Daily Yellowstone journal., 1890-12-20
MEN Wio SUPPLY FAKlRS.
rhey Are willing to Buy Anything. Pro.
yiding the Price l. Low.


There are three or four men in this
Aity who, itthey can buy cheap enough,
viii take up any sized stock of goods
md pay cash for il. These are the
nen who supply the street fakirs with
.he articles which seem TO fairly break
',ut on the street like some queer dis
ease. One day you will see thousands
IT japanese teapots or Malacca canes,
while the next an amazing number of
hoe brushes form the attraction. The
rule of this business is that nothing can
ne easily sold on the street which costs
more than ten cents, although, of
course, this. like other rules, has its ex-
ceptions. OF this ten cents the ped
dlers must make at least four Ii mat
tiers little TO the men who buy the
bankrupt stocks then. what the art
.cles may be, provided on their pur-
chase they can make profit, selling at
seven cents
There is, however, one point which
nnst be borne in mind. Tire articles,
whateve: they may be, must be really
good of their kind, for the whole theory
of the business is dealing in real bar
i,ains. The purchasers are generally
shrewd buyers, moi only knowing when
the things offered are good, but as a
rule buying them, not because they are
wanted, but because they are cheap,
and the number Of bargains which may
DO secured from these men by any one
who viii watch for them is amazing.
remember buying Malacca cane for
ten cents ma,y years ago which did
good service
In a city shere as many business
failures take place as are chronicled in
New York the existence of men who
can dispose # any stock and get rid of
i is a prime necessity. The houses
which place their wares through the
rect pee llers have thu command of
.arse capital, and do business on the
quick sales and small profits" prin-
ciple They rarely carry stock, un-
loss it be very large, over three or four
days, for in that time the push cart
men, if the articles 60 at al, will clean
them out. They are always ON the
lookout for bankruptcies, forced sales
and the like. and their stores are
curiosity shops, Uttered up with the
totsam and jetSam which have re-
manned over from many commercial
wrecks. But they deal in toys, fruit,
vegetables, game-anything that is
cheap and can 60 quickly. The Pigs
Ia the Pen" which sent the city wild,
were placed by them, and it is not un-
common to see editions of books forced
into circulation through their offices.
As may be imagined the men in this
business must not alone possess wide.
spread knowledge of goods, but they
must have keen appreciation of the
public taste and know exactly what will
tlke. 1t has been believed that pawn.
brokers know more of the values of di
verse articles than any other men in a
city Like New York, but it is a question
whether those who deal through ped
lles are not the equal of Our Uncles'
in this. Anyway, theirs is business
which can only he made to pay while
this species of sagacity is displayed, fol
should they make a mistake it is toler
lbly certain the fakirs viii not and
tiat the stock will then be left unsold
The ability of the average fakir t.
Determine beforehand whether giveI
Line of articles will take savors of the
supernatural am told that a success
fl man in this business will not only
Getermine instantly whether he want
to push a sale, but that in ninety -nint
Uses out of a hundred he will be alb
s,lutely right. II the jobber makes q
mistake his only chance Of saving him
; II is TO get the men to take out tn,
g,ods on speculation; in other words
on credit. As the business all through
j. or should be cash, this policy is mo-
looked upon with much favor.
The need of judgment on the part o
tie iobber is however, most felt wher
l., is selling TO the pedilers TIL,
amount Of profit allowed to them is il
inverse ratio to the rapidity with whicl
tley can sell, and it is therefore to thei
Interest TO make the jobber believe In
las "slow lot" on hand. Their volu
biity in crying the excellence Of thei
wares on the street is as nothing q
t!lat which expresses their contemp
for the goods when they are themselve
asked 10 buy. The jobber then mus
know Just how the things will go or h
viii find himself left with profit whicl
shall make him mourn.
It is a curious business which ha
grown out of the failures of CONNER
cial life, but It Is not without its inter
esting points. New York Telegram.