342 Reaching an Agreemen (1/2)
Chapter 342: Reaching an Agreement
Translator: Nyoi-Bo StudioEditor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
There was no doubt that the Ragdoll was the most popular breed in the market in recent years. Because of the stringent control of breeding, the market access threshold was high, and the supply of Ragdoll kittens had always been falling short of the demands.
Normally, a Ragdoll kitten cost RMB 20,000 in China, and the better-conditioned ones might cost over RMB 30,000, while people overseas could buy two Ragdoll kittens in equivalent conditions for the same price—one couls see how Ragdoll kittens were extensively popular in China.
Lauren was also aware of this. She was responsible for communicating with clients, and among the clients who sent emails applying for purchasing Ragdoll kittens, almost 40% were buyers from China, and another 20% were Chinese students living in America, who claimed they were raising the kittens by themselves, but were actually purchasing them for others in China to pocket the price difference. To those sincere Chinese clients, she would elaborate upon the situations and decline them politely; if the clients had tough attitudes or had grammatical errors in their emails, she would just ignore them completely.
Learning from her clients and fellows in the pet industry, she knew why Chinese clients were fond of buying Ragdoll kittens from the catteries in America. Because Ragdoll kittens were very lucrative, the market management was very chaotic in China where numerous peddlers were selling Ragdoll kittens of poor quality to the public. Ragdoll kittens were relatively cheaper in America, and their conditions and purebred bloodlines were guaranteed. Even after adding the international shipping fee and paying commission to overseas shopping agents, it was still a worthy deal compared to buying them in China.
Zhang Zian had become interested in Ragdoll kittens a long time ago. When his parents were still alive, he had heard them mention this name. Unfortunately, most of the professionals in the pet industry considered others as competitors, and the catteries that had Ragdoll kittens had been protecting their breeding cats very well for fear of others stealing the cats from them.
By looking at the picture, he had recognized that this was a Ragdoll kitten in premium conditions, which would cost at least RMB 30,000 in China and he probably had to wait one year before picking it up. If the owner wanted to pick up the kitten sooner, he must pay more money, which was the same as purchasing a luxury car imported from abroad with expedited shipping.
He skimmed through these pictures one by one. On every page was featured a different Ragdoll cat. Some were larger, some were smaller, and some had won the championships in the tournament. They seemed to be riding high with ribbons on their bodies. The most impressive things were their eyes, which were different shades of blue. Some were lighter, while others were darker, but every pair of eyes was clear and breath-taking, No wonder this cattery was called ”Blue Climax”!
At the end of the folder were enclosed clear and complete studbooks and the negative diagnostic reports of such infectious and genetic diseases, such as HCM (Hypertrophic Cardio Myopathy), PKD (Polycystic Kidney Disease), FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus), and FELV (Feline Leukemia Virus). All of these documents were written in English and looked very standard, although Zhang Zian didn't understand any technical terms...
After browsing through the documents, he closed the folder, handed it back to Lauren and gave a big thumb’s up. Richard cooperated with him and said, ”Fantastic cats!”
Lauren and Tim were very confident in their own kittens, so they smiled and said, ”So, can we discuss the possibility of our cooperation?”
Richard asked cautiously, ”What do you mean?”
Before the couple came here, they had prepared themselves for two possible results: One was that the pet shop owner was willing to share his cat training secrets with them. In that case, they would agree to his demands at whatever cost; if the pet shop owner was reluctant to share, they would have to settle for their second priority.
Lauren came to the point decidedly, ”We would like to hire you to train cats for us, to teach our kittens to dance. In exchange, we will provide you with Ragdoll kittens for free, with only one condition: we want an exclusive agreement, which means you can't reach similar agreements with other catteries. This is a win-win deal, and I hope you can consider it carefully.”
Richard didn't dare to make a decision on such a big issue. It said, ”Excuse me, I need to go upstairs for a while, Please feel free to walk around.”
Zhang Zian understood what Richard meant and brought it to the second floor.
Richard repeated the conversation to him.
He thought about it for a moment and came up with a conclusion—this might work!
Just as Lauren had said, this was a proposal beneficial to both sides. Blue Climax was selling cats in America, while Amazing Fate Pet Shop was selling cats in China. With the Pacific Ocean in between them, they were not interfering with each other's businesses, which perfectly adhered to the rules of ”befriending the far and attacking the near” left by his ancestors.
In this deal, Blue Climax seemed to be on the slightly disadvantaged side, but the prices of dancing Ragdoll kittens might be several times higher than before, so they shouldn't be worried about their business.
Instructing what Richard should pay attention to, Zhang Zian brought it back to the first floor.
Lauren and Tim clenched their fists nervously, waiting for his reply.
”I agree to your proposal in general.” said Richard on behalf of Zhang Zian. Without waiting for their cheers, it added immediately, ”But I want to revise the condition regarding exclusiveness—I can only promise you that I will not reach similar agreements with other catteries in America, but you have no rights to interfere with the catteries in other countries.”
Lauren and Tim hesitated for a moment, but then they nodded to agree.