Please people, stop using the dollar. I’m not an economist so I’m sure my arguments flawed… rebuttals appreciated!
It’s a weakening currency and it is fairly frustrating receiving AdSense and TLA payments which are growing smaller and smaller even if the actual amount is rising. For example, in October last year a pound was about $1.87… now it’s more like $2.08! Quite a difference! Whilst changes in exchange rate are very normal, I think in today’s world of global trade it is especially inconvenient.
We Britons are a stubborn people being one of the few European nations to opt out of the €. Many Europeans moaned that the switch to the Euro saw prices rise but I think our prices are already inflated well above their American equivalent (a copy of The Sims 2 for Mac will only set you back $45 (at today’s exchange rate about GB£21) on Amazon.com but will cost you GB£30 (about US$62) on Amazon.co.uk). It’s interesting how the weakening dollar doesn’t lower British prices!
I’m tired of advertisers using dollars to pay. I’m happy that several of the advertisers I do business with directly pay me in dollars or Euros. I think Euros is a more sensible choice for websites to do business in as nearly half a billion people use the Euro or a currency pegged to it!
Would it hurt companies such as Google or TLA to offer advertisers and publishers the option to use currencies besides the dollar? Obviously, they would have to do some conversions (for example if the advertiser paid in US$ but the publisher wanted GB£) but if an advertiser paid in sterling, could the publisher not be paid in sterling?
Prices here haven’t dropped here either. I should be paying considerably less for, say, a MacBook now, but it’s fixed at € 1,099. I hear there’s a European directive that allows companies to maintain prices at a level relative to local standards, not currency fluctuations. Aimed at protecting consumers when the situation would be the other way round, of course, but frustrating these days nonetheless. Otherwise, the Euro rocks, of course.
[...] Pay Less Now, Right? I was reading Joe Anderson’s post on Webby’s World called Stop Using the Dollar recently. Joe noticed how his revenue from AdSense and TLA may grow nominally, his earnings after [...]
Umm … are you saying that a payment in $ isn’t translated into the local currency? When I was in Ireland a couple of months ago, it took $1.44 to buy each and every Euro … the banks were quite adamant on that point.
It sounds as if you are complaining that $1 US dosn’t translate into 1 GBP. My thoughts exactly!
Your economics are flawed, indeed. A weak dollar translates to low GBP prices when US goods are imported. I’ve used US suppliers on Ebay and – even with shipping costs – prices can be lower than UK suppliers. My advice is take the USD payment option when it’s there – when accepting payment, opt for remittances in GBP or EUR. Oh, and take your holidays in the land of the free…