CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Buying and Selling
All business, whether it is a multi-million dollar corporation or a backyard mechanic, is a matter of buying and selling with a view to making a profit. You sell your ideas, your labor, your expertise, your knowledge, your skills, your looks, your talents.
The first time the word ‘sell’ appears in the Bible is during the incident between the sons of Isaac when Jacob said to Esau:
And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright. (Gen.25:31)
And the word ‘buy’ first appears, when Jacob’s sons were sent to Egypt to buy corn from Joseph.
And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph for to buy corn; because that the famine was so sore in all lands. (Gen.41:57)
Buying and selling is the basis, the foundation of any type of business you care to think about, and being successful at it is important.
The first thing to think about when buying and selling is profit. Ask the question ‘can I make a profit?’ If you cannot, leave it. What’s the point if you make a loss?
Buy low, sell high, a good maxim just as long as you look at other aspects of bartering such as repeat business and reputation. Ask yourself the question, ‘will they come back again to buy more, or will they think I cheated them?’ Will I be able to approach them in future with other products I might want to sell?
There is nothing wrong with making a profit. God advised Jeremiah to buy a field, even though Jerusalem was devastated, because the city would, at some future date, be repopulated and the value of property would escalate.
And Jeremiah said, The word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
Behold, Hanameel the son of Shallum thine uncle shall come unto thee, saying, Buy thee my field that is in Anathoth: for the right of redemption is thine to buy it.
…….Then I knew that this was the word of the LORD.
And I bought the field of Hanameel my uncle's son, that was in Anathoth, and weighed him the money, even seventeen shekels of silver.
And I subscribed the evidence, and sealed it, and took witnesses, and weighed him the money in the balances.
For thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Houses and fields and vineyards shall be possessed again in this land.
(Jer. 32:6, 7, 8b, 9, 10, 15)
Knowledge has always been the key to successful buying. Knowing the value beforehand and setting a maximum price to be paid, makes the transaction a simple process and guarantees success. There will be no surprises.
In Proverbs 31, the traits of a virtuous wife are espoused, and in verse 16 we read:
She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. (Prov.31:16)
The important word here is ‘considers’. It means she sees it, studies it, determines the price she is prepared to pay for it, what to do with it, and then once her plans have been made, she buys it. All the bases have been covered. For her, there will be no surprises.
After buying judiciously and circumspectly, comes the time to sell. A good salesman knows the value of his product, determines maximum potential, knows the bargain base price, reads his customer and extracts as much as possible out of him, letting him walk away excited about his purchase.
Remember always, that one sale could lead to many. Yes, you may only see him once in your lifetime, but his lips are a free advertisement, and with the cost of advertising today, any free help must be considered invaluable.
If a buyer is convinced he is getting a good product at a good price from a good person, he will be happy, and his tongue will then be of service to you. Get to know with whom you are dealing. Buyers have all kinds of strategies to get what they want.
It is naught, it is naught, saith the buyer: but when he is gone his way, then he boasteth. (Prov.20.14)
In other words, the buyer was saying that the product was worthless in order to get it at a better price, and once he had achieved his goal he walked away bragging about his abilities. However, in Amos 8 there is a word of caution to all unscrupulous salesmen. People will do anything for the ‘quick buck’.
Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit?
That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat? (Amos.8:5-6)
In reply the Lord has sworn by the pride of Jacob ‘Surely I will never forget any of their works.’ If you need to cheat and steal to make a profit, then something is wrong, and your marketing, your attitude, your knowledge, or your ability is at fault and needs to be corrected. Cheating is not business, setting people under obligation through debt and addiction and feeding on their troubles, is not business, it is slavery. A good businessperson has no need of those tactics. He is honest and can walk with his head held high - knowing that all his customers and clients will come back of their own free will.