Age-Old Question of International Trade

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Q: We are a small manufacturer and want to purchase some component parts overseas. The overseas entity doesn't want to ship without payment. Yet we don't want to pay before we are sure that the goods will come and they will be of the quality represented. What are our options?

-- Marc Chafetz, Washington, D.C.

A: You're asking one of the age-old questions of international trade: How do a buyer and seller handle payment so neither gets burned? Read WSJ reporter Kelly Spors's answer here.

And I'd like to add my two cents on the subject.