# 4th - now 7th - cheque (check) to get lost in the post!



## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

My cheque sent on July 31st from Amazon.com, and the one sent on July 23rd from Amazon.uk have never arrived. KDP is investigating, but I will have to wait until Sept 6th for a reply. This is now four cheques that have been lost in the post   Has anyone been given a reason why Amazon don't use the EFT payment method for overseas writers?


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## Guest (Aug 24, 2012)

Don't have a clue. Every single company is capable to use EFT, IBAN, PayPal or other hanky-pankys. Only the most "advanced" company is using this stone age cheque system. Even third world companies do this better.


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## Patty Jansen (Apr 5, 2011)

One of the main problems is that they don't even tell you that they've sent you one. There is no running balance, as with Smashwords.


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## Guest (Aug 24, 2012)

Patty Jansen said:


> One of the main problems is that they don't even tell you that they've sent you one. There is no running balance, as with Smashwords.


Yes, that's the other thing. You don't have a clue what your current overall balance is. You have to beg to customer support, so they may tell you.


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Patty Jansen said:


> One of the main problems is that they don't even tell you that they've sent you one. There is no running balance, as with Smashwords.


I agree. Even letting you know they have sent a cheque would help so you could look out for it. There doesn't even seem to be a set date for sending them. When they were still taking 30% off for tax I couldn't even work out when I was due the minimum $100, which they require before they send a cheque. But at least I know they have sent a cheque on 20th August so I can look out for that one. Meanwhile I'm losing out on a good exchange rate


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## JGreen20 (Jul 10, 2012)

Istvan Szabo said:


> Don't have a clue. Every single company is capable to use EFT, IBAN, PayPal or other hanky-pankys. Only the most "advanced" company is using this stone age cheque system. Even third world companies do this better.


The only reason I've heard (but I think it was for Create Space) is that it is "incredibly expensive" to send money to banks abroad. Yet, like you say, ,most other companies in the world do it.

I would be more than happy to share the costs of the money transfer, since anyway it costs me money to cash the cheque. At least we would save time and other issues , like lost cheques and delays.

The other issue, Amazon not reporting your balance etc, is even worse. I bet their customer service would be more efficient if they didn't have tons of publishers asking where's their money, what's their balance, etc.


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

JGreen20 said:


> The only reason I've heard (but I think it was for Create Space) is that it is "incredibly expensive" to send money to banks abroad. Yet, like you say, ,most other companies in the world do it.
> 
> I would be more than happy to share the costs of the money transfer, since anyway it costs me money to cash the cheque. At least we would save time and other issues , like lost cheques and delays.
> 
> The other issue, Amazon not reporting your balance etc, is even worse. I bet their customer service would be more efficient if they didn't have tons of publishers asking where's their money, what's their balance, etc.


I agree. It's even more 'incredibly expensive' for us to cash the jolly cheques!  
I also agree about sharing the cost of an EFT. I expect it would be a lot cheaper than cashing a foreign cheque. If Amazon had bank accounts in most major countries they could simply do a local transfer.


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## Guest (Aug 24, 2012)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> I agree. It's even more 'incredibly expensive' for us to cash the jolly cheques!
> I also agree about sharing the cost of an EFT. I expect it would be a lot cheaper than cashing a foreign cheque. If Amazon had bank accounts in most major countries they could simply do a local transfer.


But the best is, if the company has a European HQ, and Amazon has, they would be able to use simple IBAN Credit Card transfer anytime. It would cost nothing at all.


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## Vanades (Aug 10, 2012)

My bank-manager explicitly told me not to accept checks from my US-customers but to insist on bank-transfer, Western Union or a similar form of payment. 

All the European Amazons except UK do bank-transfers. I don't get why UK isn't doing it as it's a member of the EU and part of SEPA so the fees should be no higher than domestic transfers. So why do they use checks 

I also find it hard to believe that the fees for bank-transfers are really that much higher than the costs for putting out the checks, postage, having people dealing with lost checks and reissuing checks. It's far more likely that they want to keep the money for the time until the check clears to get some more interest. A transfer takes 1-5 days. How long until a check arrives in the mail and then clears? 

Oh, and according to the information on Amazon.de Amazon.com does EFTs to Indian-bank-accounts. If they manage that they should manage the rest of the world too. 

Checks are so last millenia to me 

ETA: if I understand the information on amazon.de correctly then amazon.de/fr/it/es can send money via EFT to a US- or UK-bank-account. But not the other way around?


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## JGreen20 (Jul 10, 2012)

Despite being an international company, Amazon seems to be incredibly compartmentalized in regions. I don't know if cashing cheques is still common in the USA, but in Europe it is very last century, as Lyonesse said.


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## Guest (Aug 25, 2012)

JGreen20 said:


> Despite being an international company, Amazon seems to be incredibly compartmentalized in regions. I don't know if cashing cheques is still common in the USA, but in Europe it is very last century, as Lyonesse said.


Cheques were last century in Europe even in that forgotten era when I was born, and that was more than 30 years ago (And I was born behind the Iron Curtain, but cheques were last century even there.).  That's why international authors are wondering how it is possible that the most advanced U.S. company (At least this is how they advertise themselves.) has the worst stone age payment system of all. And honestly, if you ask someone in Europe what cheques and Western Union is good for, they'll say two thing; money laundering and online scam. But hell, even the Nigerian scammers capable to use online transfer with IBAN, EFT and other magic miracles instead of cheques and Western Union. They also left this payment system behind ages ago. Most advanced U.S. company ----> Stone Age Junk!


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Istvan Szabo said:


> Cheques were last century in Europe even in that forgotten era when I was born, and that was more than 30 years ago (And I was born behind the Iron Curtain, but cheques were last century even there.).  That's why international authors are wondering how it is possible that the most advanced U.S. company (At least this is how they advertise themselves.) has the worst stone age payment system of all. And honestly, if you ask someone in Europe what cheques and Western Union is good for, they'll say two thing; money laundering and online scam. But hell, even the Nigerian scammers capable to use online transfer with IBAN, EFT and other magic miracles instead of cheques and Western Union. They also left this payment system behind ages ago. Most advanced U.S. company ----> Stone Age Junk!


In my reply to KDP I've asked if they have an explanation for their stone-age payment system. I will report on their reply


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

sibelhodge said:


> I've been emailing about this on and off for ages and encouraging other authors to do the same. It's a nightmare having to receive cheques. After Createspace set up EFTs to non US banks, I emailed Amazon again because the remittance details on the payment from Createspace actually comes from Amazon! This was the response:
> 
> "I am sorry; at this time, payments via EFT is not possible for our international publishers, who do not have a US bank account domiciled in the US, for the royalties earned on the US web site. Thus, the best pay method for our international publishers on KDP, is payment via check. However, we are working towards enhancing our payments, via EFT for our international publishers.
> 
> ...


Thanks. That's encouraging


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Just got this reply from KDP

_Hello Janet,

Thanks for your comments about improving our payment methods. We'll consider your feedback as we plan further improvements.

Publisher feedback serves an important role in helping us to improve our platform and provide better service. Thanks for taking time to offer us your thoughts.

Thanks for using Amazon KD_P.

The usual generic response. It still didn't answer my question of why they still issue cheques. Might be easier to accept if they could provide a valid reason .


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## Guest (Aug 27, 2012)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> The usual generic response. It still didn't answer my question of why they still issue cheques. Might be easier to accept if they could provide a valid reason .


This is the general response, the same what some of us got a half year ago or more. So I believe we may say for sure that Amazon does not plan any updates as for them it's really matter. As I already said, even the Nigerian Scammers offer a better payment transfer than Amazon. So it's telling something about this junk company what so many love to worship blindly.


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Have just had a reply from KDP to say they have voided the cheques and re-issued them. But they've voided the wrong ones  They _haven't_ voided the one posted on July 31st, but _have_ instead voided the one posted on 20th August, which is probably still in the post. Now it's going to be two months with no royalty payments!

I've contacted my local post office and they say Amazon uses DHL with no tracking numbers.

I've just spoken to DHL and they say Amazon uses a tracking number and unless I have the tracking number they can't search for the items.

I think I'm quietly going hysterical .


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## JGreen20 (Jul 10, 2012)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> Have just had a reply from KDP to say they have voided the cheques and re-issued them. But they've voided the wrong ones  They _haven't_ voided the one posted on July 31st, but _have_ instead voided the one posted on 20th August, which is probably still in the post. Now it's going to be two months with no royalty payments!
> 
> I've contacted my local post office and they say Amazon uses DHL with no tracking numbers.
> 
> ...


Why don't you use Payoneer (http://www.payoneer-affiliates.com/ )
If you don't know what it is, here is a link to a thread on Kindleboards that is very interesting:

http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,113549.75.html


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

JGreen20 said:


> Why don't you use Payoneer (http://www.payoneer-affiliates.com/)?
> If you don't know what it is, here is a link to a thread on Kindleboards that is very interesting:
> 
> http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,113549.75.html


Thanks. Amazon post the cheques to me and I'm not receiving them, so there doesn't seem to be much I can do about it.


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## JGreen20 (Jul 10, 2012)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> Thanks. Amazon post the cheques to me and I'm not receiving them, so there doesn't seem to be much I can do about it.


I can't help you to recover the cheques that are lost in the mail, I'm sorry. What I am suggesting is to use a different payment method (EFT) so you don't have to worry every month about lost cheques.

Payoneer is an alternative (I'm not affiliated with them). It's a way to receive your Amazon payments via EFT when you are a non-US resident.


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## Genesis Blue (Jun 27, 2012)

My checks went missing a couple times in recent months, as well. Not from KDP since I don't have enough sales to be paid yet, but from Amazon affiliates. It takes about 3 weeks for checks to arrive, then 30 days to clear.


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

JGreen20 said:


> I can't help you to recover the cheques that are lost in the mail, I'm sorry. What I am suggesting is to use a different payment method (EFT) so you don't have to worry every month about lost cheques.
> 
> Payoneer is an alternative (I'm not affiliated with them). It's a way to receive your Amazon payments via EFT when you are a non-US resident.


Thanks. We have pleaded with Amazon to use EFT payments but they insist on sending cheques. They won't even let us know when they've sent the cheque, or use a tracking number. This is their reply:

_Regarding the UK checks, (check numbers:349713 and 350846) our Accounts Payable team have confirmed that these checks are voided. New checks will be issued to your mailing address in the next 7-10 business days.

I'm sorry, we're unable to proactively inform publishers while dispatching checks by mail. Also, currently, we don't use a tracking number for the checks mailed. _


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## JRHenderson (Dec 4, 2011)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> Thanks. We have pleaded with Amazon to use EFT payments but they insist on sending cheques.


Jan, just have another quick look at JGreen's suggestion.

If you have a Payoneer card, it won't matter if Amazon.com doesn't want to EFT your royalties to a South African bank account.

Payoneer will supply you with an American account/routing number, which you can then give to Amazon's payments dept -- after which your book royalties from the US will appear as available funds on your Payoneer cash card. It's gotta be worth checking out! 

http://community.payoneer.com/topic/1948-what-is-the-us-payment-service/

http://www.payoneer.com/USPService.aspx


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

JRHenderson said:


> Jan, just have another quick look at JGreen's suggestion.
> 
> If you have a Payoneer card, it won't matter if Amazon.com doesn't want to EFT your royalties to a South African bank account.
> 
> ...


Thanks. I've had a quick look at it. It seems to say that you have to live in the US to use the service. Even if I could open an account would I be able to use a Payoneer card for purchases in SA? Also, what happens about payments from Amazon UK? We would still have to receive cheques from them.

I'd be interested to know if anyone from outside the US has actually been able to make use of this service for their Amazon cheques.


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## JRHenderson (Dec 4, 2011)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> It seems to say that you have to live in the US to use the service.


It's the companies who are _sending_ the money that are in the US: Amazon, Apple, Facebook, PayPal...

Cardholders can be anywhere in the world. The letter in the image below is addressed to somebody in Indonesia.



Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> Even if I could open an account would I be able to use a Payoneer card for purchases in SA?


The Payoneer card seems to be just a regular MasterCard whose funds are topped-up by American companies who pay out royalties or commisions. In your particular case, you'd give your Payoneer account details to Amazon.com to receive your KDP payments. Then you'd use the card to spend them or withdraw them from an ATM machine.












Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> Also, what happens about payments from Amazon UK? We would still have to receive cheques from them.


Yes, Payoneer's US Payment Service is just for US payments. Are there any British banks with branches in South Africa that could help you to set up a UK Sterling account just to receive money from Amazon UK?



Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> I'd be interested to know if anyone from outside the US has actually been able to make use of this service for their Amazon cheques.


If you go to the page that JGreen linked to -- http://www.kboards.com/index.php/topic,113549.75.html -- and then scroll down to reply 88 & 89, you'll see that fellow KBer "Herc The Reluctant Greek" is using his Payoneer card in Australia.


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

JRHenderson said:


> It's the companies who are _sending_ the money that are in the US: Amazon, Apple, Facebook, PayPal...
> 
> Cardholders can be anywhere in the world. The letter in the image below is addressed to somebody in Indonesia.
> 
> ...


Thanks. I'll look into this further. I did have a UK bank account but recently closed it after discovering I couldn't withdraw money from it . All seemed toooo complicated to be worth bothering with. KDP said I couldn't have the money sent via Auctionchex, who I use to cash my cheques (when I eventually receive them!) in the UK. Had to use the same home address for receiving cheques, or something.


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## JGreen20 (Jul 10, 2012)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> I'd be interested to know if anyone from outside the US has actually been able to make use of this service for their Amazon cheques.


Like I told you in my previous reply, it is a service for non-US residents. 
I live in Europe and I have a Payoneer account. And I have a friend in Croatia who just received his first payment directly to his Payoneer card. 
Payoneer charges 1% of all the money you receive, but that's usually cheaper than cashing a foreign cheque. Also, you get paid in 3-5 business days, instead of having to wait for the cheque to arrive to your address and then wait another 20 days to clear.

Getting your Payoneer Mastercard is free and you can use it to buy online and to withdraw money from ATM's, just like any other debit card.

With all the problems you are having with cheques, you should take a further look to this.



JRHenderson said:


> Jan, just have another quick look at JGreen's suggestion.


Thanks JRHenderson. I was feeling a little bit frustrated already


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## Vanades (Aug 10, 2012)

JGreen20 said:


> Like I told you in my previous reply, it is a service for non-US residents.
> I live in Europe and I have a Payoneer account. And I have a friend in Croatia who just received his first payment directly to his Payoneer card.
> Payoneer charges 1% of all the money you receive, but that's usually cheaper than cashing a foreign cheque. Also, you get paid in 3-5 business days, instead of having to wait for the cheque to arrive to your address and then wait another 20 days to clear.
> 
> Getting your Payoneer Mastercard is free and you can use it to buy online and to withdraw money from ATM's, just like any other debit card.


Payoneer sounds really like a good alternative. Definitely better than checks. Do you know if it's also possible to send money from the payoneer-account to a European bank-account?


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## JGreen20 (Jul 10, 2012)

Lyonesse said:


> Payoneer sounds really like a good alternative. Definitely better than checks. Do you know if it's also possible to send money from the payoneer-account to a European bank-account?


No, at this point you can't send money to local banks. The only way to use that money is via the Mastercard (either paying online or withdrawing from an ATM).

It's the downside of this system, but in my opinion, it's still ten times better than the damn old fashioned cheques in the mail.


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## Vanades (Aug 10, 2012)

JGreen20 said:


> No, at this point you can't send money to local banks. The only way to use that money is via the Mastercard (either paying online or withdrawing from an ATM).
> 
> It's the downside of this system, but in my opinion, it's still ten times better than the d*mn old fashioned cheques in the mail.


:-D I know. Checks. Really. Who still does checks? Amazon obviously.

Otoh I used to work for a company that received payments from their US customer as check send by mail. And those checks were occasionally over several million USD. The accounting was constantly baffled by that. But that was in the 90s.


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## JRHenderson (Dec 4, 2011)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> I did have a UK bank account but recently closed it after discovering I couldn't withdraw money from it . All seemed toooo complicated to be worth bothering with.


Ah, it's a pity that you couldn't get that British bank account to automatically hand money over to your South African bank account.  I totally understand how intimidating it is to connect this stuff together -- but on the positive side, you only have to do it once, because once it's done, it's done. 

Jan, whatever method you decide to use, I hope your royalties arrive. It must be exasperating to have to fight so hard just to get hold of the money that's due to you.



JGreen20 said:


> Thanks JRHenderson. I was feeling a little bit frustrated already


No problem, JG. All of these new-fangled ideas -- such as payment processors and pre-paid MasterCards -- are amazing developments, but probably seem a little bit unfamiliar and strange when you're used to good old cheques and banks.


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

JRHenderson said:


> Ah, it's a pity that you couldn't get that British bank account to automatically hand money over to your South African bank account.  I totally understand how intimidating it is to connect this stuff together -- but on the positive side, you only have to do it once, because once it's done, it's done.
> 
> Jan, whatever method you decide to use, I hope your royalties arrive. It must be exasperating to have to fight so hard just to get hold of the money that's due to you.
> 
> No problem, JG. All of these new-fangled ideas -- such as payment processors and pre-paid MasterCards -- are amazing developments, but probably seem a little bit unfamiliar and strange when you're used to good old cheques and banks.


Thanks so much to everyone who is trying to assist . All was working well at first. I was receiving cheques and then re-posting them to Auctionchex in the UK. They charge a very small amount and clear the Amazon cheques immediately and then transfer the money into my account in SA, all within a couple of days. It was cheap, quick and easy. Until cheques started to go missing . I now register all the cheques I send so that I can track them (costs more, but worth it). But now the cheques don't even arrive. Hope the new ones will eventually get here!


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## JGreen20 (Jul 10, 2012)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> Thanks so much to everyone who is trying to assist . All was working well at first. I was receiving cheques and then re-posting them to Auctionchex in the UK. They charge a very small amount and clear the Amazon cheques immediately and then transfer the money into my account in SA, all within a couple of days. It was cheap, quick and easy. Until cheques started to go missing . I now register all the cheques I send so that I can track them (costs more, but worth it). But now the cheques don't even arrive. Hope the new ones will eventually get here!


Good luck, Jan. I hope everything works soon.


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## Nissim-Payoneer (May 9, 2012)

JGreen20 said:


> No, at this point you can't send money to local banks. The only way to use that money is via the Mastercard (either paying online or withdrawing from an ATM).
> 
> It's the downside of this system, but in my opinion, it's still ten times better than the d*mn old fashioned cheques in the mail.


We're also planning to add a card to bank transfer service, which will be available to over 200 countries. We'll be sure to send out an announcement once the service is available.


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Update.

The new cheque they issued on 28th August to replace one of those that went missing still hasn't arrived. Looks like that has gone AWOL as well  . I haven't had a cheque since June 22nd.

Have sent yet another letter to KDP asking them to void this cheque. If someone is stealing cheques the longer I leave it the more time they have to tamper with the cheques.

Do you think I can ask the Mars Rover to look for lost post up there?


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## JRHenderson (Dec 4, 2011)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> The new cheque they issued on 28th August to replace one of those that went missing still hasn't arrived. Looks like that has gone AWOL as well . I haven't had a cheque since June 22nd.


Oh, Jan! This is getting ridiculous! 



Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> If someone is stealing cheques the longer I leave it the more time they have to tamper with the cheques.


Is that a realistic possibility? Are the envelopes branded with the Amazon logo?



Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> Do you think I can ask the Mars Rover to look for lost post up there?


Well, at least you can laugh about it! I'd be sulking! 

Did the Payoneer idea look promising, or was was the application process a bit too daunting?


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

JRHenderson said:


> Oh, Jan! This is getting ridiculous!
> 
> Is that a realistic possibility? Are the envelopes branded with the Amazon logo?
> 
> ...


Thanks for your commiserations 

The Payoneer idea unfortunately wouldn't solve the problem of the UK cheques. 
I don't know where the cheques are going missing. Our post office can't do anything about it because there is no tracking number for them to trace.
I've heard all sorts of stories about cheques being tampered with, so there is always that possibility. If someone else managed to cash them I would have a problem proving it wasn't me.


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## Guest (Sep 17, 2012)

I just ordered a Payoneer card. Can't hurt to try this out, especially given the horribly costs that are involved with cashing in cheques.


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

SPBreit said:


> I just ordered a Payoneer card. Can't hurt to try this out, especially given the horribly costs that are involved with cashing in cheques.


I don't cash my cheques at a bank, so the cost of actually cashing the cheque is not really the issue. I think using Payoneer would be more costly than Auctionchex.

It's particularly painful not getting the cheques at the moment as my husband sadly passed away in June and his accounts have been frozen until the estate is wound up .


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## Nissim-Payoneer (May 9, 2012)

SPBreit said:


> I just ordered a Payoneer card. Can't hurt to try this out, especially given the horribly costs that are involved with cashing in cheques.


Please keep me updated, I'd love to hear your feedback regarding our service.

If you have any suggestions, also feel free to let me know.


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

I've been asked to wait a further 7 days to see if the three new cheques arrive .

Also had this same answer to my request for EFT payments for writers living outside the US.

_Further, at this time, we have only two payment options: Check and EFT. If you have a US domiciled bank account, we can process royalties for all Kindle stores via EFT to this bank account. If you have a UK bank account, we can process royalties for all stores, apart from US Kindle store, via EFT to this bank account._


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## Nissim-Payoneer (May 9, 2012)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> I've been asked to wait a further 7 days to see if the three new cheques arrive .
> 
> Also had this same answer to my request for EFT payments for writers living outside the US.
> 
> _Further, at this time, we have only two payment options: Check and EFT. If you have a US domiciled bank account, we can process royalties for all Kindle stores via EFT to this bank account. If you have a UK bank account, we can process royalties for all stores, apart from US Kindle store, via EFT to this bank account._


Sorry to hear that your checks have not arrived yet.

The solution Payoneer offers is a US account and routing number for non-US residents. It is not actually a bank account, as it can only receive funds (and only from approved companies, including Amazon). All payments received to that US account are automatically loaded to a Payoneer Prepaid Debit MasterCard Card, issues in your name, that can be used worldwide where MasterCard is accepted.

You can read more about it on our official site.


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## Guest (Sep 19, 2012)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> I've been asked to wait a further 7 days to see if the three new cheques arrive .
> 
> Also had this same answer to my request for EFT payments for writers living outside the US.
> 
> _Further, at this time, we have only two payment options: Check and EFT. If you have a US domiciled bank account, we can process royalties for all Kindle stores via EFT to this bank account. If you have a UK bank account, we can process royalties for all stores, apart from US Kindle store, via EFT to this bank account._


Yes, that is the standard boilerplate answer.


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## The 13th Doctor (May 31, 2012)

Hmm, I went over the £10 threshold in February of this year, and chose the EFT option for my UK bank account but I've not received anything yet. I know you have to wait 60+ days to receive royalties but something should have appeared in my account by now, surely.

Should I send Amazon a quick email?

Also, do you know if Amazon takes 30% from your non-US sales as well as the US ones? I've not indulged in the tax form malarkey, yet.


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

garam81 said:


> Hmm, I went over the £10 threshold in February of this year, and chose the EFT option for my UK bank account but I've not received anything yet. I know you have to wait 60+ days to receive royalties but something should have appeared in my account by now, surely.
> 
> Should I send Amazon a quick email?
> 
> Also, do you know if Amazon takes 30% from your non-US sales as well as the US ones? I've not indulged in the tax form malarkey, yet.


It might be worth sending Amazon an email re your payments.

They just seem to take the tax off the US royalties (haven't had any Germany, France etc yet.


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## JRHenderson (Dec 4, 2011)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> _Further, at this time, we have only two payment options: Check and EFT. *If you have a US domiciled bank account, we can process royalties for all Kindle stores via EFT to this bank account.* If you have a UK bank account, we can process royalties for all stores, apart from US Kindle store, via EFT to this bank account._


Jan, if the royalties from ALL Kindle stores (including the UK store?) can be sent via EFT to a United States bank account, doesn't this mean that the US account/routing number offered by the Payoneer card would solve all of your payment-by-cheque problems?

Or have I totally over-simplified things?


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## Guest (Sep 19, 2012)

Nissim-Payoneer said:


> Please keep me updated, I'd love to hear your feedback regarding our service.
> 
> If you have any suggestions, also feel free to let me know.


I'll do that.


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## The 13th Doctor (May 31, 2012)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> It might be worth sending Amazon an email re your payments.
> 
> They just seem to take the tax off the US royalties (haven't had any Germany, France etc yet.


Thanks, Jan. I'll do that first thing tomorrow.


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

JRHenderson said:


> Jan, if the royalties from ALL Kindle stores (including the UK store?) can be sent via EFT to a United States bank account, doesn't this mean that the US account/routing number offered by the Payoneer card would solve all of your payment-by-cheque problems?
> 
> Or have I totally over-simplified things?


I think there might be a problem with getting the card to me as I assume it would have to be POSTED. Our credit cards etc have to be collected at a bank to avoid having them stolen in the mail. I would also have to enquire whether I could use the card in SA. We can't accept PayPal payments unless we have an account with one particular bank (which I don't). I think the government are afraid of losing out on potential tax 
All getting quite frustrating


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## Nissim-Payoneer (May 9, 2012)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> I think there might be a problem with getting the card to me as I assume it would have to be POSTED. Our credit cards etc have to be collected at a bank to avoid having them stolen in the mail. I would also have to enquire whether I could use the card in SA. We can't accept PayPal payments unless we have an account with one particular bank (which I don't). I think the government are afraid of losing out on potential tax
> All getting quite frustrating


We have many card holders in South Africa currently using the card, and ship cards there via a logistics center to ensure that they arrive to the location.

I of course suggest that you continue to follow up with verifying local regulations, but if there are any questions that I can answer please feel free to ask.


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Nissim-Payoneer said:


> We have many card holders in South Africa currently using the card, and ship cards there via a logistics center to ensure that they arrive to the location.
> 
> I of course suggest that you continue to follow up with verifying local regulations, but if there are any questions that I can answer please feel free to ask.


Thanks. If I can be sure of receiving the card, and of being able to use it, then it's definitely worth looking into. 

If there is anyone on the boards from SA who is using the Payoneer card I would appreciate it if you would contact me. Thanks.


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

HURRAH   

A cheque has arrived from Amazon UK to replace two of the lost cheques. It was dated 3-9-12 but postmarked Slough 10-9-12. Now I just have to hope it reaches Auctionchex in the UK. I have to register the cheques. It's a public holiday here on Monday and I can't get to the post office tomorrow, so will have to wait until Tuesday to post it. More delays  .

The cheques posted in the US on 28th and 31st August have still not arrived.

Will definitely have to give Payoneer a try.


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## Chris Northern (Jan 20, 2011)

I ordered a card from Payoneer, so eventually (it's going to take 20+ days to arrive, for... reasons) I'll be able to report back.


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## Nissim-Payoneer (May 9, 2012)

Chris Northern said:


> I ordered a card from Payoneer, so eventually (it's going to take 20+ days to arrive, for... reasons) I'll be able to report back.


Great! I look forward to hearing from you.


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Nissim-Payoneer said:


> Great! I look forward to hearing from you.


I enquired at KDP about using Payoneer and this is their reply:

_Regarding Payoneer account, at this time, we do not have an option to process the royalty payments to the Payoneer account._

If other writers are using Payoneer why would they tell me this? Do you think they just mean there is no option on my account because I haven't opened a Payoneer account yet?


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## Nissim-Payoneer (May 9, 2012)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> I enquired at KDP about using Payoneer and this is their reply:
> 
> _Regarding Payoneer account, at this time, we do not have an option to process the royalty payments to the Payoneer account._
> 
> If other writers are using Payoneer why would they tell me this? Do you think they just mean there is no option on my account because I haven't opened a Payoneer account yet?


They likely mean that they cannot pay directly to your Payoneer card, as Payoneer is not an official payment method for Amazon. Payoneer will provide you with a US account and routing number, however, that you can receive payments to.

From their end, it would be a simple US bank transfer, and not a Payoneer payment.


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Nissim-Payoneer said:


> They likely mean that they cannot pay directly to your Payoneer card, as Payoneer is not an official payment method for Amazon. Payoneer will provide you with a US account and routing number, however, that you can receive payments to.
> 
> From their end, it would be a simple US bank transfer, and not a Payoneer payment.


Oh, thanks. That explains it.


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## JRHenderson (Dec 4, 2011)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> HURRAH
> 
> A cheque has arrived from Amazon UK to replace two of the lost cheques. It was dated 3-9-12 but postmarked Slough 10-9-12. Now I just have to hope it reaches Auctionchex in the UK. I have to register the cheques. It's a public holiday here on Monday and I can't get to the post office tomorrow, so will have to wait until Tuesday to post it. More delays .
> 
> ...


Jan, that's fantastic! 

So, your cheque has been sent from the UK, but now you have to send it back to the UK to turn it into cash? Wow, such a long process to get hold of your earnings -- you must have the patience of a saint!


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

JRHenderson said:


> Jan, that's fantastic!
> 
> So, your cheque has been sent from the UK, but now you have to send it back to the UK to turn it into cash? Wow, such a long process to get hold of your earnings -- you must have the patience of a saint!


Thanks.
It is a bit of a schlep getting the money this way - but it's far too costly handing the cheque over to the bank (and there is something like an eight week delay waiting for the cheque to be cleared).


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## Genesis Blue (Jun 27, 2012)

The Payoneer card sounds like a great way to go, BUT I know that here in Central America our cards are cloned on a regular basis and I've stopped using bank machines because of that (which causes a lot of hassles in its own right). Not sure how things are in South Africa, but it is something to consider . . . I'll definitely be getting one if they open up card to bank transfers, though!


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Genesis Blue said:


> The Payoneer card sounds like a great way to go, BUT I know that here in Central America our cards are cloned on a regular basis and I've stopped using bank machines because of that (which causes a lot of hassles in its own right). Not sure how things are in South Africa, but it is something to consider . . . I'll definitely be getting one if they open up card to bank transfers, though!


Our bank cards are also cloned, and many years ago they stopped sending new cards in the post because of postal theft.

Have sent yet another missive to KDP asking them to void the REPLACEMENT cheques from Amazon US. Thanks to the missing cheques I haven't received any royalties since June. Now getting a bit


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## Patty Jansen (Apr 5, 2011)

You would think that the largest [expletive] ebook reseller in the world that prides itself on using modern technology would get the [expletive] message and STOP sending us these [expletive] cheques.

Seriously. It is ridiculous. Why can Smashwords do this. Why can Kobo do this (yay, Kobo!). Why can every reseller do this except Amazon?

It's ridiculous.


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

This is the latest billet-doux from KDP

_We are very sorry for any frustration this issue has caused.

I´ve contacted the appropriate department, and we'll need a little time to re-issue the checks.

We will contact you again with more information in 2-3 business days.

Unfortunately, we can´t provide any information regarding EFT payments for non US writers in the future. Please be sure to check our forums periodically for updates: _

So nothing new here


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

I've now signed up for a Payoneer card. Hope this will sort out all my payment problems  .


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## JRHenderson (Dec 4, 2011)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> I've now signed up for a Payoneer card. Hope this will sort out all my payment problems .


It can't get any worse, Jan!  Do keep us posted on how you get along with it...


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

JRHenderson said:


> It can't get any worse, Jan!  Do keep us posted on how you get along with it...


Will do. Just waiting for their 'approval' process.


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

If you've been following this saga - I'm still waiting for my replacement of the replacement cheques to arrive from the US. Have been approved for a Payoneer card, but they have sent the card by 'regular post' so it will be interesting to see whether that arrives


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Next instalment.

Have finally received SOME of my royalties in my account today  . I usually receive at least one cheque per month, but the last deposit I made was on 27th July.

Still waiting for the replacement of the replacement cheques from the US  . 

Eagerly anticipating the arrival of the Payoneer card (If it doesn't go missing in the post  )


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

The replacement of the replacement cheque is now a week overdue 

But HURRAH, the Payoneer card has arrived   Now busy getting it activated and informing KDP


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## dotx (Nov 4, 2010)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> The replacement of the replacement cheque is now a week overdue
> 
> But HURRAH, the Payoneer card has arrived  Now busy getting it activated and informing KDP


Have you applied for their US account? Amazon doesn't pay into the card. Once you have the Payoneer card, you have to apply for Payoneer's US account. That's what you give Amazon.


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

dotx said:


> Have you applied for their US account? Amazon doesn't pay into the card. Once you have the Payoneer card, you have to apply for Payoneer's US account. That's what you give Amazon.


Yes. I have an account number and have uploaded it on KDP. Just waiting for it to be confirmed (which seems to be taking ages  )


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## dotx (Nov 4, 2010)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> Yes. I have an account number and have uploaded it on KDP. Just waiting for it to be confirmed (which seems to be taking ages  )


Can't remember how long mine took, but once it was up and running, it was smooth sailing after that


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

dotx said:


> Can't remember how long mine took, but once it was up and running, it was smooth sailing after that


I think there is something wrong with the KDP website . It's been saying 'account information saving, please wait' for over an hour. I uploaded the new info on my Amazon Advantage account and it was instantly saved . I suppose I'll just have to keep trying. After waiting all this time I suppose a few more hours won't hurt


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## Chris Northern (Jan 20, 2011)

Nissim-Payoneer said:


> They likely mean that they cannot pay directly to your Payoneer card, as Payoneer is not an official payment method for Amazon. Payoneer will provide you with a US account and routing number, however, that you can receive payments to.
> 
> From their end, it would be a simple US bank transfer, and not a Payoneer payment.


Okay, I'm reporting back as promised. 

I now have an active card. So far so good. Now, about this us account and routing number... it looks like I have to apply for this service (the whole point of doing this) so I've sent an email as requested. It took a little while to figure out how this works - the website isn't 100% easy to navigate and I had to go to an "other FAQ's" page to find what I was looking for. Also, 'click here to apply' just opens a Outlook window with an active email address that looks right - but how much info do I have to supply? I asked, so we will see.

Eventually I hope that this will work. I'll report back as soon as I know.


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## JRHenderson (Dec 4, 2011)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> I think there is something wrong with the KDP website . It's been saying 'account information saving, please wait' for over an hour. I uploaded the new info on my Amazon Advantage account and it was instantly saved . I suppose I'll just have to keep trying. After waiting all this time I suppose a few more hours won't hurt


Did the problem eventually sort itself out, Jan?


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

JRHenderson said:


> Did the problem eventually sort itself out, Jan?


Thanks for your concern. 
No, it hasn't sorted itself out yet. I've tried numerous times but get the same message. I wrote to KDP support and they asked for a screen shot (don't know how to do that). They've now sent me a page of instructions on how to take a screen shot. What a waste of my time. I've told them the box says "Saving information, please wait'. Why do they need a picture of it? This is becoming quite a fiasco. The replacement of the replacement of the eplacement cheque has still not arrived, so I assume that it's also gone missing


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Latest billet-doux from KDP

Hello Janet, 

I'm sorry for the trouble you had when updating and saving your information. Our technical team is aware of this problem and is working hard to fix it as soon as possible. 

Thanks for your patience while we fix this problem.

Wish they'd told me that the first time I enquired  .


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## JRHenderson (Dec 4, 2011)

Well at least you know it's not your fault, Jan. 

You've had such a long wait, I'm really hoping that the Payoneer card relieves you of this cheque-in-the-post nonsense once and for all. I've got my fingers crossed!


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## Klip (Mar 7, 2011)

How frustrating!
A pity I'm not in Durban, otherwise I could come and help you   I was going to be there in about two weeks time, but my plans fell through   and I can no longer go. 

Hope this works out soon.


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Masha du Toit said:


> How frustrating!
> A pity I'm not in Durban, otherwise I could come and help you  I was going to be there in about two weeks time, but my plans fell through  and I can no longer go.
> 
> Hope this works out soon.


Thanks. I'll just have to keep trying - don't think they'll send me another billet-doux to tell me it's working 

Let me know if you do come to Durban - I'm only about 15 - 20 mins from the beach


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## Wansit (Sep 27, 2012)

A Change.org petition for Amazon to allow electronic payments to int'l authors - http://www.change.org/petitions/amazon-pay-international-authors-via-amazon-payments-paypal-bank-account


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

TEdun said:


> A Change.org petition for Amazon to allow electronic payments to int'l authors - http://www.change.org/petitions/amazon-pay-international-authors-via-amazon-payments-paypal-bank-account


Thanks. Have signed it.

Still waiting for them to fix the problem with uploading my new banking details  Been broken since the 22nd.


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## Klip (Mar 7, 2011)

TEdun said:


> A Change.org petition for Amazon to allow electronic payments to int'l authors - http://www.change.org/petitions/amazon-pay-international-authors-via-amazon-payments-paypal-bank-account


Fantastic! Have signed and posted on my G+ Writers network, hopefully they will sign and reshare.


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## Steve Vernon (Feb 18, 2011)

All right. I'm definitely going to have to grab one of these Payoneer cards as well. 

Can't believe Amazon is still sending cheques.


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

I'm beginning to think I'm never going to get these royalty payments 
This is the latest from KDP. I've been waiting to upload the new banking details since the 22nd.

_Hello,

I'm very sorry for any frustration this issue has caused. We'll need a little time to look into this issue.

We will contact you with more information by the end of the day on Monday, October 29.

Thanks for your patience._ (which I might add, is wearing thin.)

The 7th cheque is obviously missing as it's been 23 days in the post (usually takes between 7 - 10 days) 

I've now had an email from Payoneer requesting information that I've already provided. I think I'll be lucky if I get paid before Christmas


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Hurrah   They finally fixed the problem and I was able to upload the new Payoneer banking details.

Have asked them to void the 7th cheque, which is obviously also lost, and requested that they use the US bank account for EFT payments.

I now await the depositing of the royalties into the account  .


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## JRHenderson (Dec 4, 2011)

Woohoo! You're almost there Jan....


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

JRHenderson said:


> Woohoo! You're almost there Jan....


Yes - be a nice Christmas present to eventually see some of my royalties


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## JRHenderson (Dec 4, 2011)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> Yes - be a nice Christmas present to eventually see some of my royalties


That would be a lovely present-and just at the time when you need the money! Even better than that though, is the prospect that if this payment goes through okay, you won't have to worry about missing Amazon cheques ever again. Hurrah!


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

JRHenderson said:


> That would be a lovely present-and just at the time when you need the money! Even better than that though, is the prospect that if this payment goes through okay, you won't have to worry about missing Amazon cheques ever again. Hurrah!


Or have to re-post them back to the UK to be deposited in an account there in order to circumvent the huge bank charges for foreign cheques


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

HURRAH    Royalties for June and July finally arrived in the bank account on the 8th. Used the Payoneer card yesterday to make a small payment and the payment seemed to go through  . KDP have voided a cheque for the August and September payment and will pay directly via EFT.  

Thanks to everyone who has been encouraging through these trying times and who suggested using Payoneer


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## Klip (Mar 7, 2011)

Fantastic, Jan.
I've signed up for Payneer too now...process not quite done, but it's been relatively pay free up to now!


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Masha du Toit said:


> Fantastic, Jan.
> I've signed up for Payneer too now...process not quite done, but it's been relatively pay free up to now!


That's great . Hope all goes smoothly for you.


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## JRHenderson (Dec 4, 2011)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> HURRAH   Royalties for June and July finally arrived in the bank account on the 8th. Used the Payoneer card yesterday to make a small payment and the payment seemed to go through . KDP have voided a cheque for the August and September payment and will pay directly via EFT.


Jan, you've made my day, that's wonderful news!  And at last you've had the chance to spend some of that royalty money! You must be so relieved to finally have some peace of mind. Fantastic.


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

JRHenderson said:


> Jan, you've made my day, that's wonderful news!  And at last you've had the chance to spend some of that royalty money! You must be so relieved to finally have some peace of mind. Fantastic.


Thanks. Big relief . Now waiting to see how long it takes for the money to be taken out of my account. Have to do some complicated sums working out exchange rates and how much is left in the account before I make a purchase .


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## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

Jan, is it like Paypal, where it's best to spend the money online as opposed to withdrawing it?

(Not that I'm complaining...I've been cringing for you this entire time).


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Krista D. Ball said:


> Jan, is it like Paypal, where it's best to spend the money online as opposed to withdrawing it?
> 
> (Not that I'm complaining...I've been cringing for you this entire time).


Hi Krista,
I don't intend to withdraw cash at an ATM as this will involve exchange rate costs. I don't buy anything online (well, very little) so I will just be using the card like a MasterCard to pay my bills .


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## JGreen20 (Jul 10, 2012)

Krista D. Ball said:


> Jan, is it like Paypal, where it's best to spend the money online as opposed to withdrawing it?
> 
> (Not that I'm complaining...I've been cringing for you this entire time).


Krista,

yes, it's best to spend the money online since there aren't any fees associated. 
Withdrawing money from an ATM can be quite expensive for small amounts.


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## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

Oh, it's a physical card that you get? I didn't realize that.


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Krista D. Ball said:


> Oh, it's a physical card that you get? I didn't realize that.


Yes, it has the Mastercard logo etc.


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## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> Yes, it has the Mastercard logo etc.


Oh! Interesting. Thanks for sharing your story, Jan. I'm in Canada and, while my money doesn't get lost in the mail, it would be nice to get it in an easy-to-access form (the $100 cheques take forever to clear).


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Krista D. Ball said:


> Oh! Interesting. Thanks for sharing your story, Jan. I'm in Canada and, while my money doesn't get lost in the mail, it would be nice to get it in an easy-to-access form (the $100 cheques take forever to clear).


Glad my story was of some help . Foreign cheques are very expensive and do take ages to clear .


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## Chris Northern (Jan 20, 2011)

So, I have a card and now I have an account that Amazon can pay into (to the card) but... BUT so far KDP will not accept the info I give: KDP just hangs for minutes on end until I give up. So... I´ll try again later and maybe, maybe one day, no more checks. Maybe.çç

So far this has taken a little over two months. When and if it works, I´ll let you know.


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## JRHenderson (Dec 4, 2011)

Chris Northern said:


> So, I have a card and now I have an account that Amazon can pay into (to the card) but... BUT so far KDP will not accept the info I give: KDP just hangs for minutes on end until I give up.


That's the problem that Jan had. Check out the bottom of page 3 and the top of page 4 of this thread.


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## Chris Northern (Jan 20, 2011)

JRHenderson said:


> That's the problem that Jan had. Check out the bottom of page 3 and the top of page 4 of this thread.


Thanks. I will do so immediately.

Okay, I did and I remember this now. Looks like I´m actually going to ahve to talk to Amazon. But not today, I feel. Not, not today.


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## JRHenderson (Dec 4, 2011)

Chris Northern said:


> Looks like I´m actually going to ahve to talk to Amazon. But not today, I feel. Not, not today.


No problem Chris. I find that a nice warm drink helps on days like this.


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Chris Northern said:


> So, I have a card and now I have an account that Amazon can pay into (to the card) but... BUT so far KDP will not accept the info I give: KDP just hangs for minutes on end until I give up. So... I´ll try again later and maybe, maybe one day, no more checks. Maybe.çç
> 
> So far this has taken a little over two months. When and if it works, I´ll let you know.


You will have to change your banking details in your KDP profile. You can find your account on the top of the page on your bookshelf page. You can also inform KDP abut the change. It might take a while. I'm now using my card and have not had a problem up to now


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## Klip (Mar 7, 2011)

I've got my Payoneer card, and I've entered my new banking details in KDP and it seems to have taken...

Now I've just got to sell some books, to see if this thing works!  

Thanks for all the encouragement Jan!


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## Chris Northern (Jan 20, 2011)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> You will have to change your banking details in your KDP profile. You can find your account on the top of the page on your bookshelf page. You can also inform KDP abut the change. It might take a while. I'm now using my card and have not had a problem up to now


Thanks for the encouragement. I'm glad it works. I'm looking forward to it.


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## TimFrost (Jan 26, 2010)

What is curious is that Createspace (which I believe is owned by Amazon) WILL make EFT payments into a UK account for your US sales.

I agree that the cheque system is ridiculous. One problem is that the envelope obviously contains a cheque. There is no attempt to disguise this, and they might as well just say, dear postal worker, kindly open, countersign and deposit the enclosed in an account of your choice.

Tim


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Masha du Toit said:


> I've got my Payoneer card, and I've entered my new banking details in KDP and it seems to have taken...
> 
> Now I've just got to sell some books, to see if this thing works!
> 
> Thanks for all the encouragement Jan!


Glad your card arrived. Hope you soon sell some books. At least you won't have to wait until the amount reaches $100


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## Chris Northern (Jan 20, 2011)

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. It has taken a while and some back-and-forthing between myself and Amazon but the endless hang that happened when I tried to save the ¨add new bank details¨change has been fixed. Don´t ask me to say that again, I barely got it right the first time.

Okay, so Payoneer details added to ´zon.com and the bucks should go to the card now. Maybe not this time, it´s a bit late in the month, but next time for sure!

Now, if only I could remember my PIN number...


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Chris Northern said:


> A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. It has taken a while and some back-and-forthing between myself and Amazon but the endless hang that happened when I tried to save the ¨add new bank details¨change has been fixed. Don´t ask me to say that again, I barely got it right the first time.
> 
> Okay, so Payoneer details added to ´zon.com and the bucks should go to the card now. Maybe not this time, it´s a bit late in the month, but next time for sure!
> 
> Now, if only I could remember my PIN number...


Congrats  Just make sure that your final cheques are paid. I'm still waiting for royalties for July, August, Sept and Oct UK royalties , which were calculated before I changed the bank account details. They don't back-pay if it's not in US dollars .

When I use the Payoneer card they don't usually ask for the PIN. They just ask for your signature.


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## Chris Northern (Jan 20, 2011)

Thanks for the heads up. I´ll keep an eye on things.

I was thinking mainly to just draw cash but in most of Europe they have pin machines on the tills everywhere.


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Chris Northern said:


> Thanks for the heads up. I´ll keep an eye on things.
> 
> I was thinking mainly to just draw cash but in most of Europe they have pin machines on the tills everywhere.


Drawing cash can be expensive as you will have to pay for the foreign cash withdrawal fee. I use my card to pay for groceries etc. You can also use it for buying things online.


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## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

I think it would be worth it if you're in the in-between earnings - where paying the ~$30 annual fee isn't a big deal, but you aren't making $100k + a year (making mortgage payments on your MasterCard would be...awkward  ).


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

If anyone is still following this lengthy thread - I am STILL waiting for my UK royalties going back to August 2012. Apparently they can't pay them into my US account because they were calculated prior to me opening the US bank account. I've asked that they try sending a cheque again, or send the cheque to an address in the UK. They are looking into it   They promised a reply by 28th December, but three reminders have resulted in the same billet-doux - they are still looking into it  .


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## JRHenderson (Dec 4, 2011)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> I am STILL waiting for my UK royalties going back to August 2012. Apparently they can't pay them into my US account because they were calculated prior to me opening the US bank account. I've asked that they try sending a cheque again, or send the cheque to an address in the UK. They are looking into it  They promised a reply by 28th December, but three reminders have resulted in the same billet-doux - they are still looking into it .


Aw heck Jan, I thought that this nonsense was all behind you...

You know, I think it would have been quicker to deliver your payment if an Amazon employee had set out in August on a bicycle from Seattle to the Gulf of Mexico, taken the slow boat to South Africa and then limbo-danced his way to your front door.


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

My thoughts too . This is today's reply to my query.

_I confirmed we're still researching. It's taking longer than usual to resolve this, and I'm very sorry about the delay.

My colleague will be in touch with you again with an update as soon as possible.

Thanks for your continued patience._

(which is wearing a bit thin )


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## Thaddeus White (Jun 20, 2012)

Best of luck getting that resolved, Jan.

Sending cheques through the post is just asking for them not to be delivered. I'm baffled, as everyone else on this thread is, why they can't just transfer it electronically. 

When I've got a little time I'll check out that Payoneer card, and many thanks for raising it. I was annoyed and surprised at the faff of paying my own money into my own bank account because of the stupid cheque, and I'll be charged a percentage of it too.


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Thaddeus White said:


> Best of luck getting that resolved, Jan.
> 
> Sending cheques through the post is just asking for them not to be delivered. I'm baffled, as everyone else on this thread is, why they can't just transfer it electronically.
> 
> When I've got a little time I'll check out that Payoneer card, and many thanks for raising it. I was annoyed and surprised at the faff of paying my own money into my own bank account because of the stupid cheque, and I'll be charged a percentage of it too.


You can also use Auctionchex.com to deposit cheques. They are based in Southport. It is much cheaper than depositing into a bank account. I was forwarding the cheques to them as they can accept cheques from third parties, and it was working fine - until the cheques stopped arriving


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## Steve Vernon (Feb 18, 2011)

Payoneer definitely sounds like the way to go. I've been looking at this for a while. Time for me to get off of the fence.


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## JRHenderson (Dec 4, 2011)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> _I confirmed we're still researching. It's taking longer than usual to resolve this, and I'm very sorry about the delay.
> 
> My colleague will be in touch with you again with an update as soon as possible.
> 
> Thanks for your continued patience._


Is it just me, or is that first five-word sentence just a little bit abrupt? Perhaps even... _tetchy_?

I wonder if the cheques that never arrived have been cashed. That might make the payments department think twice before sending another one through the post.


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

JRHenderson said:


> Is it just me, or is that first five-word sentence just a little bit abrupt? Perhaps even... _tetchy_?
> 
> I wonder if the cheques that never arrived have been cashed. That might make the payments department think twice before sending another one through the post.


That would be an interesting development . Do you think they would admit that the cheques have been cashed? 
I think they are researching how they are going to pay me without sending a cheque  Everyone who has read these posts could tell them - use EFT!


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Just had yet another missive to my enquiry:

_I checked and found that one of my colleagues is still working on this and he will contact you with more information on January 25, 2013.

Thanks for your patience.

Regards,_

They said they would get back to me on December 28th


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## 60865 (Jun 11, 2012)

JGreen20 said:


> Despite being an international company, Amazon seems to be incredibly compartmentalized in regions. I don't know if cashing cheques is still common in the USA, but in Europe it is very last century, as Lyonesse said.


In France you are not allowed to cash checks, you MUST deposit them in a bank account.
Did you guy consider opening a dollar account with a local bank or opening a US account in one of your domestic bank's branches ... that is if your country allows it.


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Lady_O said:


> In France you are not allowed to cash checks, you MUST deposit them in a bank account.
> Did you guy consider opening a dollar account with a local bank or opening a US account in one of your domestic bank's branches ... that is if your country allows it.


I've noticed that the bigger supermarkets here in South Africa are also putting up signs to say that cheques are no longer accepted.


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## JRHenderson (Dec 4, 2011)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> _I checked and found that one of my colleagues is still working on this and he will contact you with more information on January 25, 2013._


Well Jan, today's the 25th. Have you heard from Amazon? Did they come to their senses, and simply transfer your long-awaited royalties into your Payoneer account?


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

JRHenderson said:


> Well Jan, today's the 25th. Have you heard from Amazon? Did they come to their senses, and simply transfer your long-awaited royalties into your Payoneer account?


Thanks for your interest in this ongoing saga.

Yes  They said the money should be in my account within 14 business days. I am going to wait until I see it there before beginning the celebrations  I'll have another celebration if it turns up on a regular basis


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## JRHenderson (Dec 4, 2011)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> Yes  They said the money should be in my account within 14 business days. I am going to wait until I see it there before beginning the celebrations  I'll have another celebration if it turns up on a regular basis


That's fantastic!  So it looks as though this epic tale is finally coming to an end. Crikey Jan, I'm going to be at a loose end when there are no more updates to this thread...


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Just got a remittance advice for payments for Aug, Sept, Oct. Everything is in $, but I'm assuming that this is the UK royalties finally on their way. Got the champagne chilling, but will wait to see the bank statement before finally opening it  . (Doesn't show November sales though  )


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Hurrah! Champagne ready to be opened. Just had confirmation of the deposit into my account  . Hope the November sales also eventaully appear.


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## Chris Northern (Jan 20, 2011)

Hurah! Glad to hear this long running issue looks like it might actually be resolved. I haven´t actually used the Payoneer card yet, but there is money in there, so I´m calling the experiment a qualified success. No more checks chasing about the place. Yay.


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Chris Northern said:


> Hurah! Glad to hear this long running issue looks like it might actually be resolved. I haven´t actually used the Payoneer card yet, but there is money in there, so I´m calling the experiment a qualified success. No more checks chasing about the place. Yay.


Thanks. 
The only problem with using the Payoneer card is trying to keep track of the exchange rate - and to keep checking how much you have left in the account. I'm using mine as often as possible as the exchange rate is good at the moment.


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## JRHenderson (Dec 4, 2011)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> Hurrah! Champagne ready to be opened. Just had confirmation of the deposit into my account . Hope the November sales also eventaully appear.


Jan, that's wonderful. At last, you can sleep a little bit better at night! 

If your November sales are totalled at the end of the month, do you expect them to appear 3 months later (at the end of Feb)?


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

JRHenderson said:


> Jan, that's wonderful. At last, you can sleep a little bit better at night!
> 
> If your November sales are totalled at the end of the month, do you expect them to appear 3 months later (at the end of Feb)?


After this fiasco I can expect anything


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## JRHenderson (Dec 4, 2011)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> After this fiasco I can expect anything


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## Chris Northern (Jan 20, 2011)

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> Thanks.
> The only problem with using the Payoneer card is trying to keep track of the exchange rate - and to keep checking how much you have left in the account. I'm using mine as often as possible as the exchange rate is good at the moment.


well, I may have spoken tooo sooon. Tried to use the card today, having remembered PIN, and got a message "You have exceeded your daily limit" so I went to check the exchange rate and found I had not, in fact, exceeded that sooo, that´s all good then. Tried to contatc them but there is no send on their contact form. I´ll now be dealing with this tomorrow. One day I will go to take some simple action and everything will work smoothly just as it should and I will die of the shock.


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Chris Northern said:


> well, I may have spoken tooo sooon. Tried to use the card today, having remembered PIN, and got a message "You have exceeded your daily limit" so I went to check the exchange rate and found I had not, in fact, exceeded that sooo, that´s all good then. Tried to contatc them but there is no send on their contact form. I´ll now be dealing with this tomorrow. One day I will go to take some simple action and everything will work smoothly just as it should and I will die of the shock.


Sorry to hear about that. Have you checked the amount in your account? Remember that they take off 1% for each transaction so this could have left you just under. I check my account every time I use the card, and also make sure I have about $20 left at all times.


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## Chris Northern (Jan 20, 2011)

I´ll have another little play another day. I guess aiming to be less close to the amount available might be an idea. Yelling at the ATM doesn´t work, btw.  

I pulled some cash from another souce and don´t want to try again today...


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Chris Northern said:


> I´ll have another little play another day. I guess aiming to be less close to the amount available might be an idea. Yelling at the ATM doesn´t work, btw.
> 
> I pulled some cash from another souce and don´t want to try again today...


Using the card to withdraw cash can be expensive because of the payment for the exchange rate . I just use my card to pay my daily bills at the supermarket.


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## Nissim-Payoneer (May 9, 2012)

The card itself has a daily purchase limit of $2,500.00 USD, and a daily cash withdrawal limit of $2,500.00 (total daily limit of $5,000.00).

You can reach our customer support department via telephone, e-mail, and live chat at: http://www.payoneer.com/contactUs.aspx

Also feel free to contact me directly with any questions: [email protected]


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

Thanks. Have made a note of your contact details.


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