kojimapearl
Well-known member
- Joined
- Feb 13, 2007
- Messages
- 436
Ever wonder who actually buys all of those terrible lusterless Chinese pearls with holes and offered by the ton? The answer is : NO ONE !
Here's one to chew on....
The other day during lunch here in Kowloon, I noticed a freight truck across the street being loaded with taped boxes (that looked very very familiar). I questioned my friend (who i have done business with here for many years)... He told me about how many of the large wholesalers here pay their rent by taking full advantage of the Chinese governments incentive program for exports out of China.
The government offers a 15% incentive to Chinese pearl producers for their exports out of the country.
So pearls are brought to Hong Kong (by the truck load), then loaded back up, shipped back to China (to Zhuji by DIESEL truck, about a 10 hour drive)... Then an often inflated bill is written, and those very same pearls are again exported to Hong Kong.
I was told that at some of the firms here in Hong Kong, this process happens TWICE A WEEK.
At some point the government put a cap on how much each company could earn per year, with the 15% incentive.... But that it still allows many wholesalers here to pay the their office rents and keep the doors to poor quality pearls open.
So next time you gasp at how many tonnes of pearls China produced and exported last year, rest assured that figure is grossly inflated, most of those pearls were exported many many times over.
And next time you marvel at how CHEAP these pearls have become, give a big THANK YOU to the Chinese government for paying for them!
Here's one to chew on....
The other day during lunch here in Kowloon, I noticed a freight truck across the street being loaded with taped boxes (that looked very very familiar). I questioned my friend (who i have done business with here for many years)... He told me about how many of the large wholesalers here pay their rent by taking full advantage of the Chinese governments incentive program for exports out of China.
The government offers a 15% incentive to Chinese pearl producers for their exports out of the country.
So pearls are brought to Hong Kong (by the truck load), then loaded back up, shipped back to China (to Zhuji by DIESEL truck, about a 10 hour drive)... Then an often inflated bill is written, and those very same pearls are again exported to Hong Kong.
I was told that at some of the firms here in Hong Kong, this process happens TWICE A WEEK.
At some point the government put a cap on how much each company could earn per year, with the 15% incentive.... But that it still allows many wholesalers here to pay the their office rents and keep the doors to poor quality pearls open.
So next time you gasp at how many tonnes of pearls China produced and exported last year, rest assured that figure is grossly inflated, most of those pearls were exported many many times over.
And next time you marvel at how CHEAP these pearls have become, give a big THANK YOU to the Chinese government for paying for them!
