Payment is when the buyer pays the seller for the goods received. Goods are sold on credit and so the seller must check that they are selling to a business that will pay them. This means checking their creditworthiness. Creditworthiness means how likely a customer is to pay their debt.
Businesses can check a customer’s creditworthiness before selling to them:
Ask for bank statements to see how healthy their bank accounts are.
Ask the customer for trade references, in which other businesses confirm that the customer paid on time.
Take a look at published accounts.
Pay a credit enquiry agency to check out the customer.
This is done to avoid bad debts (a debtor who does not pay their bills on time – it is an expense and it reduces profit.) For example, if the debtor goes bankrupt, he/she will not be able to pay their bills.
Reducing the Risk of Bad Debts To reduce the risk of bad debts, a business can:
Do creditworthiness checks, e.g. contact an agency or search online. Take out an insurance policy – this increase expenses and reduces profit.
Offer discounts to customers who pay on order or delivery, e.g. pay within 30 days and get a 5% discount.
Send out invoices and statements of account as reminders of payment. Could be followed up with a phone call or a visit.
Methods of payment Cash Credit/debit card Electronic transfer
Think IT!
1. Why might a business decide to pay in cash?
2. Why might a business check creditworthiness?
P. 173 250
Go to page 173 of the activity book.
Debit/credit card Know It!
A debtor is someone that we sell goods to on credit.