CHAPTER IX. 

 SELLING F. O. B. 



VERYTHING should be done to encourage 

 cash F. O. B. sales of our products. Unscru- 

 pulous dealers usually have a great number of 

 drummers locally known as "tomato or veg- 

 etable buzzards" canvassing our country. They 

 frequently quote high prices on our products, 

 but are very careful not to tie themselves down 

 by contract to any given figure. "A bird in the 

 hand is worth two in the bush" applies here very readily. We 

 often find that our buyer will offer us a certain figure for one 

 of our products, which price has been inflated by the representa- 

 tive. We are tempted to take the risk and ship our products to 

 his firm, only to receive a very insignificant return for the same. 



It should also be remembered that if we were all to adhere to 

 the cash or F. O. B. system of selling we would in a short time 

 have the matter so well in hand that no loss whatever would be 

 incurred and we could go home from market with the cash 

 jingling in our pockets, sleeping well at night and not being 

 obliged to think and wonder and fret about the uncertainty of 

 our returns. For this reason also, numerous packing houses have 

 been established throughout our growing section by the growers 

 themselves. Some packing houses are owned or controlled by 

 dishonest dealers, who not only ship our stuff indiscriminately, but 

 often have a direct understanding and come here for no other 

 purpose than to deceive. 



The annual loss through dishonest commission men amounts 

 in the aggregate to an enormous figure throughout this section of 

 the country. Co-operation among the growers whereby these 

 frauds can be detected and exposed would work a great benefit 



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