防治Methods of Payment in Foreign Trade

2021年1月20日发(作者：cancelled)
Methods of Payment in Foreign Trade
Cheque
It is possible to pay an overseas supplier by cheque, but
it
takes
a
long
time
before
the
supplier
gets
his
money.
A
cheque
has
to
be
cleared
through
the
international
banking
system
before
the
supplier
receives
credit.
Different
banks
have
different
methods
and
this
could
take
as
long
as
a
month.
In
a
German/UK
transaction,
for
example,
the
supplier could wait up to three weeks for payment.
International Money Orders
International
Money
Orders
can
be
bought
at
most
banks in the UK and are paid for in sterling or dollars. This is
a very cheap and simple way to make payment of relatively
small amount. The bank fills out the order for the customer,
then for a small charge, hands the IMO over, and the buyer
posts it to his supplier. IMOs can be cashed or credited to the
recipient's account.
Bank Transfer
Payment
can
be
made
by
ordering
a
home
bank
to
transfer
money
to
an
overseas
account.
If
telegraphed,
the
transfer is known as a telegraphic transfer (TT), and if mailed,
a mail transfer (MT).
Telegraphic
transfer
is
the
fastest
method
of
sending
money
abroad
but
costs
a
little
more
than
most
other
methods of transferring funds. Your bank instructs an oversea
bank, by cable or telex, to pay a stated amount of money to
your supplier. Foreign currency or sterling may be sent this
way.
If
you
wish,
the
overseas
bank
can
be
instructed
to
advise your supplier immediately after funds arrive.
International Bankers Draft
This is a banker's cheque which the bank draws on itself
and sells to the customer, who then posts it to his supplier. So
if
you
have
to
pay
your
supplier
2,000,000
pounds,
you
purchase
the
cheque
for
that
amount,
plus
charges.
Usually
the
receiver's
bank
should
either
have
an
account
with
the
sender's bank, or an agreement.
Bill of Exchange
A
bill
of
exchange
is
an
order
sent
by
the
drawer
(the
person
asking
for
the
money)
to
the
drawee
(the
person
paying)
stating
that
the
drawee
will
pay
on
demand
or
at
a
specified
time
the
amount
shown
on
the
bill.
If
the
drawee
accepts the bill, he will sign his name on the face of it and
date it.
The bill can be paid to a bank named by the drawer, or
the drawee can name a bank he wants to use to clear the bill.
If this is the case, the bill will be kept in the drawer's bank
until it is to be paid. When the bill is due it is presented to the
paying
bank.
Such
bills
are
said
to
be
domiciled
with
the
bank holding them.
A sight draft, or sight bill is paid on presentation, in a
documents against payment (D/P) transaction, the sight draft
is
presented
to
the
importer
with
the
shipping
documents,
and the importer pays immediately, i.e., on presentation or at
sight.


A bill paid
on
or
within
the
number
of
days
specified
on
the
bill.
Therefore,
days after it has been presented.
Overseas bills in the UK are known as foreign bills, and
those used within the UK as inland bills. A clean bill is one
that is not accompanied by shipping documents.
The advantage for the exporter of payment by bill is that
the
draft
can
be
discounted,
i.e.
sold,
to
a
bank
at
a
percentage less than its value, the percentage being decided
by the current market rates of discounting. So even if the bill
is
marked
90
days,
the
exporter
can
get
his
money
immediately.
The
advantage
for
the
importer
is
that
he
is
given credit, provided the bill is not a sight draft. The bank,
however,
will
only
discount
a
bill
if
the
buyer
has
a
good
reputation.
It is possible to send the bill direct to the importer, if he
is
well
known
to
the
exporter,
or
if
not,
to
his
bank
which
will hand it to him with the documents for either acceptance
or payment.
A dishonoured bill is one that is not paid on the due date.
In this case the exporter will protest the bill, i.e. he will go to
a
notary,
a
lawyer,
who
will,
after
a
warning,
take
legal
action to recover the debt.
The abbreviations B/E for bill of exchange and d/s for
days
after
sight
are
often
used.
And
you
are
now
familiar
with
D/P,
documents
against
payment
and
D/A,
documents
against acceptance.
Documentary Credits
Letters
of
credit
(L/C)
have
been used
for
centuries
in
one form or another to enable travelers to obtain money from
overseas banks. The process begins with the traveler asking
his bank to open a letter of credit in his favour, i.e. for him,
for
a
specific
amount
which
is
debited
to
his
account.
The
bank then drafts a letter which will allow him to draw money
on
overseas
banks
with
whom
the
home
bank
has
an
agreement.
The
foreign
banks
will
then
draw
on
the
home
bank to recover their payments.

This
method
of
obtaining
money
has
now
generally
been
replaced
by
Euro
cheques,
traveler’s
cheques,
and
credit
cards.
But
documentary
credits
—

letters
of
credit
accompanied
by
documents
—

are
widely
used
in
the
import/export trade.
There
are
two
types
of
documentary
credit:
revocable,
i.e.
those
that
can
be
cancelled,
and
irrevocable,
i.e.
those
that cannot be cancelled. The second type is more common
in overseas business transactions.
The
Stages
in
an
Irrevocable
Documentary
Credit
Transaction
The importer agreed to pay by documentary credit, and
tells his bank that he will do so by completing an application
form which names the exporter and states: the amount to be
paid;
the
documents
concerned;
what
the
consignment
consists of; whether the shipment is c.i.f., f.o.b., etc.; details
of dispatch and any other documents involved, e.g. certificate
of
origin,
consular
invoice,
certificate
of
quality;
and
the
length of time the credit will be available. The availability of
the credit should take account of how much time it will take
to prepare and ship the goods.
The
importer's
bank
will
then
select
a
bank
in
the
exporter's
country
to
act
as
its
agent,
and
will
notify
them
that the credit has been opened.
The agent bank will notify the exporter that a credit has
been opened, and they may add their own confirmation, i. e.
they
will
promise
to
see
that
the
conditions
of
payment
against
the
documents
will
be
fulfilled.
If
they
confirm
the
letter, the L/C is known as a confirmed credit.