METHODS OF DOING BUSINESS 237 
procedures, insurance problems, the routing 
of freight, packing, banking, as well as the de 
tails of foreign correspondence so that much 
of the complications and annoyances of the 
export trade is taken from your shoulders and 
borne by men familiar with the entire subject. 
Every few months it is the custom of many of 
these organizations to send their representa 
tives through the entire Latin American terri 
tory with the idea of developing trade and re 
ceiving orders. There can be no question as 
to their place in this field or as to their general 
efficiency, and it is always well to discuss with 
some high class commission export house what 
they can offer your particular line when con 
templating the possibilities of doing business 
in these lands. 
A few American merchants have found it 
expedient to sell goods through their own rep 
resentatives, turning the accounts over for de 
livery to some local concern for the purpose of 
forwarding the goods and making the collec 
tions thereon. While this may be advisable 
under some conditions, still it is not a practice