Scope for business opportunity

(China Daily)
Updated: 2009-07-21 08:05

Telescope salesman Lei Tong is cashing in on the solar eclipse.

He is based in Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu province, and opened an online business on the popular trading site www.taobao.com in 2006, selling telescopes and binoculars to astronomy enthusiasts.

Lei generated a modest income of 3,000 yuan ($439) per month for many years but this month has been racking in 1,000 yuan per day.

Lei's biggest problem is keeping up with demand.

"People's enthusiasm for astronomy has suddenly boomed as the solar eclipse is coming," he says.

"Though I opened this shop long ago, I was not really making a living out of it.

"When I was in college a few years ago a few of my friends were astronomy fans so it occurred to me that I could help to sell some telescopes online.

"I opened it, and that was when I become a more experienced astronomy fan."

The small businessman believes the key to selling anything is stocking quality products that are priced low enough to attract thousands of fans to his website.

A Celestron telescope called the Power Seeker 80EQ is usually priced at 1,360 yuan, but his offer is 680 yuan.

"It is a special discount for the July 22 eclipse," says Lei, who like many Chinese entrepreneurs, never misses the opportunity to promote his business.

As Lei counts down to the eclipse, he recalls another major astrological event when he witnessed a comet in 2004.

Together with professional researchers and fans, he watched the comet shoot through the Nanjing sky through his 120-mm-diameter telescope.

He said the experience was out of this world.

(China Daily 07/21/2009 page18)