This document discusses various methods of payment for export sales, including cash in advance, open account, letters of credit, sight bills, and usance bills. Cash in advance requires upfront payment before goods are shipped. Open account allows goods to be shipped before payment is due, usually within 30-90 days, but carries the highest risk for exporters. Letters of credit provide a bank guarantee of payment if terms are met. Sight bills require payment on delivery of documents, while usance bills allow acceptance of payment within an agreed credit period after delivery.

1. Methods of Payment
Course Instructor: Sneha Sharma

2. Methods of Payment for Export Sales
Cash in Advance
Open Account
Letter of Credit
Sight Bill
Usance Bill

3. Cash in Advance/Advance Payment
 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.

4. Cash in Advance/Advance Payment

5. 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.
 It 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.

6. Open Account

7. Letters of credit
 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.

8. Letter of Credit Procedure

9. Letters of credit

10. Documents Against Payment (D/P)/
Sight Bill
 In this method of payment,
 the exporter ships the goods to his buyer and
 sends his draft (bill of exchange) with the necessary
export documents through his bank.
 The exporter bank then sends the documents to the
corresponding bank in buyer's country.

11. Documents Against Payment (D/P)/
Sight Bill
 The bank of importer asks the importer to pay the draft
& release the documents.
 If the buyer pays the amount

then bank handover the documents to buyer and
 if the buyer does not make the payment,

then bank will not handover the documents to buyer and
exporter will suffer loss.

12. Documents Against Acceptance (D/A)/
Usance Bill/ Time Draft
 This is the most unsecured method of payment in export trade.
 In this method of payment exporter sends the documents to
his buyer through his bank.
 The buyer's bank handover the documents to the buyer only
upon
 acceptance which implies that he agrees to pay the amount
of draft (bill of exchange)

after expiry of the period of credit (or usance period).

13. Documents Against Acceptance (D/A)/
Usance Bill/ Time Draft
 The maximum usance period is for 180 days.
 The disadvantage of Documents Against Acceptance
(D/A) terms is that
 It allows buyer to take delivery of the goods before making
the payment.