Question 2
2. My bank has advised me that for a new customer in Jamaica I should ask for payment by confirmed letters of credit, but also said that since Jamaica runs short of sterling from time to time it may not always be prepared to confirm credits, in other words, that they may prevent my accepting orders or being paid for goods supplied. What can I do?
The Guide answers this question in the country article on Jamaica and in the general section. Are you committed to using sterling? If not, you could avoid the problem by invoicing in US dollars. If you are, you can always consult your bank or others abut arranging payment in other ways: (I) Finding a bank which will confirm a credit at any time of year (there are some, but seeking them may be time-consuming). (ii) Using documentary collections instead. They are less expensive than credits, just as secure in practice, and give you two further choices: waiting for the money, or agreeing with your customer to deal in accepted drafts so that you can get a bank to discount them and give you cash at any time of year. (iii) You might be able to sell your accepted documents to a forfeiter. (iv) Before you decide on any of these, talk to your bank - and if necessary, others - about an export finance scheme which could ensure your payment of say 80% of invoice value on shipment and the rest when the customer pays; such a scheme will very likely use bills of exchange.
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