Portal submission requirements

[Caselli]

Hi everybody!

I'm an independent game developer living in Hungary, Europe. I'm about to finish my first indie game by the end of this year and I would like to sell it through portals like Reflexive Arcade, Big Fish Games, etc.

I would like to know some more about the requirements.
1. I'm a bit afraid of living in Hungary can be a problem. Can I make/sign a contract with portals through the net or through fax?
2. Do I have to found a company or maybe a private business license can be enough?
3. Can they pay to Hungary by check or what kind of bank account is needed?

The business part seems to be a bit harder to manage from this part of the world, but I hope it can be done.

I see that there're indies here from various countries, so I hope that somebody can answer my questions.

[svero]

Ill have a crack at it although the answer to your questions may vary portal to portal...

1. I'm a bit afraid of living in Hungary can be a problem. Can I make/sign a contract with portals through the net or through fax?

Fax should be fine.

2. Do I have to found a company or maybe a private business license can be enough?

So long as there's some kind of legal entity recognized in your country to sign that should be ok. For instance in canada you can register a company or do business as yourself or create a corporation. Any of the above could sign a contract legally. If your country recognizes contracts signed by you as an individual or privately owned business then that should be sufficient.

3. Can they pay to Hungary by check or what kind of bank account is needed?

This gets a little trickier. It will depend mostly on your bank. I think what you'll end up finding is that they can pay you by check but that you'll have to go through a long waiting period when you cash the checks. Some portals will do international money transfers but there is normally a fee associated with that payment, and the availability of that may vary country to country. You'd just have to discuss that with the portal when you sign with them.

[jankoM]

I have no portal experience... just about cheques because I am from slovenia which is similar to your Hungary. I was also in concernes about how I will be able to cash in cheques (because we don't use them at all otherwise) and what will the bank fees be and all that.

Well when I got my first cheque I went exchanging it to one local small bank (and I thougth that they won't even know what to do with it) and they exchanged it without problem and imediatelly and bank fee was very small ... (less than 4EUR). The waiting period (at least in my case) is no problem too... If they send you money monthly you basically have to wait just the first time for X days ... from that on you get cheques in regular monthly intervals

[theshadowfan]

They may pay you by Paypal. I doubt that they'll pay you in a Hungarian check. The check would be made in whatever country the portal is under.

[jankoM]

They may pay you by Paypal. I doubt that they'll pay you in a Hungarian check. The check would be made in whatever country the portal is under.

Pay-Pal doesn't allow recieving payments to many countries, I think hungary is one of them. Checks I get are from (I think) "citibank" which I gues is some USA bank not present in slovenia that I know of.

[Sean Doherty]

Pay-Pal doesn't allow recieving payments to many countries, I think hungary is one of them. Checks I get are from (I think) "citibank" which I gues is some USA bank not present in slovenia that I know of.

Try moneybookers.com. They offer sevice to a a lot of contries that don't have paypal. However, you have to provide then a lot of info and it takes a long time to get setup.

[Escapee]

I set some of my small payment going through paypal to pay off hosting , domain , online movie ( not porn) , and some software/system purchased online though paypal doesnt send check to my country. You might also want to look for banks in your country that charge the cheapest fee for clearing a US check. I know i have found mine and the difference is huge .

[Caselli]

Thanks for the answers.

I've found a bank here that accepts US checks. Their fee is 6USD/check. They only pay after they got the money, so I'll have to wait 1-2 weeks, but it seems to be acceptable.

The other way that I've found is to open a USD bank account at my bank (they provide an IBAN number), so I can get international transfers. The fee only depends on the transfer initiator bank, but I think it's usually more that 6USD/payment.

It seems to be that check payment is cheaper but a bit slower solution. (for Hungary)

[Escapee]

It takes about 3-5 weeks for our local banks here to clear a US cheque , so 1-2 weeks is reasonable and fast . The fee here varies from a mere few bucks to ~ 25 USD and I' ve just learnt a valuable lesson by using the most expensive service ;p .

[LilGames]

I guess it's different in euro countries, but here in Canada, I opened a business account and I don't pay ANYTHING for converting US cheques.

[papillon]

well, Canada and the US have a much closer financial relationship. I hear certain businesses near the border will just shrug and take the other country's currency as well. :)

At my UK bank I get the funds within a day or two but I'm supposed to pay ten pounds for it... except sometimes they forget to charge me. Still, no waiting problem.

[LilGames]

Well the thing is, if I were to just show up at any bank, and ask to cash a foreign (even US) check, then yes it would cost me a fee.

My main point was that chances are the bank you normally hold an account with will have options, including possibly an account without such a fee.

[lennard]

Lilgames - you should exchange $100 USD for CDN and then exchange back - I'll bet you a beer if we ever meet up that you find you are missing a few bucks. They don't overtly charge you but, unless you are over a certain threshold, they just take it in hidden exchange rate differences.

When I moved home (Terrace, BC) a few years ago I was going to lose around 1K on a USD to Cdn. exchange and had to threaten to open a new account at another bank before getting the rate difference erased. YMMV, but I doubt it.

[LilGames]

Yeah i thought this went without saying. But at least if I deposit a $10 check, the fee is that 0.00X percentage of $10 rather than a flat $4 or $5.