This is not a warning, but a question on my part that I hope will get a good discussion going as it's something that could cause problems between artists and their clients.
How do you, as an artist, handle your foreign client's payments? Do you only accept your own currency, or are you willing to accept payment in your client's currency? While Paypal for the most part eliminates this problem since payment can be made in most major currencies without any problems, how about when your client is not able to make use of it and has to pay by money order or some other "traditional" payment method and wants to pay in their own currency?
For anybody who's had experience as a North American receiving payment from a European in Euros, or vice-versa, what were the pros and cons?
How do you, as an artist, handle your foreign client's payments? Do you only accept your own currency, or are you willing to accept payment in your client's currency? While Paypal for the most part eliminates this problem since payment can be made in most major currencies without any problems, how about when your client is not able to make use of it and has to pay by money order or some other "traditional" payment method and wants to pay in their own currency?
For anybody who's had experience as a North American receiving payment from a European in Euros, or vice-versa, what were the pros and cons?
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You Should be able to receive payments (checks I know work.) in really any currency and your bank should be able to take it, transfer it into Dollars. They will take a small fee more than likely to do this but it shouldn't be a problem. BE prepared for a wait though. My small town bank at home takes 3 weeks to do the transfers.
You should however, just check with your bank first and ask them how they do it(If its a small town bank they may not do it all) and just ask what type of payments (Money orders and the like) they would accept.
Paypal aside, If they have to pay by money order, it's no problem at all. Most any post office, bank or money exchange place like Western Union in pretty much any country will sell you an international money order -- just keep in mind most banks (at least in the US) will hold those for a few extra days to make sure they clear. My bank (BoA) hasn't ever charged me any fees, either.
I only take USD to cut down on the hassle, but after travelling I've taken foreign currency to my bank and they've changed it out for me (may be a fee like at the airport). I've never had any customers seem to have difficulty getting payments to me in USD, though. My overseas customers rock :3
Shipping overseas is a nightmare, though. :3
:3
Americans can pay me in dollars, after I convert the Euro price to US dollars.
I have also had payment in Japanese Yen before, and found that it was something of a large fee with my bank to do that conversion to USD - so I prefer it on the commisioner end so when I quote them a price it's really the price and I don't have to sort through what fees I may have to pass along.
-Alexandra