14 BULLETIN 266, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



The term "country buyers" as used in this bulletin refers to 

 buyers who are permanently located and do not move from one 

 district to another with buying brokers and traveling buyers. In 

 many instances the trade defines this person as a "shipper." Another 

 very erroneous designation is "car-lot assembler." 



These local country buyers, where they are well known in par- 

 ticular communities, may prove to be profitable connections for 

 shippers, due to the fact that they have reputations to uphold in 

 order to obtain business, and consequently can not operate on a 

 "fly-by-night" basis. Furthermore, these buyers usually pay cash 

 at time of delivery, and inasmuch as the grower thus has the money 

 in possession, the honesty of the buyer is not so important. 



TRAVELING BUYERS AND BROKERS. 



Traveling buyers and brokers operating at shipping points work 

 along practically the same lines, moving from one specialized district 

 to another with the advance of the season. 



The difference in activities lies in the fact that brokers buy what- 

 ever produce is wanted in whatever amounts are desired, and ship 

 to wholesale houses which have placed orders with them, charging 

 a definite brokerage for each car shipped. They are usually "free 

 lances" buying for all who retain them, upon payment of the stipu- 

 lated brokerage. In reality so-called brokers at the shipping end in 

 addition to buying on orders from wholesale houses also sell for 

 growers and shippers, thus finding outlets for carloads of produce. 



Traveling buyers, on the other hand, are employed by single houses 

 on a definite salary basis and perform the services of brokers for 

 these individual houses alone. 



In order to attract buyers to a certain section, the first require- 

 ment is a crop or crops of sufficient tonnage to make the "deal" of 

 commercial importance. . A second requirement is to bring the facts 

 to the attention of the trade before shipments begin. This can be 

 accomplished by advertisements in trade journals or by letters to 

 the largest distributors of these products hi neighboring markets, 

 stating the probable number of carloads of each product to be shipped 

 from the district, together with the probable opening date of com- 

 mercial shipments. Provided a large number of buyers and trade 

 representatives can be assembled, the possibility of higher prices is 

 greatly increased through competitive bidding. 



Sales should not be made to representatives of unknown firms 

 without a careful inquiry into the business responsibility of the firms 

 and into the accredited standing of the representatives. 



Traveling buyers and brokers will be found in nearly all of the 

 specialized districts as well as in many other sections. 



