Have you ever wondered what the ‘trading forms’ online trading slip, invoice and order form are for?
None of these are essential to the functioning of the Talent Exchange; they are just useful additions for use in certain situations.
Sending an online trading slip is a buyer action. It can be thought of as a Talent Exchange ‘cheque’. Sending a trading slip is not a form of ‘payment’ though, as it does not in any way affect the seller’s, or your, account. It is merely a notification to the seller that he or she may debit your account (much the same as a regular cheque). It is useful in situations where it was impossible for the seller to give a fixed price for a job that was based on an hourly rate. After completing the job the seller would inform you of the amount they are going to debit your account, so sending an online trading slip is your way of saying to the seller that you accept the final price, that you are satisfied with the job and that the seller may now debit your account. It is a tool to finalise your ‘contract’ with the seller.
An invoice is the inverse of the trading slip. If the seller was unable to give you a firm price for a job because it was based on an hourly rate, the invoice is the seller’s way of informing you of the amount they are going to debit your account. It is also a signal that the seller has finished your job. You would respond to the invoice by sending an online trading slip (or giving some other signal, such as verbal or email approval).
An order form is another buyer action. It is not related to the above two forms; it is merely a useful tool for ordering something that a member has offered. An order form can be replaced with an ordinary email but it is a formal way of placing an order for something that might be required in quantity. This will prevent any supply misunderstandings and is a formal order that begins your ‘contract’ with the seller. The order form has the additional facility to include a question, such as requesting a delivery date etc.
You will find that these three forms are useful if you want to keep an audit trail of your purchases. Order forms and invoices are given numbers by the system, so you can keep these records ‘on your books’ in case of a later dispute. Use them in much the same way as you would use them in the Rand economy.
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