People often refer to some merchants in Yongsan as “Yongpal.”
It has a negative connotation, implying solicitation and overcharging.
But the strange thing is, in 1996, this method works very well.
That’s why the owner of this place, 【One PC】, wasn’t doing well in business.
Even Lee Hyun-woo, who bought most of his parts here, thought the shop owner had no business acumen.
The owner’s name was Kim Yoon-soo.
When Lee Hyun-woo asked Kim Yoon-soo if he wanted to sell a lot of computers, he raised his thick eyebrows and replied indifferently.
“Of course, I want to sell a lot.”
For reference, Lee Hyun-woo had already asked Kim Yoon-soo to speak informally to get closer to him. They had become quite friendly over the past three weeks with frequent visits.
“But if you sell like the boss, you won’t sell much. The location here isn’t that great either.”
“It’d be fine if there weren’t customers like you.”
“Even without customers like me, you probably wouldn’t sell well. Last time, you said something like sincerity will get through.”
He’s not a romantic merchant. Why would sincerity matter here?
If you just mix a few words, it’s not even the regular price but a fair price without any markup, so it seemed hard to make a profit.
Moreover, trying to sell at the actual price while telling the fair price, what customer would buy it?
No one buys completed PCs; only people like Lee Hyun-woo buy parts.
That’s because he also sold them at the fair price.
“If you’re going to talk like that, just go.”
“Why are you like this? I’m your biggest customer recently.”
“Buying at almost cost price and you call yourself a customer?”
“At least I increased your sales.”
“Did you come here to boast about that?”
“No. As I said before, I came to help you sell your products. And in large quantities.”
Kim Yoon-soo frowned and looked at Lee Hyun-woo.
Lee Hyun-woo, who knew the prices of various parts almost exactly, was considered a skilled expert.
He didn’t want to haggle, and his knack for bargaining was exceptional, so he always ended up giving in.
So he had no choice but to sell with almost no profit, but now he’s saying something absurd again.
Kim Yoon-soo, who was born to be gullible.
Recently, he realized that he had taken over this sales outlet at a higher price than the market price.
Because of this, he decided not to be deceived again.
“Boss, you have to trust me. Then you can make a lot of money.”
Lee Hyun-woo began to persuade him.
He even approached and sat in front of a computer as if it were his own and started typing.
Kim Yoon-soo saw a website open next to him.
“【Jungle】?”
It was the first time he saw it.
“Yes, it’s a rising site these days. Have you heard of it?”
“No, never heard of it.”
“Your information is too slow, boss. You should know about sites like this.”
“What kind of site is it?”
“It’s an internet auction site. I’ve already sold three computers there.”
“Three?”
“Don’t think it’s insignificant. I sold only three because that’s all I had. If I had 100, I would have sold them all.”
Lee Hyun-woo continued, seeing Kim Yoon-soo’s skeptical look.
“You might find it hard to believe, so I’ll show you proof.”
“How?”
“Do you have a computer here? The cheapest one. I’ll list it here. Ah, that one looks good.”
Lee Hyun-woo approached one of the displayed computers.
The price tag was 1,420,000 won.
“Boss, this costs about 700,000 won to produce, right?”
“What are you talking about? I’m selling it at a loss.”
Kim Yoon-soo’s trait was showing.
He avoided direct eye contact when he lied.
Lee Hyun-woo shook his head, smiling.
“No way. It has 4MB of memory, a 2x CD-ROM, and an old CPU.”
“Th… that’s not true. Ah, damn it, why do you know all the component prices?”
He quickly gave in.
Facing a conceding Kim Yoon-soo, Lee Hyun-woo asked.
“Is it okay if it sells for around 1,000,000 won?”
“Do you want to die?”
“But what if I sell five at once? How about it?”
“……”
Seeing Kim Yoon-soo not answering, Lee Hyun-woo smiled.
As expected, Kim Yoon-soo couldn’t hide his expressions.
He looked at Lee Hyun-woo with an expression that said, ‘If you can sell them like that, I’ll do anything you ask!’
“Don’t you like the idea?”
“So… how will you do it?”
“I just told you. I’ll list them on this website, 【Jungle】.”
“Can you really sell five at once?”
“For around 1,000,000 won each.”
“1,000…000 won….”
It wouldn’t be a bad deal.
And the 1,000,000 won was just a rough estimate by Lee Hyun-woo.
The third custom-built computer he listed at the last auction sold for 1,120,000 won, even though it was slightly lower in specs than this one.
If five units sell for more than 1,120,000 won each, he could make a profit of 2,000,000 won in no time.
He knew that this would be enough to satisfy Kim Yoon-soo, who wasn’t very savvy.
So he began to state his next condition.
“There are more conditions.”
“What now?”
“Please handle the delivery.”
“Huh…”
Anyway, the store already provided a one-year warranty service, so delivery wouldn’t be a big problem.
‘Instead, I should limit it to the metropolitan area.’
From the consumer’s perspective, it wasn’t a bad deal.
It was better than coming all the way to Yongsan.
“Even if it doesn’t sell, there’s no loss, right? It doesn’t cost any money.”
“That’s true, but…”
“In return, if it sells, you have to pay a 2.5% commission to this website, 【Jungle】, from the profit.”
“What?”
“Think carefully. Do the math, and you’ll see what’s profitable. I’ll be leaving now.”
“Hey! Wait! Explain a bit more.”
“I’m busy. Just browse the website. You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to, but I’m telling you for your benefit.”
“Hmm…”
Kim Yoon-soo, the gullible man.
He was contemplating.
Lee Hyun-woo could see it clearly.
‘He won’t last long.’
Lee Hyun-woo was confident.
That Kim Yoon-soo would soon list items on 【Jungle】.
Sure enough, when he got home…
“Haha…”
He had already listed them.
He was probably watching the price changes every moment.
‘I knew this would happen.’
Maybe this online sales method suited Kim Yoon-soo better.
Or rather, if he reduced the middleman’s profit and sold in bulk, it would be much better.
‘What kind of expression will he have when I visit tomorrow?’
He might be immersed in 【Jungle】.
The next day, when Lee Hyun-woo visited, Kim Yoon-soo was sitting in front of the computer, so engrossed that he didn’t even notice Lee Hyun-woo’s arrival.
Seeing this, Lee Hyun-woo smiled and cleared his throat.
“Hmm, hmm. This is the only place that’s quiet.”
“Oh? You’re here?”
“You listed it yesterday.”
Kim Yoon-soo gave an awkward smile.
Then, as if he remembered something, he quickly spoke.
“You came at the right time. I have something to ask you.”
“What is it?”
“If an actual bid is made, it will sell at that price, right?”
“Of course. Our 【Jungle】 has gained customer trust in a short time.”
Kim Yoon-soo’s eyes widened.
Then, raising his thick eyebrows, he asked Lee Hyun-woo.
“Our 【Jungle】?”
“Oh, I didn’t tell you yesterday. Actually, I’m running that website, 【Jungle】.”
“What?”
This time, Kim Yoon-soo’s eyes shook violently.
Taking advantage of this moment, Lee Hyun-woo said.
“I actually came to make you a special offer after seeing what you listed yesterday.”
“What… offer?”
“If you list 100 items a month, I’ll lower the commission to 2.3%.”
“Really?”
“Why would I lie to you?”
“I’ve been deceived more than once.”
“Then consider this the last time you’re being deceived.”
“What?”
“Just kidding. That’s impossible. You’ll see right away when you transfer the payment. My name is Lee Hyun-woo. Oh, right. Here’s my business card.”
Lee Hyun-woo finally handed over a business card he had prepared.
The card clearly stated that he was the CEO of 【Jungle】.
Seeing Kim Yoon-soo, who still looked skeptical while examining the card, Lee Hyun-woo said.
“Compare the account number on the website. You can check the pager number on the card now.”
“……”
“100 items. 100 items. If you achieve that, I’ll lower the commission.”
He was sure he would do it.
Even now, the price of the five computers that Kim Yoon-soo listed at 800,000 won the previous day was changing every moment.
Just before leaving the house, he confirmed that it had risen to 850,000 won in just one day.
Since the bidding lasted for a week, if the price increased by 50,000 won each day, it would reach 1,150,000 won.
Lee Hyun-woo was sure it would go higher.
He had seen the price explode close to the end of the bidding.
“I’ll decide after seeing this.”
“Sure. You won’t regret it.”
“Like I said, my life has always been full of deception.”
“I understand.”
“What do you understand? That’s upsetting.”
“Just by looking, I can tell you’re gullible, boss. But this time, things will be different. You’ve met a benefactor. Your life will change.”
“You sound like a complete con artist.”
Though he claimed not to believe him, his eyes revealed his true feelings, making Lee Hyun-woo smile again.
‘You fell for it.’
It was a good thing.
Since he met a benefactor, Kim Yoon-soo’s life would start to improve.
A week passed like that.
As expected, Lee Hyun-woo’s prediction was accurate.
After six days, all five computers were sold, each at around 1,200,000 won.
Lee Hyun-woo, who visited almost every day, finally saw Kim Yoon-soo’s bright smile.
“If I sell two computers a day, it’s a good day. There were many days without sales, and on lucky days, I sold more than five.”
“Did you really have such days?”
“Yeah, just once. Anyway, with this auction site, I don’t know how many I can sell. I admit, you’re a benefactor.”
“As you know, the demand for computers is exploding. But the prices are too high, so people hesitate. But if they see a price like 800,000 won, which is almost half, they can’t help but jump at it.”
“Right. The most expensive one sold for 1,270,000 won. That’s a price you can get by negotiating with a knowledgeable customer.”
“Right? But it probably won’t sell for much more. Every product has a price resistance level.”
“Anyway, this method suits me better than traditional sales. I think all five will be sold today as well.”
After listing five computers on the first day, Kim Yoon-soo was surprised by the response and listed five more on the second day.
From the third day, he listed ten.
So, five and then ten were sold daily.
‘If all the transactions are completed, the delivery issue might become a headache.’
That was Kim Yoon-soo’s problem to solve, and Lee Hyun-woo’s job was to ensure all these led to transactions.
So Lee Hyun-woo took another step toward leveraging marketing.
“Boss, hand out leaflets about the 【Jungle】 website to the customers.”
