nick@lfcs.ed.ac.uk (Nick Rothwell) (08/31/88)
In article <53@bridge2.UUCP> ngg@bridge2.UUCP (Norman Goodger) writes: >I would stop >procrastinating, and just pay the $20, anyone with a mac should be able to >afford that and the .25 cent stamp.... Except for users elsewhere. I've got copies of bits of shareware marked "... $20 drawn on a US bank account payable to ..." or somesuch. So it ISN'T just a case of writing a cheque and popping it in the post. I'm inclined to just work out the equivalent in pounds sterling, write a British cheque for this, and send this instead. How would this go down? Would a US bank like it? Nick. -- Nick Rothwell, Laboratory for Foundations of Computer Science, Edinburgh. nick@lfcs.ed.ac.uk <Atlantic Ocean>!mcvax!ukc!lfcs!nick ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ...while the builders of the cages sleep with bullets, bars and stone, they do not see your road to freedom that you build with flesh and bone.
werner@utastro.UUCP (Werner Uhrig) (09/02/88)
In article <753@etive.ed.ac.uk>, nick@lfcs.ed.ac.uk (Nick Rothwell) writes: > In article <53@bridge2.UUCP> ngg@bridge2.UUCP (Norman Goodger) writes: > Except for users elsewhere. I've got copies of bits of shareware marked > "... $20 drawn on a US bank account payable to ..." or somesuch. So it > I'm inclined to just work out the equivalent in pounds sterling, write > a British cheque for this, and send this instead. How would this go down? > Would a US bank like it? this causes so much hassles it is not worth it for anyone involved. I'd recommend to buy a travellor's check, sign and endorse it: FOR DEPOSIT ONLY by <name of the company> and snail-mail it, with a request for a receipt from the company, or do a "return-receipt-request" from the Post Office (not necessary in my experience). keep a photo-copy and use send it in a follow-up letter if you do not receive a receipt! -- --------------------> PREFERED-RETURN-ADDRESS-FOLLOWS <--------------------- (ARPA) werner@rascal.ics.utexas.edu (Internet: 128.83.144.1) (INTERNET) werner%rascal.ics.utexas.edu@cs.utexas.edu (UUCP) ..!utastro!werner or ..!uunet!rascal.ics.utexas.edu!werner
richard@claris.UUCP (Richard Scorer) (09/02/88)
In article <753@etive.ed.ac.uk> nick@lfcs.ed.ac.uk (Nick Rothwell) writes: > I'm inclined to just work out the equivalent in pounds sterling, write >a British cheque for this, and send this instead. How would this go down? >Would a US bank like it? Nick, The bank wouldn't mind it, but they do charge outlandish fees for servicing foreign currency, and the shareware author would not receive much of his fee - that's why he wants _you_ to get stuck with the processing fees, then you both know he is getting exactly the amount of money he was intended to receive. My father sent me some money from NatWest - he telexed it, and informed the NatWest branch to extract all fees at his end, so I would receive exactly the amount I needed - lo and behold, good old Wells Fargo charged me for receiving the telex & depositing the money - what a ripoff !! So that's why ! Sorry to rabble on... -- Richard Scorer * UUCP: {ames,apple,portal,sun,voder}!claris!richard Claris Corporation * AppleLink: Scorer1 * CompuServe: 74017,344
berger@clio.las.uiuc.edu (09/03/88)
I suspect that if you send a cheque for the amount requested plus 20%,
in your local currency, you'll make most shareware authors very
happy. Considering the dismal return on much of the software, any
amount helps.
Mike Berger
Department of Statistics
Science, Technology, and Society
University of Illinois
berger@clio.las.uiuc.edu
{ihnp4 | convex | pur-ee}!uiucuxc!clio!bergerlmichael@melbcae.edu.au (09/05/88)
In article <753@etive.ed.ac.uk>, nick@lfcs.ed.ac.uk (Nick Rothwell) writes: > In article <53@bridge2.UUCP> ngg@bridge2.UUCP (Norman Goodger) writes: >>I would stop >>procrastinating, and just pay the $20, anyone with a mac should be able to >>afford that and the .25 cent stamp.... > > Except for users elsewhere. I've got copies of bits of shareware marked > "... $20 drawn on a US bank account payable to ..." or somesuch. So it > ISN'T just a case of writing a cheque and popping it in the post. > I'm inclined to just work out the equivalent in pounds sterling, write > a British cheque for this, and send this instead. How would this go down? > Would a US bank like it? > Interseting point. In australia, to pay for a US $20 sharware product, you could go the post office for an international postal order with a cost of about A $20 on top to cover the associated costs. Yuk! This is madness, there must be an easier way!?! Michael Veldman. La Trobe University Time is an Illusion, Melbourne, Australia Lunchtime doubly so! ACSNET: lmichael@lvax.melbcae.edu.au - Ford Prefect
shulman@slb-sdr.UUCP (Jeff Shulman) (09/06/88)
In article <753@etive.ed.ac.uk> nick@lfcs.ed.ac.uk (Nick Rothwell) writes: >Except for users elsewhere. I've got copies of bits of shareware marked >"... $20 drawn on a US bank account payable to ..." or somesuch. So it >ISN'T just a case of writing a cheque and popping it in the post. > I'm inclined to just work out the equivalent in pounds sterling, write >a British cheque for this, and send this instead. How would this go down? >Would a US bank like it? Alas my bank would charge me $20 just to process any overseas check. Thus, unless a check is drawn to a US (or Canadian) bank payable in US funds I must send it back. Some US banks will also charge a $1 or so processing fee for Canadian checks. Another solution is International Postal Money Orders which you should be able to obtain at any post office. I've had no problems with these but I did get strange looks from a bank teller when I presented one of these from Japan. If there were any other way for payments to be made to US shareware authors from non-US users, I'd like to hear of it. Jeff -- uucp: ...rutgers!yale!slb-sdr!shulman CSNet: SHULMAN@SDR.SLB.COM Delphi: JEFFS GEnie: KILROY CIS: 76136,667 MCI Mail: KILROY
jlc@atux01.UUCP (J. Collymore) (09/07/88)
In article <753@etive.ed.ac.uk>, nick@lfcs.ed.ac.uk (Nick Rothwell) writes: > > I've got copies of bits of shareware marked > "... $20 drawn on a US bank account payable to ..." or somesuch. So it > ISN'T just a case of writing a cheque and popping it in the post. > I'm inclined to just work out the equivalent in pounds sterling, write > a British cheque for this, and send this instead. How would this go down? > Would a US bank like it? > > Nick. > -- > Nick Rothwell, Laboratory for Foundations of Computer Science, Edinburgh. I must admit (from personal experience) it is something of a pain to be paid in foreign currency. A few years ago I published a couple of articles in a british archery magazine. The magazine paid me in Pounds Sterling (a check). No local bank here in New Jersey would/could cash this check. After some time, I WAS able to get the check cashed by a major bank in New York City. Believe me, it was a real inconveience. Therefore, I would recommend to anyone: be kind to an author. Please have your payments converted to THEIR national currency before you send payment. Jim Collymore
spector@vx2.NYU.EDU (David HM Spector) (09/07/88)
I will agreee that it is probably a major hassle for folk overseas to
send small amounts of cash to shareware authors...
...but if your bank is charging you $$$ to process _deposits_ I would
either 1) find another bank or 2) file a complaint with a) your state's
Banking Commission and b) the department of consumer affairs.
CitiBank here in NYC has never charged me for processing a _deposit_ of any
kind, they have gotten me for ~7 bucks a pop for certified or bank checks
(a concept I also object to, but I can rationalize a justification for it :-).
_DHMS
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
David HM Spector New York University
Senior Systems Programmer Graduate School of Business
ARPAnet: SPECTOR@GBA.NYU.EDU Academic Computing Center
USEnet:...!{allegra,rocky,harvard}!cmcl2!spector 90 Trinity Place, Rm C-4
HamRadio: N2BCA MCIMail: DSpector New York, New York 10006
AppleLink: D1161 CompuServe: 71260,1410 (212) 285-6080
"What computer puts out work like this?" "Hire us and we'll tell you."rmh@Apple.COM (Rick Holzgrafe) (09/08/88)
In article <753@etive.ed.ac.uk> nick@lfcs.ed.ac.uk (Nick Rothwell) writes: >[...] I've got copies of bits of shareware marked >"... $20 drawn on a US bank account payable to ..." or somesuch. So it >ISN'T just a case of writing a cheque and popping it in the post. > I'm inclined to just work out the equivalent in pounds sterling, write >a British cheque for this, and send this instead. How would this go down? >Would a US bank like it? > >Nick Rothwell, Laboratory for Foundations of Computer Science, Edinburgh. > nick@lfcs.ed.ac.uk <Atlantic Ocean>!mcvax!ukc!lfcs!nick I made no such specification in my shareware product, since I naively never even considered that my efforts would be seen outside the U.S. Since then I've learned that it costs US$5.00 (five bucks American) to get a bank to convert foreign cash or checks drawn on foreign banks, regardless of the amount being converted. Since my shareware price is only US$10, it's almost not worth my while. (I now have $14 Australian cash as a souvenir, and I'm hoping enough more will arrive someday to make it worth converting!) On the good side: in France there is an organization (I don't have my files handy, so I can't name it - sorry!) which maintains a bulletin board of shareware products, accepts payments from its subscribers on behalf of the shareware authors, converts the payments to the author's native currency in a lump, and mails the author an American Express money order for the total, along with a list of names and addresses of the subscribers. Speaking as an author, I think this is *marvelous*. The authors get their money and mailing lists, the subscribers don't have to hassle money conversions *and* they get a receipt - something most shareware purveyors (myself included) don't provide. I don't know how these folks finance their operation; I just know that I got paid in full, in American bucks, with a nice cover letter to boot. Without such an organization, there's no clean answer. It costs us American authors a significant fraction of the product price (for most products, anyway) to convert foreign payments. I'm sure foreign subscribers have the same problem when they try to pay up in foreign currency. Anyone got any suggestions? (By the way, Mr. Rothwell -- thanks for asking! $-) ========================================================================== Rick Holzgrafe | {sun,voder,nsc,mtxinu,dual}!apple!rmh Software Engineer | AppleLink HOLZGRAFE1 rmh@apple.com Apple Computer, Inc. | "All opinions expressed are mine, and do 20525 Mariani Ave. MS: 27-O | not necessarily represent those of my Cupertino, CA 95014 | employer, Apple Computer Inc."
barry@reed.UUCP (Barry Smith) (09/08/88)
well, this may be the way of the future :-) we've found that VISA and MasterCard work well for international financial transactions: the transfer can happen by telephone, in one or two days; the currency exchange is handled automatically; the fees are reasonable (in our case easily less than 5 percent). our bank is probably more helpful than most, so it was not difficult to set the handling up. it would seem that a shareware author handling more than, say, 100 dollars/month might look into this method. Barry Smith Blue Sky Research
chuq@plaid.Sun.COM (Chuq Von Rospach) (09/08/88)
>Without such an organization, there's no clean answer. It costs us American >authors a significant fraction of the product price (for most products, >anyway) to convert foreign payments. I'm sure foreign subscribers have the >same problem when they try to pay up in foreign currency. Anyone got any >suggestions? Not many, unfortunately. This isn't just a problem with shareware, but with many/most international situations. The way it is generally handled with Science fiction things (conventions, fanzines, etc) is that you set up a relationship with an agent/distributor in the given country. They handle all of the payments for that country, do the mailing locally (you airship the issue to them in bulk) and do all the administrivia. They hold onto the money for expenses or convert the currency in bulk at one time. In return, they get something like a free subscription or membership, egoboo, or perhaps a cut in the profits, if any. This unfortunately assumes that you have a known audience requesting a specific service, rather than sending the product out as sharware and waiting for payment. But it's possible that the shareware authors can band together in the major countries (like France seems to have) and have a central clearing bureau. Or perhaps shareware authors can find shareware authors in other countries and agree to sponsor each other's products. It's a nasty situation. Unfortunately, the only real winners seem to be the banks. Chuq Von Rospach chuq@sun.COM Delphi: CHUQ Editor/Publisher, OtherRealms
roy@phri.UUCP (Roy Smith) (09/08/88)
rmh@apple.com.UUCP (Rick Holzgrafe) writes: > On the good side: in France there is an organization [which] accepts > payments from its subscribers on behalf of the shareware authors, > converts the payments to the author's native currency in a lump, and > mails the author an American Express money order for the total [...] > Without such an organization, there's no clean answer. One possibility would be to use the universal currency -- blank disks. Call one virgin 3-1/2" disk equal to 1 US Dollar (or 5 French Francs, or 0.50 English Pounds, or...). If your shareware price is 10 US Dollars, be willing to accept 10 blank disks from somebody without convenient access to US funds. Of course, the postage to mail 10 disks accross the pond might exceed their value, so maybe it's not such a good idea after all. -- Roy Smith, System Administrator Public Health Research Institute {allegra,philabs,cmcl2,rutgers}!phri!roy -or- phri!roy@uunet.uu.net "The connector is the network"
prince@maui.cs.ucla.edu (Larry Prince) (09/08/88)
In article <3469@phri.UUCP> roy@phri.UUCP (Roy Smith) writes:
] One possibility would be to use the universal currency -- blank
]disks. Call one virgin 3-1/2" disk equal to 1 US Dollar (or 5 French
]Francs, or 0.50 English Pounds, or...). If your shareware price is 10 US
]Dollars, be willing to accept 10 blank disks from somebody without
]convenient access to US funds.
]
] Of course, the postage to mail 10 disks accross the pond might
]exceed their value, so maybe it's not such a good idea after all.
And not all diskettes are the same...Brand X and Brand Y may be miles
(kilometers?) apart in terms of reliability/longevity.
UCLA Computer Science Department
-- Larry 3413 Boelter Hall Los Angeles 90024 (213) 825-2145
Prince UUCP: {ucbvax,sdcrdcf}!ucla-cs!prince
ARPAnet: prince@CS.UCLA.EDUwade@sdacs.ucsd.EDU (Wade Blomgren) (09/08/88)
In article <10245@reed.UUCP>, barry@reed.UUCP (Barry Smith) writes: > > our bank is probably more helpful than most, so it was not difficult > to set the handling up. it would seem that a shareware author > handling more than, say, 100 dollars/month might look into this method. > > Barry Smith > Blue Sky Research One thing to note about setting up a VISA/MC acceptance capability, which is particularly applicable to most shareware purveyors: Most (if not all) banks are HIGHLY reluctant to set you up as a VISA/MC vendor if you do not have a separate office, outside of your home, with a lease, and at least some track record of being "in business". They have been burned too many times by people setting up phony mail order houses in residences and running up large charge credits, then never shipping any product. If you are well established with the bank, have a stellar personal financial record, and beg a lot, they may let you participate. There is no way they will play along if they get a hint that your total charge card revenues may be 100 dollars per month. At that level of activity it is simply not worth the risk to the bank (they will make maybe 4 cents on the dollar...a whopping $4 per month ) If you can pull it off, great, but be prepared for a bit of a battle. A friend and I managed to convince our bank to let us accept charge cards a few years ago for an ill-fated project to rent computer terminals to students, but only after massive hassle. We claimed that without the ability to charge the rental, our average customer would not be able to handle the expense, or something like that, and the bank relented. In our case it turned out we never actually submitted any charges, as we came to perceive it as a greater hassle than accepting a check. This is not meant to be a discouraging message, just a forewarning... Wade Blomgren wade@sdacs.ucsd.edu