To succeed in today‘s global marketplace and win sales against foreign competitors, exporters must offer their customers attractive sales terms supported by the appropriate payment methods. Because getting paid in full and on time is the ultimate goal for each export sale, an appropriate payment method must be chosen carefully to minimize the payment risk while also accommodating the needs of the buyer.
As shown in figure 1, there are five primary methods of payment for international transactions.
New Payment Risk Diagram-To Be Created by Designer
International trade presents a spectrum of risk, which causes uncertainty over the timing of payments between the exporter (seller) and importer (foreign buyer).
For exporters, any sale is a gift until payment is received.
Therefore, exporters want to receive payment as soon as possible, preferably as soon as an order is placed or before the goods are sent to the importer.
For importers, any payment is a donation until the goods are received.
Therefore, importers want to receive the goods as soon as possible but to delay payment as long as possible, preferably until after the goods are resold to generate enough income to pay the exporter.
Cash-in-Advance
With cash-in-advance payment terms, an exporter can avoid credit risk because payment is received before the ownership of the goods is transferred. For international sales, wire transfers and credit cards are the most commonly used cash-in-advance options available to exporters. With the advancement of the Internet, escrow services are becoming another cash-in-advance option for small export transactions. However, requiring payment in advance is the least attractive option for the buyer, because it creates unfavorable cash flow. Foreign buyers are also concerned that the goods may not be sent if payment is made in advance. Thus, exporters who insist on this payment method as their sole manner of doing business may lose to competitors who offer more attractive payment terms.
Letters of Credit
Letters of credit (LCs) are one of the most secure instruments available to international traders. An LC is a commitment by a bank on behalf of the buyer that payment will be made to the exporter, provided that the terms and conditions stated in the LC have been met, as verified through the presentation of all required documents. The buyer establishes credit and pays his or her bank to render this service. An LC is useful when reliable credit information about a foreign buyer is difficult to obtain, but the exporter is satisfied with the creditworthiness of the buyer‘s foreign bank. An LC also protects the buyer since no payment obligation arises until the goods have been shipped as promised.
Documentary Collections
A documentary collection (D/C) is a transaction whereby the exporter entrusts the collection of the payment for a sale to its bank (remitting bank), which sends the documents that its buyer needs to the importer‘s bank (collecting bank), with instructions to release the documents to the buyer for payment. Funds are received from the importer and remitted to the exporter through the banks involved in the collection in exchange for those documents. D/Cs involve using a draft that requires the importer to pay the face amount either at sight (document against payment) or on a specified date (document against acceptance). The collection letter gives instructions that specify the documents required for the transfer of title to the goods. Although banks do act as facilitators for their clients, D/Cs offer no verification process and limited recourse in the event of non-payment. D/Cs are generally less expensive than LCs.
Open Account
An open account transaction is a sale where the goods are shipped and delivered before payment is due, which in international sales is typically in 30, 60 or 90 days. Obviously, this is one of the most advantageous options to the importer in terms of cash flow and cost, but it is consequently one of the highest risk options for an exporter. Because of intense competition in export markets, foreign buyers often press exporters for open account terms since the extension of credit by the seller to the buyer is more common abroad. Therefore, exporters who are reluctant to extend credit may lose a sale to their competitors. Exporters can offer competitive open account terms while substantially mitigating the risk of non-payment by using one or more of the appropriate trade finance techniques covered later in this Guide. When offering open account terms, the exporter can seek extra protection using export credit insurance.
Consignment
Consignment in international trade is a variation of open account in which payment is sent to the exporter only after the goods have been sold by the foreign distributor to the end customer. An international consignment transaction is based on a contractual arrangement in which the foreign distributor receives, manages, and sells the goods for the exporter who retains title to the goods until they are sold. Clearly, exporting on consignment is very risky as the exporter is not guaranteed any payment and its goods are in a foreign country in the hands of an independent distributor or agent. Consignment helps exporters become more competitive on the basis of better availability and faster delivery of goods. Selling on consignment can also help exporters reduce the direct costs of storing and managing inventory. The key to success in exporting on consignment is to partner with a reputable and trustworthy foreign distributor or a third-party logistics provider. Appropriate insurance should be in place to cover consigned goods in transit or in possession of a foreign distributor as well as to mitigate the risk of non-payment.
Letter Of Credit
When a buyer or importer wants to purchase goods from an unknown seller or exporter. He can take assistance of bank in such buying or importing transactions.
Bank issues a LETTER OF CREDIT in addressed to the supplier or exporter after it, supplier or exporter will supply the goods to such unknown buyer or importer. A signed Invoice with Letter Of Credit is presented to the bank of buyer/importer and the payment is made to the seller/exporter directly by the bank
Types Of Letter Of Credit (LC)
There are various types of letter of credit (LC) prevails in the trade transactions. In this post, we are classifying them by their purpose. They are Commercial, Export / Import, Transferable and Non- Transferable, Revocable and Irrevocable, Stand-by, Confirmed, and Unconfirmed, Revolving, Back to Back, Red Clause, Green Clause, Sight, Deferred Payment, and Direct Pay LC.
A letter of credit is an important financial tool in trade transactions. Both, domestic as well as international market, trades use the LC to facilitate the payments and the transactions. A bank or a financial institution acts as a third-party between the buyer and the seller and assures the payment of funds on the completion of certain obligations.
Drafts
All letters of credit require the beneficiary to present a draft and specified documents in order to receive payment. A draft is a written order by which the party creating it, orders another party to pay money to a third party. A draft is also called a bill of exchange.
Bill Of Lading
A bill of lading is a document listing and detailing all of the goods in a shipment of any kind, whether by land, sea or air. Sellers of goods print a bill of lading that details the product types, quantities, prices, weights and any other factors important to the distributor and the buyer. The seller then signs the bill of lading and attaches it to the shipment as it is passed off to the distributor, assuming the seller uses a third- party distributor.
The shipping company can use the bill of lading to double check that all goods are accounted for. Although shippers generally cannot check the contents of containers, like boxes or pallets, they can check the number and type of containers present in the shipment.
Commercial invoice
Commercial Invoice is a bill for the goods shipped to the buyer. It is the accounting document for seller‘s claim on the buyer for goods sold to the buyer. Commercial Invoice would normally contain the following information:
- Names and addresses of the buyer and the seller
- Date of invoice, sale contract or firm order, reference number, date and etc
- Unit prices, if any, final sum claimed, shipment terms
- Settlement terms viz sight, tenor, DA/DP and etc
- Shipping marks and numbers
- Weight/quantity of the goods
- Name of the vessel, port of embarkation etc