Chapter Four: The Negative-Value Order

Small lots, ¥1,200 per unit, half prepaid, seven-day delivery. Customers could install the samples in real equipment, but all trial data would be shared. The first to complete application testing would receive priority on the next production batch. A large order forced every risk onto the weak supplier. Small orders made customers help validate applications. And all nine knew capacity was scarce. At nine a.m., the hydrogen company paid ¥180,000. Thirteen minutes later, Donglan Servers ordered five hundred units. By 10:02, three customers had added orders. By noon, Guoliang had sold 1,900 units for ¥2.28 million and received ¥1.14 million. [First commercial order condition satisfied.] [Current fair value of Guoliang Precision: ¥31,000,000.]