It was undeniable that Ragdoll cats were the most popular cat breeds in the market in recent years. Due to the strict control of breeding rights and the artificially high market entry threshold, Ragdoll cats were always in short supply. It was a seller's market.
The price of Ragdoll cats started from 20,000 RMB in China, and the slightly better ones could be sold for more than 30,000 RMB. With the same price, one could buy two Ragdoll cats of the same quality abroad, which showed how popular Ragdoll cats were.
Lauren was also clear about this, because she was usually responsible for communicating with customers. Almost 40% of the customers who applied to buy Ragdoll cats by email were buyers from China, and the other 20% were Chinese students living in the United States. They claimed that they wanted to raise Ragdoll cats themselves, but in fact, they were buying for others to earn the price difference. For those sincere Chinese customers, she would explain the situation and politely decline them. If their attitude was stiff or their grammar was wrong, she would simply ignore them.
Through the understanding of customers and her peers, she knew why Chinese customers were so keen on buying Ragdoll cats from American catteries. The reason was that the profit was so high that the domestic Ragdoll market in China was in a mess, and the phenomenon of shoddy Ragdoll cats being sold at an alarming rate. Ragdoll cats in the United States were relatively cheap, and their quality and pedigree were guaranteed. Even including the shipping and purchasing fees, it was still much more cost-effective than buying Ragdoll cats in China.
Zhang Zian had been interested in Ragdoll cats for a very long time. Even before his parents passed away, he had heard them mention its name. Unfortunately, people in the same trade were enemies. All the catteries that owned Ragdoll cats were strictly guarded against their breeding cats, for fear that they would leak out.
Through the photos, he recognized at a glance that they were Ragdoll cats of good quality. It was impossible to buy one in China for less than 30,000 RMB, and he might have to wait in line for a year. If he wanted to get one as soon as possible, he had to pay more, which was similar to buying an imported luxury car.
He looked through the photos one by one. On each page were different cats, big and small. There were also cats that had won the championship of the patrol contest. They were wearing ribbons and looked very proud. The most impressive feature was their eyes, which were of different shades of blue. Every pair of eyes was crystal clear and captivating. No wonder this cattery was called "Blue Climax".
At the end of the folder, there was a clear and complete pedigree certificate, as well as negative diagnostic reports for feline hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), polycystic kidney disease (PKD), feline AIDS (FIV), feline leukemia (FeLV), and other infectious and genetic diseases. All of them were in English, very formal, even though Zhang Zian could not understand any of the professional terms …
When he was done, he closed the folder and handed it back to Lauren with a thumbs-up. Richard cooperated and said, "What a great cat!"
Lauren and Tim were confident in their cats. They smiled and said, "In that case, can we talk about cooperation?"
Richard asked cautiously, "What do you mean?"
Before they came here, they had prepared for two things. One was that the owner was willing to share the secrets of cat training with them. In this case, they would agree no matter what price they had to pay. If the owner was not willing to share, they would have to settle for the next best thing.
Lauren made up her mind and said frankly, "We want you to train cats for us and teach them to dance. In exchange, we will provide you with Ragdoll kittens for free. There is only one condition, which is exclusivity. You can't reach similar agreements with other catteries. This is a win-win deal. I hope you can consider it carefully. "
Richard did not dare to make a decision on such an important matter. It said, "Sorry, I have to leave for a while. Please make yourself at home."
Zhang Zian understood and took it back to the second floor.
Richard told him exactly what had happened.
He thought for a moment and came to the conclusion that it was a good deal!
As Laurent had said, it was a win-win proposition for him, and both of them would get what they wanted. Blue Climax sold cats in the United States, while Amazing Fate Pet Shop sold cats in China. They were separated by the Pacific Ocean, so neither of them could get in each other's way. It was a perfect match for the ancestral teaching of "befriending those far away and attacking those near you."
In this deal, Blue Climax seemed to be at a disadvantage, but the price of dancing Ragdoll kittens could be several times higher. Americans were stupid and rich, so there was no need to worry that no one would buy them.
Zhang Zian told Richard a few things to pay attention to, and took it back to the first floor.
Lauren and Tim clenched their fists nervously, waiting for his answer.
"In principle, I agree with your proposal." Richard said on behalf of Zhang Zian. Before they cheered, it immediately added, "But the exclusivity condition needs to be modified. I can only promise not to reach similar agreements with other catteries in the United States. You have no right to interfere with catteries in other countries."
Lauren and Tim hesitated for a moment, but still nodded and agreed.
Richard continued, "There are two more points. First, you will pay for the transportation of the cats. Second, you have to ship some high-quality cat food here regularly. I will pay for it. Do you agree?"
Zhang Zian was wondering where he could get the import channel of cat food, and now he could solve the problem at the same time.
These two points were not a problem for the Kellers. Since they had to ship several Ragdoll kittens at a time, the cost of the transportation was not much after sharing the cost of each cat. Blue Climax had always cooperated with cat food manufacturers. Sometimes the cat food manufacturers would rent their champion cats to shoot advertisements, and they could get authentic cat food from the manufacturers at a low price.
After the general principle was settled, the rest was to discuss some details. For example, Lauren asked Zhang Zian to pay attention to the qualification of the buyers of Ragdoll kittens, and not to sell their cats to customers with poor or unstable living conditions. Zhang Zian also agreed. He also took pictures of the infectious disease and genetic disease test reports provided by them with his mobile phone, and sent them to Sun Xiaomeng, asking her to help identify if there were any problems and whether the reports were forged.
As they reached an agreement on the details one by one, the atmosphere became relaxed, and they no longer had many scruples when talking to each other. Tim, who had been quiet, suddenly asked, "Jeff, how long will it take you to train the cats?"
Lauren was also very concerned about this question.
Richard answered vaguely, "Not long, just a few days."
Lauren and Tim were so surprised that they were numb. It only took a few days to teach the kittens to dance...
"When will you come to the United States?" Tim asked again.
This English was very simple, and Zhang Zian understood it. He and Richard were stunned at the same time, "To the United States?"
"Yes, it would be too much of a hassle to ship a lot of kittens back, and it is not good for the cats to do it frequently. The temperature difference between Los Angeles and Binhai City is too big, especially in this season," Lauren said, looking out of the door worriedly.
Although the snow outside was not heavy, there was no sign of it stopping. The snow kept falling, dyeing the ground silver.
Zhang Zian admitted that what they said made sense. Transporting a lot of kittens from the United States to Binhai City, where it was a world of ice and snow, and then shipping them back to Los Angeles, where it was as warm as spring, after learning how to dance, the repeated drastic changes in the climate could easily make the cats sick. However, he had not thought of this before, and now he realized that he had to go to the United States to train the cats.
To be honest, he was not disgusted by it, and was even a little tempted. He had never been abroad before, so he could take this opportunity to go to the United States to see the world and broaden his horizons.
"When do you think is the best time for me to go?" Richard asked.
Lauren and Tim looked at each other, and answered at the same time, "As soon as possible!"
"Why are you in such a hurry?" Richard had to understand.
Lauren explained, "It is Thanksgiving Day, and then Christmas and New Year's. There must be a lot of children looking forward to a kitten that can dance as a gift... If you need a long time to train the cats, we don't mind, but since you can train them in a few days, we hope you can come to the United States as soon as possible, and then come every three months or so."
Zhang Zian thought for a while, looked at his shoulder, and signaled Richard with his eyes.
Richard asked the question he had prepared, "When will you send the Ragdoll kittens over?"
The couple answered without hesitation, "After you arrive in the United States, as long as the training is successful, we will immediately arrange the transportation of the Ragdoll kittens and cat food."
Richard felt that there was nothing wrong with it. Seeing that Zhang Zian did not object, he answered for him, "Very fair, I promise you."
Zhang Zian stood up and shook hands with them. Richard said, "I hope we can have a pleasant cooperation."
Lauren and Tim finally felt relieved. The tiredness and worry they had suffered along the way finally paid off.
Zhang Zian was also full of expectations for the trip to the United States. If he was lucky, he might meet some interesting elfins on the other side of the ocean!
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