Calculations for collection. Basic concepts and schemes.

The collection form of settlements arose in the course ofdevelopment of international trade. It is for sure not known when exactly the first operation was conducted, but nowadays calculations for collection play an important role in export-import transactions, which indicates their relevance. However, this rather convenient form of calculation has not been actively disseminated in Russia, which is associated with imperfect legislation, as well as low business culture of entrepreneurs.

The basic scheme of settlements for collection is quite simple. There are such parties as:

- the principal - the person who instructs to conduct the collection operation to the remitting bank;

- remitting bank;

- a bank that receives funds (encashment);

- a bank that provides documents to the payer (representing);

- payer for collection.

Calculations for collection are accompanied by the following general procedure:

- the principal and the payer draw up contractual documents, in accordance with which the principal delivers goods;

- the principal receives the documents from the carrier and transfers them to the remitting bank.

The latter checks the set of documents (mainly on the correspondence of external signs of documents to those indicated in the collection).

In the absence of errors, the remitting bank sends them with a collection order to the collection bank:

- the bank (the collecting or other representing bank) transfers the documents to the payer and the collection order for verification. After that the payer pays the required amount, receives the documents;

- funds are transferred to a remitting bank, which transfers them to the account of the principal.

Calculation of the collection implies that the package of documents for products can include both exclusively financial documents (clean collection) and commercial paper (documentary collection).

When processing the collection order, one of three schemes can be chosen:

documents against payment. The scheme is applied if the collecting bank can receive payment immediately (sometimes in cash);

- the "documents against acceptance" scheme, when the payer issues a bill of exchange;

- an operation of collection with acceptance. The bank (collecting) transfers the bill to the payer for acceptance, after receipt of which he keeps both the bill and the package of documents before the payment is received. Then the documents are transferred to the payer.

What are convenient and inconvenient calculations for collection? On the one hand, this form provides faster turnover by dividing the process of goods movement and payment. It is also convenient that the payer receives the right to the goods without having to withdraw funds from circulation in advance. But also it is necessary to take into account that calculations for collection are risky enough for the principal (the supplier), who can send the goods at a certain probability of the payer's refusal to fulfill the payment obligations. In addition, there is a time lag (often large enough) between payment and receipt of cargo, which can more than a week travel by sea from one port to another.