Welcome to the 2 part of my blog series on how Amazon Associates receives checks and gets them redeemed in the Republic of Georgia.
How participants of the Amazon Associates program are getting paid in the Republic of Georgia by a bank check is a blog series I originally made at the end of 2014 / start of 2015 while struggling to redeem my first bank check issued by Amazon,
Although it's still technically possible to withdraw bank checks in Georgia, at the end of 2016, I flew to the US and opened a bank account there, see: How To Open A Bank Account in the U.S., As A Non-resident Non-citizen, Wells Fargo Bank
For complete series of my adventures while living in Georgia with Georgian banks and checks from Amazon, please see:
- How Amazon Affiliates get paid in the Republic of Georgia - Part 1
- How Amazon Associates Receive Their Checks in the Republic of Georgia - Part 2
- How Amazon Associates Receive Their Checks in the Republic of Georgia - Part 3 - Waiting 40 Working Days
- How Amazon Associates Receive Their Checks in the Republic of Georgia - Part 4 - Bank Commission Fees
I created the first post of this series at the start of November 2014. Back then my earnings for August, September, and October has reached $486.00 and I was looking for ways to get paid.
Prior to that, I did set up a minimum threshold of $450.00 on Amazon Associates before processing the payment - because I'm aware of bank commission fees.
Direct deposit is not an option right now for me, because I'm not a holder of a US bank account, and neither I'm a US citizen. I'm left with two options - gift card or check.
The first check from Amazon was issued at the end of December (December 27, 2014) - I received it via snail mail here in Georgia on January 28, but before I got an envelope with a check inside it, I got a sticker on my apartment building's entrance door from Georgian Post.
Sticker from Georgian Post
I was lucky enough to notice this little sticker with my name on it. In case you are wondering, in Georgia it's not common to have a postal box.. why should you have one, if a postman can stick a sticker with your name on it on the entrance doors of your apartment building?
Since I have no clue, what is written on it - and what should I do now - I contacted a friend of mine living in Germany who can read Georgian, and with help of his transliteration, I learned I must go to Tsereteli Avenue 95.
On the second day, I went to the Georgian Post branch on Tsereteli avenue and got my mail:
Mail from Amazon
Georgian Post Stamp
It turned out mail arrived in Georgia, already on January 23, though I received a sticker with the invitation to visit the post office just on January 28. 5 days - who cares about 5 days?
Amazon Check
And here it was - my first check from Amazon Associates, worth Four Hundred Eighty-Three Dollars And Sixty-Three Cents.
I straight went to my bank, but turned out - my bank turned me down, by saying it was not possible to clear that check... I went to the central branch of my Bank - they turned me down again. I went to another bank, they turned me down as well. Luckily I found a bank - which hadn't any issues redeeming a check sent by Amazon - Bank Republic. You can learn more, about how banks turned me down, and how I found that the Bank Republic is a great option in this post.
Right now I'm waiting for those dollars to land in my bank account.
Do you have a story to share on receiving and clearing Amazon checks abroad? Please leave your comment!