Thread: What would you do?

Thanks a bunch for the responses guys. Travis, your dead right and so are you manuka jock. Bugger em i say, they can chop up all the paulownia they want and stain it. And when they run out maybe our paulownia plantations will get a real look in on the world market. In the end i think the carrot that was dangled in front of this donkey was a bit too big to chew on

A large current supermarket chain was founded on a chain of variety stores way back. The story I was given by people who were burnt back then was that once the chain found a product line that they wanted, they would test it and the supplier with a couple of small time orders, then hit them with a big long term order but try and hammer down the price. Small suppliers would snap up the order thinking they had it made, but then discover that they could not supply the volumes required, could not renegotiate delivery rates, and were being soundly scr...d by penalty clauses and hauled into court and bankrupted for not meeting the contract.

I suspect that sticking with what you know may be the way to go. If it is easy to meet the contract, they would talk to two or three of the big guys and stitch up a deal. If the big guys aren't interested, there will be something hiding in the background.

I work on the idea of if someone seeks out me for supply of timber then they are on my terms, that means payment before leaving mill, cost of the goods, quantity to be supplied & quality, if they don't like it they can keep looking. To be an unsecured creditor to them for your own product has hairs on it. Now if your chasing them for a contract then your on their terms whatever they are.
regards inter

There's a "difficult" bloke somewhere north of perth that owns a farm and has been collecting old vehicles and farm machinery for donkeys. He has so many rusting tons of it covering his property it has become a bit of a landmark (er. . . eyesore) and some of the neighbors and the shire council have been onto him to have it cleaned up. Not all the neighbors have complained because some of them have used him as a bit of a dumping ground and others get along with him well enough to source a few bits and pieces. Not long after the council called to say hello, a group of foreign gentleman turn up on his doorstep with a big cheque book, an amazing offer and inscrutable smiles. The bloke refuses to sell but says if they are so keen they can come back next year and make him another offer. They say, "offer next year must be less because of rust". He replies, "Don't worry mate they collect mush faster than they can rust"

Nifty, Tell them you have a specialty line, supply as comes available, money up front. I have seen what those 'borers' have done to the villagers in new Guinea, Rape the forest, river tugs and barge out to the mother ship and the locals get peanuts. Value add, charge appropriately and you dictate the rules, they are not a Master I would work for under contract.

Thanks to all for your opinions. It seems i put the net out and caught alot more negatives than positives. Spoke to them today and told them to shove it. Cheers, Nev

Good move Nev . Better safe than sorry mate