A:It has just occurred to me that there is still another possibility to ensure a prompt delivery of the goods.

B:And that is?

A:How about making Hong Kong the port of shipment instead of Swatow?

B:I’m afraid we can’t agree to that.We concluded the business with you here in Guangzhou,and the goods you ordered are manufactured in Swatow.We wish to point out that all the orders accepted by us are shipped from Swatow or Whampoa.Hong Kong is out of the question.

A:It’s like this.There are only one or two sailings a month from Swatow to Osaka,while sailings from Hong Kong are quite frequent.If shipment were effected from Hong Kong,we could have received the goods much earlier.

B:I see.You want to have your goods shipped from Swatow to Osaka via Hong Kong,where they can be transshipped.Is that the idea?

A:Yes,exactly,because I want these goods on our market at the earliest possible date.

B:Your idea may be a good one,but the trouble is that there are risks of pilferage or damage to the goods during transshipment at Hong Kong.How about shipping them from Whampoa instead of Swatow? You may choose either one as port of shipment.It makes no difference to us.There are more sailings from Whampoa than from Swatow.

A:It sounds all right to me,but I’ll have to think about it.I’ll give you a definite answer tomorrow.If I choose Whampoa,will it be possible for you to ship the goods by the end of September?

B:We’ll try our best.Anyway,we assure you that shipment will be made no later than the middle of October.