Moreover, Burmese rosewood is a relatively common choice for hardwood furniture. Because the wood is stable, resistant to deformation, and highly malleable, it doesn't crack easily with seasonal changes, making it quite popular. Its wood isn't particularly hard, so it's easier to work with when crafting furniture, and carpenters also enjoy using Burmese rosewood.

Although Yi Anguo had slashed the price by five hundred yuan per ton, the seller didn't hesitate for long before agreeing. After all, Yi Anguo was buying the entire lot, and there was still a good profit to be made.

In a few years, Myanmar would tighten its timber export regulations, causing Burmese rosewood prices to soar. Meanwhile, Cambodian rosewood would also start to gain popularity, and its prices would rise accordingly. While still cheaper, they would begin to approach those of Burmese rosewood.

Although this was Yi Anguo's first time buying from this timber market, he wasn't easily deceived. As for the market conditions, a single tour was enough to get a general idea. Shenzhen had more than one timber market, and there was also a large hardwood market in Dongguan.

Yi Anguo took his two companions to visit various hardwood markets, buying up a considerable amount of timber along the way. He also managed to purchase some Hainan yellow rosewood. Although it wasn't cheap, compared to its future price of 30 million yuan per ton—when it would be nearly impossible to find—the current cost was not expensive.

Genuine Hainan yellow rosewood was scarce, but Vietnamese rosewood was also worth acquiring. It wasn't often seen on the market, but Yi Anguo bought whatever he could find, as its price had not yet skyrocketed. When it eventually did, it would also reach tens of millions per ton. Hainan yellow rosewood was on the verge of extinction, and Vietnamese rosewood was not far behind.

While buying up what was available on the market, Yi Anguo also asked merchants to help him acquire more, offering to pay above market rates. The specific price, of course, would be negotiated after inspecting the goods.

Hainan yellow rosewood would likely be very difficult to acquire; it was all down to luck. A good quality piece already had a market price of several thousand yuan per kilogram, meaning a ton would cost several million. However, the chances of finding Hainan yellow rosewood for sale by the ton were almost nil. It was sold in small, scattered lots. A single piece, weighing only a few kilograms, could sell for tens of thousands of yuan. Finding a whole ton for sale would require incredible luck.

As for Vietnamese rosewood, it was still possible to find larger logs and buy it by the ton or in batches. In comparison, Indian small-leaf red sandalwood was more common on the market, along with large-leaf red sandalwood. However, the scent of large-leaf red sandalwood was quite unpleasant, and it could even cause allergic reactions in some people, so it was destined to fall out of favor. Its current price was much higher than that of Big Red Sourwood, but in the future, it would become much cheaper.

Currently, the supply of Laotian Big Red Sourwood on the market was still relatively abundant, with many large planks available. But in a few years, these large planks would virtually disappear from the market, as the supply of Big Red Sourwood from Laos, Vietnam, and Myanmar would be nearly exhausted. Many timber dealers, desperate to find Big Red Sourwood—especially aged wood, which is preferred by the Chinese—hired people in rural Laos specifically to find and dismantle old houses. The Laotians had also wised up, so the prices kept rising. An old, dilapidated house could sell for almost the same price as an apartment in a mid-sized city in China.

Yi Anguo told Yi Xiaolin that he had been brought over to be put in charge of acquiring various precious hardwoods. The main targets were small-leaf red sandalwood, large-leaf red sandalwood, and Laotian Big Red Sourwood. Others, like Hainan and Vietnamese yellow rosewoods, were to be purchased if encountered, but the rest could be ignored. A hardwood furniture factory would also be established, of course, but there was no rush.

Furthermore, their acquisitions wouldn't be limited to Shenzhen. They could also check out the border ports in western Guangdong province. Many in the hardwood business were actually Vietnamese merchants. They brought wood from Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, and Thailand into China, selling it through the border ports in western Guangdong. Going there to do business directly with these Vietnamese dealers meant they could acquire larger quantities of better, cheaper timber. There were also border cities in Yunnan province worth visiting. Sharing borders with Myanmar and Vietnam, it was another important channel for hardwood imports.

"Listening to your explanation, this hardwood business sounds really complicated!" Yi Xiaolin said, feeling overwhelmed. "There are so many varieties, and the price differences are huge. What if I make a mistake, misjudge something, and buy at a loss? I really couldn't afford to pay you back, even if I sold my wife and children!"

"It's okay," Yi Anguo said with a smile. "Making mistakes at the beginning is inevitable. Once you accumulate enough experience, you won't make those kinds of errors anymore."

It was understandable to confuse Hainan yellow rosewood with Vietnamese rosewood, or to mix up large-leaf and small-leaf red sandalwood, or even to fail to distinguish Big Red Sourwood from regular red sourwood. But surely you wouldn't mistake red sourwood for small-leaf red sandalwood, or small-leaf red sandalwood for Hainan yellow rosewood, right?

Of course, it was still best to avoid mistakes. After all, the price difference between large-leaf and small-leaf red sandalwood was severalfold. Ultimately, though, you wouldn't lose money. The best small-leaf red sandalwood currently cost only 150,000 yuan per ton. But by 2010, the market price of even large-leaf red sandalwood would have soared to 200,000 yuan per ton, so buying the wrong one wouldn't result in a loss.

However, you must never mistake Zambian Bloodwood for Indian small-leaf red sandalwood. That would be a huge loss indeed. But this situation was unlikely to happen. When you went to buy from a dealer, they would tell you directly that it's Zambian Bloodwood; they wouldn't claim it's small-leaf red sandalwood. Moreover, the raw logs of Zambian Bloodwood and Indian small-leaf red sandalwood are easily distinguishable by their appearance.

It's after the wood is made into furniture that it becomes difficult for a layperson to tell the difference, which is why many furniture makers pass off Blood Sandalwood as Indian small-leaf red sandalwood. Besides the Indian variety, small-leaf red sandalwood also grows in other areas, which adds to the confusion.

Generally, however, timber traders won't deceive their customers. Business requires a good reputation, after all. If a buyer discovered they'd been cheated, they would definitely come back to make trouble. You aren't just doing one deal and then closing up shop. So, dealers in the timber market typically don't cheat their clients. If it's Blood Sandalwood, they'll say it's Blood Sandalwood; if it's small-leaf red sandalwood, they'll say it's small-leaf red sandalwood. Besides, you probably couldn't fool them anyway, so why bother trying?

It is the hardwood furniture factories that are more likely to use inferior materials and pass them off as precious hardwoods to deceive consumers. The price difference between a piece of furniture made from Zambian Bloodwood and one crafted from Indian small-leaf red sandalwood is enormous. The cost of a piece made from Blood Sandalwood might be a few thousand yuan, with a retail price of less than ten thousand. But a piece made from Indian small-leaf red sandalwood could have a production cost of several hundred thousand yuan, with a retail price that is naturally even higher.

In the face of such huge profits, it's quite common for retailers to deceive consumers to earn massive margins, even if the factory itself was honest with the retailer. After all, merchants are driven by profit. If consumers are uninformed and can't tell the difference, who else would an unscrupulous merchant deceive?

The timber distributors in the market, on the other hand, dare not deceive their customers because the sums of money involved are too large. A cheated customer would not let it go easily and would likely pursue the matter to the end, even if it meant a lawsuit. Therefore, when timber distributors talk to customers, they will tell you plainly: what's real is real, and what's fake is fake, each with its own corresponding price.

Even Blood Sandalwood has different grades. For example, Tanzanian Bloodwood is different from the Zambian variety; it's much cheaper and has a lower density and oil content. You get what you pay for. Cheaper goods have a reason for their low price, just as expensive goods have a reason for their high price.

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