started working.

Upon seeing Wang Feiyang's smile, the flight attendant was stunned, and for a moment, her heart raced.

Thinking to myself, this guy is really handsome, more handsome than many male celebrities...