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Show MIDDLEMAN AND HIS PLACE Part Played by Commission Man in Great Commercial Organization Told by Clemson Expert. 'By FRED W. HOFMANN. M.-irkot Acent Olomson rn!!"c.) A commission merchant is an ascnt who markets commodities that have been consigned to him For his services serv-ices he receives a commission of 5 to 10 per cent of the gross sales. The shipper bears the expense of transportation transpor-tation and cartage, and also storage if necessary. In consigning products to a commission com-mission man. the shipper bills the shipment to the commission man and sends him an invoice and bill of lading for the goods shipped. The Invoice shows the date, amount, and kind of Koods shipped. The bill of lading Is a statement from the railroad agent showing that such goods at such a date have been shipped to such a person per-son This bill of lading, if a "straight bill," authorizes the railroad or carrier to deliver the. goods to the commission commis-sion man. If the bill of lading is an "order notify" or "shipper's order" tull, the shipper must issue an ordor before the goods can be delivered. Upon receiving the bill of lading, the commission merchant tries to sell It in the best possible way. He usually usu-ally sells to grocers, venders, peddlers, ped-dlers, and other retailers, and to other buyers of large quantities, as hotels, cafes, restaurants, and large board ing houses. He may sell to a jobber who In turn sells to retailers. A commission merchant may receive re-ceive shipments from operators or traveling buyers and from country merchants or country buyers. He may 'receive carlot or less than carlot shipments. ship-ments. Sometimes a shipper sends the commission com-mission man instructions which he must obey but more often the sales are left to his judgment. In all cases, however, a commission merchant should give a complete account of his transactions. In making his statements, a commission com-mission merchant deducts freight or express, hauling, cartage, and storage, reserves his commission, and remits vhe balance to the shipper. -An honest, reliable commission man can be a great help to the inexperienced inexperi-enced shipper, especially to the less-tl'.an-carlot shipper. However, this does not mean that any old thing can be dumped upon the commission man. The shipper must pack and grade with best possible care if he wants good prices. If he has unstaudardized goods, he mtist leave the disposal of them to the judgment of the commission commis-sion merchant. When a shipper has goods that are not of superior quality and packed in standard fashion he has no way of estimating the value of his shipment and he cannot give the commission merchant specific instructions. |
