Print Profits for non US residents

NaturalEye

I recently made my first Smugmug sale (hurray), which has yielded a small profit. Sadly I have rapidly come to realise that there is no sensible way to get this profit. It cannot be taken off my yearly subscription, and my bank account only allows UK cheques to be paid in. Even if $ cheques were allowed I suspect the charges would be higher than the yield.

Have anyone found a way round this (other than to turn off the sales feature, which is my current plan)

Gary

Andy

NaturalEye wrote:

I recently made my first Smugmug sale (hurray), which has yielded a small profit. Sadly I have rapidly come to realise that there is no sensible way to get this profit. It cannot be taken off my yearly subscription, and my bank account only allows UK cheques to be paid in. Even if $ cheques were allowed I suspect the charges would be higher than the yield.

Have anyone found a way round this (other than to turn off the sales feature, which is my current plan)

Gary

Hi Gary,

We send $$ overseas all the time. Sounds like your bank is being a bit unreasonable? I've not ever heard of a bank that wouldn't deposit a U.S. check, yes they may take longer to clear, but..

I'm sorry we don't have another alternative.

Scala

Why not do wire transfers?

Checks are so passé in Finland at least.. It costs EUR 15 + foreign bank expenses, if any, to cash a cashier's check (I hope I got the term right). Some other kind of check can cost a lot more to cash...

We are living in the 21st century, do we still need to use paper tokens to move money around?

marlinspike

Scala wrote:

Why not do wire transfers?

Checks are so passé in Finland at least.. It costs EUR 15 + foreign bank expenses, if any, to cash a cashier's check (I hope I got the term right). Some other kind of check can cost a lot more to cash...

Wow, in the US checks are THE form of payment for employees of small businesses, people who work in sales (i.e. store clerks, restaurant employees), summer jobs (i.e. students no matter where they work), and contract employees. Also, large purchases are often made by check as well (ones that are too large for credit cards). I find it interesting that there are check cashing fees even at a bank where a person has an account. Then again, I've heard of times in parts of Europe where instead of the bank giving you interest you have to pay the bank to keep your money.

flyingdutchie

marlinspike wrote:

Wow, in the US checks are THE form of payment for employees of small businesses, people who work in sales (i.e. store clerks, restaurant employees), summer jobs (i.e. students no matter where they work), and contract employees. Also, large purchases are often made by check as well (ones that are too large for credit cards). I find it interesting that there are check cashing fees even at a bank where a person has an account. Then again, I've heard of times in parts of Europe where instead of the bank giving you interest you have to pay the bank to keep your money.

I think it has a lot to do that most bank-business in Europe is electronic. Before i moved to Boston, i had not written a check (either directly or through a bank) in many many years. Everything is automatic. You can do it online, through the phone or by a 'request' (in Holland called acceptgiro or bankgiro; much like writing a check but the receiver does not need to cash it, the money appears on the receiver's account automatically).

Cashing a check requires human handling... increasing the costs?

Ask your bank how much it would cost to open a dollar-account.
Also, ask what the cheapest option is for depositing USD checks into your (dollar) account? If they screw you financially, open an account at a different bank that is more reasonable.

And maybe you could figure something out with PayPal?

I must admit, for me it's all a little easier. I have both a Dutch checking account (in Euros) and an American checking account (in dollars), both accounts linke with debit (ATM) cards and credit cards which i can use on both side of the 'pond'. Transfering money is therefore relatively cheap for me.

Scala

marlinspike wrote:

Wow, in the US checks are THE form of payment for employees of small businesses, people who work in sales (i.e. store clerks, restaurant employees), summer jobs (i.e. students no matter where they work), and contract employees. Also, large purchases are often made by check as well (ones that are too large for credit cards). I find it interesting that there are check cashing fees even at a bank where a person has an account. Then again, I've heard of times in parts of Europe where instead of the bank giving you interest you have to pay the bank to keep your money.

Yes, checks seem to be the way things are done in the US. I don't think we'll be seeing other forms of payment offered by Smugmug anytime soon.

Just out of curiosity, what are the reasons why checks are preferable to wire transfers and debit cards?

dogwood

they're not

Scala wrote:

Yes, checks seem to be the way things are done in the US. I don't think we'll be seeing other forms of payment offered by Smugmug anytime soon.

Just out of curiosity, what are the reasons why checks are preferable to wire transfers and debit cards?

It's just the way it is-- kind of like European banks charging 15-euros to deal with a check. Some of the biggest grocery stores in my area don't take credit/debit cards, but happily accept checks. It is bizarre.

I can pay almost all my bills on-line these days, but there are still a couple of holdouts (Portland Water Bureau-- you reading this?) who still won't join the 21st century. It makes no sense to write a check, address an envelope, buy a stamp, and then find a post office box to mail it from because someone will steal the check out of your home mailbox. But it's still the way it works in many places here.

On the other hand, at least text messaging isn't as big where I live as it is in the UK (not sure about the rest of Europe)!

NaturalEye

I have checked with my bank and it costs a flat £7 (about $11) to pay in a non UK currency cheque. They do not operate in any other currencies so I can't open a $ account - its a good thought though, another bank might and then I can withdraw $ cash to use for holidays.....

flyingdutchie

NaturalEye wrote:

I have checked with my bank and it costs a flat £7 (about $11) to pay in a non UK currency cheque. They do not operate in any other currencies so I can't open a $ account - its a good thought though, another bank might and then I can withdraw $ cash to use for holidays.....

A dollar account may be cheaper... but it all depends on the bank itself, which services are offered and its fees.

Did you ask if there was any difference in the costs of cashing a personal check versus a bank/cashier's check? (personal checks are more liable, since the check is directly tied to the sender's bank account - no funds, no money; a bank check is written by the senders bank (not the sender) and - unless the check itself is a fraud - backed up directly by the bank's accounts)

Maybe we can ask Smugmug to offer a wire-transfer option.... Smugmug whadda ya think?