How to make a trade offer on Steam
Steam has a huge range of features that can satisfy almost any user of this service.
In addition to the usual functions of purchasing and launching a game, communicating, and displaying your screenshots for public viewing, Steam has a number of other features. For example, you can exchange items from your inventory with other users of the system. In order to exchange items, you need to offer an exchange. Read on to learn how to start trading with another Steam user. Perhaps you want to get some background or trade games with a friend that you have in your inventory. You can also give gifts to your friends using exchange; to do this, when exchanging, you simply give the item to a friend, and do not ask for anything in return. In addition, an exchange may be necessary when trading or withdrawing money from Steam to electronic wallets or a credit card. You can find out how to withdraw money from Steam from this article.
Since exchanging items is a very important feature of Steam, the developers have created many convenient tools for this feature. You can start an exchange not only using a direct exchange offer, but also using an exchange link. By following this link, the exchange will begin automatically.
How to make a link to an exchange
The exchange link represents mail and other links, that is, the user simply follows this link and after that the automatic exchange begins. You can also easily place a link from other systems on the Internet to the bulletin board. If you wish, you can send it to your friends so that they can quickly offer you an exchange. How to make a link for sharing on Steam, read this article. It contains detailed step-by-step instructions.
This link will allow you to exchange not only with your friends who are in your contact list, but also with any other person, without even having to add him as a friend. It will be enough just to follow the link. If you want to offer an exchange to another person manually, then this must be done in a different way.
Direct exchange offer
In order to offer a trade to another person, you need to add him to your friends. You can read about how to find a person on Steam and add him as a friend here. Once you add another Steam user as a friend, they will appear in your contacts list. This list can be accessed by clicking the "friends list" button in the lower right corner of the Steam client.
To start a trade with another person, right-click on him in your friends list, and then select the “offer trade” option.
After you click this button, a message will be sent to your friend indicating that you want to exchange items with him. In order to accept this offer, he will only need to click on the button that will appear in the chat. The admin itself looks like this.
At the top of the exchange window is information that is associated with the transaction. It indicates with whom you are going to make the exchange, and also includes information related to holding the exchange for 15 days. You can read about how to remove the exchange delay in the corresponding article. To do this, you will have to use the Steam Guard mobile authenticator.
The top part of the window shows your inventory and items in Steam. Here you can switch between different layouts. For example, you can select items from a specific game, and you can also select Steam items that contain cards, backgrounds, emoticons, etc. On the right side there is information about what items are offered for exchange and what items your friend put up for exchange. Once all items are listed, you will need to check the box next to ready for exchange.
Your friend will also need to check this box. Start the exchange by clicking the button at the bottom of the form. If the exchange was completed with a delay, then after 15 days you will receive an email confirming the exchange. Follow the link that will be contained in the letter. After clicking on the link, the exchange will be confirmed. As a result, you will exchange the items that were offered during the transaction.
Now you know how you can make an exchange in Steam. Trade with your friends, get the items you need, and help other Steam users.
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Choosing the right settings
Before exchanging items, you need to first open your inventory in your Steam profile settings! It's not difficult, just spend a few minutes and you'll get the job done. Read our instructions!
In the browser
You can access the necessary settings through a browser - you don’t have to launch the desktop client. Do the following:
- Open the official website of the online platform, log in if necessary;
- Click on your name in the top right panel and select “Open Profile” from the drop-down menu;
- Find the icon with the desired name in the menu on the right;
- A full list of available items will open - at the top there is a “More” button;
- Click and select the “Privacy Settings” line from the context menu.
Now we can make an open inventory on Steam! Look for the “My Profile” section, just below there is a fine-grained setting of certain components:
- Find the icon you need with a detailed description - items, collectible cards and gift copies of the product;
- Here you can choose one of three privacy options - only for friends, hidden or open;
- Select the desired option (open or for friends if you do not want to exchange with strangers);
- Make sure that the correct value appears next to the name;
- The changes you make will be saved automatically.
You were able to open your Steam inventory! By the way, gifts can be hidden separately, although other items will be visible - just check the appropriate box when you select the privacy option.
In the application
Let's move on to the next step - how to open inventory in Steam (CS GO or other games) through the desktop client. No complications:
- Click on the name at the top right;
- Select the “My Profile” tab;
- Look for the "Inventory" line on the right side of the panel;
- Click on the “More” button and select “Privacy Settings”;
- Select "Open" or "Friends Only" and close the options.
Are you serious about an exchange? You've learned how to make a public inventory in Steam - it's time to put your knowledge to practical use!
How to open inventory
In order for your friends or any other users to offer you an item exchange, your inventory must be publicly visible. To do this you must:
- Open the Steam client;
- Hover over your username in the upper right corner. In the drop-down menu, click " Inventory ";
- Click on the “More” tab and select “Privacy Settings”;
- Check the box next to the word “Open” in the “Profile Status” and “Inventory” sections;
- Click "Save Changes".
Visibility of inventory for exchange
How the exchange works
Before you figure out how to open your inventory in your Steam profile settings, you need to understand why this option is needed? If you spend a lot of time playing games, you should be aware of how much in-game inventory there is. Some of these items are rare and exclusive - found in special hidden boxes.
- The first opportunity open to the user is earning money! You can find great deals on forums and the trading platform and display your inventory after finding out its cost;
- The second possibility is to exchange unnecessary items for others that are more necessary for games.
This is why you should know how to open inventory on Steam for exchange. If items are hidden by privacy settings, you will not be able to participate in trading operations!
Where can I get my trade link?
- Login to your account
- Follow the link https://steamcommunity.com/id/me/tradeoffers/privacy#trade_offer_access_url
- Our trade URL is located in the “Third Party Developer Sites” section:
Or you can use the second method:
- Open the Steam client;
- Hover over your username in the upper right corner. In the drop-down menu, click " Inventory ";
- In your inventory, click “Exchange Offers.”
- Next, click on “Who can send me exchange offers?”
- At the bottom there is a section called “Third Party Developer Sites”. This is where our trade link is located.
How to make an exchange?
To make an exchange, go to your inventory and then select “Exchange Offers.” Now click “New exchange offer...”. In the window that appears, select the user with whom you want to exchange items.
Once the person confirms his consent, a sharing menu will appear on the screen. Drag the item you are willing to give away to the “Your Offer” section. The inventory that your friend is ready to part with will be visible in the “Offer” section. If you are ready to exchange, click on the “Exchange” button.
Exchange process
Sample application for replacement of driver's license.
An application for new rights requires the following information:
- date and time of filling;
- category of rights;
- full name of the traffic police department;
- passport series and number, date of birth, registration address, who issued the document;
- indication of the reason for replacing the certificate;
- information about the medical certificate and payment of the state fee;
- entering a phone number, email and consent to the processing of personal data.
How to exchange inventory with all users
To do this, you must know your exchange link. You can find it along the path: Steam/Inventory/Exchange Offers. Who can send me trade offers. The link is in the very last section “Third Party Sites”. It is noteworthy that the link can be changed by first clicking “Create a new link”.
Once you know your link, send it to the users with whom you want to exchange things.
Exchange link
Some tips when exchanging currency at a bank
- There is such a thing as a currency spread. This is the difference between buying and selling currency. As a rule, this indicator increases by the weekend, so it is best to postpone the exchange until the beginning of the week.
- Plan your currency purchases in advance, taking into account possible exchange rate fluctuations. This way you will protect yourself from unpleasant surprises in the form of a lack of rubles for the required amount of foreign money.
- Check with the cashier in advance whether all commissions are included in the price of the display board. Let a bank employee confirm that there are no hidden fees, or calculate the final amount or real exchange rate for you. Only then make a decision.
- Count the money immediately after receiving it. Do not rush to leave the bank branch: after this it will be extremely difficult to prove the fact of a shortage or the provision of old, damaged or counterfeit banknotes.
Do you need a passport to exchange currencies? According to the changes that came into force in June 2020, the conditions are as follows:
- To purchase currency up to 40 thousand rubles, you do not need a passport.
- If the amount ranges from 40-100 thousand rubles, you need to present the cashier with an identification document: passport, international passport (for a citizen of the Russian Federation).
- Amounts over 100 thousand rubles require an identification procedure. Namely: providing a passport and contact information.
How to find users to exchange things
Everything is very simple. For example, you just played CS:GO and discovered that some player has an item that you really want to get. Write a message to the player with a trade offer and your individual link.
There is an easier way. Simply select a game from the library that interests you, go to the "Discussions" section, and then click "Start a new discussion." Write in the description of the topic what you want to receive and can offer for exchange. If someone is interested in your offer, you will receive a link to exchange.
Reasons for replacement
The validity period of a driver's license is established by law and is 10 years. If the driver continues to drive with an expired driving license, the fine will be 500 rubles.
The law provides for the following grounds for replacing a document:
- change of personal data (full name);
- loss of document;
- change in health status (deterioration of vision and other medical indicators);
- change of driving category;
- The VU has fallen into disrepair.
From 2020, all drivers who are foreign citizens and also work in Russia must obtain a Russian-style license.
If a motorist has an expired license, but continues to drive his vehicle on it, he must be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law.
Rights are considered expired if:
- their validity period has expired;
- medical contraindications to driving have been identified;
- The vehicle was seized by the traffic police due to traffic violations.
Free exchange on Steam
Steam is a popular worldwide game distribution service. The main advantage of this platform is the ability to install products purchased from the Steam store on any computer. Essentially, it is a combination of three services: a gaming platform, a social network and an online store. Another nice thing is that Steam is absolutely free. That is, you pay only for applications, and then you can dispose of them as you wish. You can buy on Steam using the popular payment systems QIWI Wallet, WebMoney and Yandex.Money.
Steam has a simple exchange procedure.
Course selection
The easiest way to do this is with the help of online aggregators that collect information on current retail purchase and sale rates for freely convertible currencies. Go to such a service, select the currency you need, and indicate the amount. If you need to sell rather than buy currency, you can change the direction of conversion.
The most favorable rates will be at the top of the results, but the lack of walking distance to the branches and exchange offices of such financial institutions eliminates the benefits of savings.
Sauber Bank has long established itself in the cash currency exchange market. We always try to offer favorable rates for buying and selling US dollars and euros.
It would be a good idea to call the department back before going there. By phone you can clarify the rate (sometimes this indicator may differ from what you saw on the Internet), the availability of the amount you need.
If you need to buy currency for a trip, it should mostly be small bills. During your trip, you will have to make small payments many times: in a cafe, at gas stations, in a hotel, in a parking lot. Changing large bills is rarely practiced anywhere, but it is available at our bank.
Let me play your game
Valve recently introduced a new trading service on Steam. It's called Family Sharing. With it, you can connect your friends to your profile, and they can play your games from your profile. How to share games on Steam? To do this, you need to connect your friend’s computer to your account, create a family, and he will be able to install a copy for himself. The only “BUT” is the inability to play the same application at the same time. If the account owner starts playing, you will receive a warning about leaving your profile.
As with any social network, you can make friends and communicate. It is possible to make offers to exchange things on Steam to both friends and strangers. Fortunately or unfortunately, in March 2020, the platform administration tightened the requirements for trading items on Steam. This is caused by increasing cases of fraud, when players, giving things away, did not receive money for it. Steam introduced user authentication by linking accounts to mobile phones.
What is needed to replace rights
Driving licenses are replaced for the following reasons:
- expiration (10 years);
- loss;
- changing the personal data of the owner of the rights;
- replacement of expired driver's licenses;
- if the document is scuffed, torn or has other defects that make it difficult to identify the driver;
- if any document that served as the basis for issuing rights was recognized by the court as counterfeit;
- traffic police marks;
- changes in health status (both for the better and for the worse);
- driver's desire.
Changing without adding friends
It is possible to exchange things on Steam without adding as a friend. Since 2013, you can send offers to sell and exchange items using the OFFLINE TRADE OFFERS system. To do this, a unique link is generated that can be sent to players. It gives access to backpacks. In order to generate it, you need to go to the inventory and click on TRADE OFFERS, there we look for the inscription WHO CAN SEND ME TRADE OFFERS.
At the bottom of the page you will see a link that you need to copy and publish.
Please note that anyone who is registered in the Steam system can follow the link. You can send out a link in different ways: posting on forums, chatting or private messages. You can also offer to exchange items on Steam to players who have enabled this feature on their account. This is done when you log into the profile of the person you want to change with. Next to “Add as friend” there is a “More” button. If a person has opened access to such offers, you will be able to trade with him.
You can confirm the exchange on your mobile phone. To do this you need to download the Steam add-on (ESCROW). With its help, you can not only accept offers, it serves as additional protection against hacking.
Since 2020, new transaction security rules have been introduced on Steam. Without mobile phone authentication, the exchange takes 72 hours. Steam (ESCROW) must be downloaded to your phone, activated and linked to your mobile number. The activation process takes 7 days. These restrictions will not affect you if you decide to buy things on the market. If your mobile phone model does not allow you to install the application, you can install it on your computer by downloading an Android emulator.
All these conveniences and inconveniences are caused by the care of Steam management about its clients and the safety of their inventory. Otherwise, it is a convenient platform for players to interact in various games.
How to make changes to OSAGO when replacing rights?
After receiving a new driver's license, you must go to the insurance company, first collecting the necessary documents:
- passport;
- confirmation of the right to own a car (vehicle registration certificate);
- driver's license and its copy;
- OSAGO policy;
- application for changing a driver’s license – (each company has its own application form).
IMPORTANT! Contacting the insurance company must occur immediately after obtaining your license, otherwise the insurance may expire.
Fine for an expired driver's license upon replacement
IMPORTANT! When a driver's license has expired, the right to drive a vehicle automatically revoked
If the owner of the license does not notice that the license has expired and continues to drive the vehicle, he will be fined for driving with an expired license (Article 12.7 of the Administrative Code) in the amount of 5,000 to 15,000 rubles .
To avoid a fine, you should take care of replacing your driver’s license in advance and do not drive if the replacement has not yet been made.
When replacing a license at the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate or through another institution, no fine is imposed.
Useful tips for drivers and possible nuances in the process of replacing a license Before you go to the traffic police to replace your old license with a new one, you should check whether there are any outstanding fines. If there are any, the driver can be taken from the traffic police department to court, where one of the forms of punishment will be prescribed:
- A fine of two times the amount of the debt, if the fine is more than 10,000 rubles;
- Community service (up to 50 hours);
- Arrest for 15 days.
What is an exchange link
Steam exchange link (cs go item exchange link) is an Internet address associated with your personal Steam account, when launched, the item exchange page opens. That is, if you gave someone a link to your trade, then when you launch this link, any other client will have the functionality to exchange things with you. This works the other way around: if someone gave you their trade link, then when you open it you will launch a service for exchanging things with the account that owns the link.
All roulette sites, stores selling steam items or trading platforms require a link for exchange. This happens for the purpose that all online services are focused on commercial interests - to make money. And any registration operations initially imply your actual interaction with this service.
Change via internet banking
Not in all, but in many banks, rates in the Internet bank are more favorable than for cash transactions at the cash desk. This is explained simply: firstly, the bank does not need to spend resources on physically delivering money to the branch, plus this process does not waste the time of bank employees. For the same reason, credit institutions are ready to offer higher rates on deposits opened remotely.
Secondly, it will be faster and more convenient for the bank to change the exchange rate on the Internet in the event of sudden fluctuations in the foreign exchange market, rather than in its branches. “This way it reduces its currency risk and can afford to charge a smaller spread. He doesn’t have to worry that the market will suddenly break through his rate and they will have time to buy a lot of currency from him at a price that is unprofitable for the bank,” explains Vladimir Kushchev.
So before you go to the bank to buy or sell currency, it is better to find out whether it would be more profitable to do it online. At the same time, the rate in the Internet bank may be more favorable than the rate at the cash desk, or maybe vice versa, warns Stanislav Makarov. This may be due to the fact that the rate in the Internet bank is the same for the whole of Russia, but in branches it differs depending on regional specifics.
Before purchasing currency in your personal account, it is a good idea to make sure that the bank undertakes to carry out the transaction at the rate that was in effect at the time of submitting the application.
“The operation must be confirmed. And the order must indicate the rate at which the conversion will take place,” says Vladimir Kushchev, head of the treasury risks and transfer pricing department of VTB 24.
Where can I get a link to exchange on Steam?
In order to receive your trade link, you must have your own personal STEAM account (a service platform for the distribution of computer games).
When we log in to our account, we need to move the mouse over the name of our account (in the installed game client):
If you log into your account through a browser, then click on “Inventory in your account” :
In the inventory we click on “Exchange Offer”. This section is completely related to your steam exchange. There are exchange histories, suggested incoming ones (exchanges from someone, as well as your sent ones):
And below we select “Who can send me an exchange offer”:
This link is exactly that – a trade link!
Video on how to find a link to trade on Steam:
But remember that if it so happens that you often exchange devices with your friends, then there is no need to do this through a link. Steam has actual functionality for exchanging items. You just need to open a friend and offer him an exchange . You will see the same window as with the thread link:
Transaction security: where not to buy currency
First of all, forget about private money changers and other dubious organizations. They may provide a favorable currency exchange today, but can you be sure that when you check the bills you bought from them the next day, you won’t find it counterfeit?
It is safest to cooperate with banks. Their currency exchange rates may not be as attractive (especially in Moscow or St. Petersburg), but they are much more honest: no counterfeit bills or hidden fees. And if the bank is small, then you can change the currency at a very favorable rate.
When choosing, we recommend focusing on the golden mean. May the transaction be both safe and profitable. We recommend paying attention to reliable medium and small banks: they have permission to conduct foreign exchange transactions, and at the same time they offer favorable conditions. In this case, you will receive the best currency exchange rate without any reservations.
Publishing a link for a trade
Once you receive a link to trade, you can pass it on to third parties - friends, acquaintances, and so on.
If you are interested in exchanging things, and also have commercial goals for this type of gaming services, then you must understand and know some nuances:
- If you leave a link to your trade in the public domain somewhere on forums or open platforms, then be vigilant about offers to exchange things. We have already given examples in the article about what kind of exchange offer can come and what the risks are. We do not recommend scattering your link everywhere, everywhere and to everyone. The main reason for this is that when you open the link, you can make an offer for a blank exchange. That is, you can send a request that you give up your entire inventory.
- It is always necessary to evaluate the value of the items that you are offered to exchange . In the article that we linked above, you can find the necessary programs that can help you avoid dire situations;
- Change your trade link if it turns out that you receive a lot of scam requests from scammers . The replacement button is located right next to the link in Steam
- You can indicate your link directly in your steam profile. But you need to be very careful with this, since anyone who opens your profile will see this link. To avoid a similar situation, you can simply close your account from third parties. And everyone who is not your friend will see this:
Inaccuracies and typos
We have studied almost all the documents for exchanging a driver’s license at the MFC and more. It was said earlier that sometimes citizens exchange their licenses due to inaccuracies or errors made during the production of the “driver’s card”. This is a rather rare situation, but it baffles modern drivers.
So, to replace rights with typos, you will need to prepare:
- the previously listed extracts included in the list of mandatory ones;
- any documents proving the fact of inaccuracies and typos.
In reality, everything is simpler than it seems. And if you prepare all the previously listed extracts in advance, a person will be able to receive new rights in the shortest possible time.
Scam on trade
Always be attentive to scammers who may add you as a friend and offer various scam options.
Scam is a fraud that can lead to the loss of Steam virtual property. Skins are officially part of the game, and not a material benefit. Therefore, in fact, it is practically impossible to sue a scammer, even if you know who he is and where he lives. Since this is part of the game, and is not controlled by laws.
Scammers use various methods of scam scripts (scenarios in which a small percentage of people begin to trust and fall into a trap).
If you have an open account, an open inventory and there are expensive skins there,
then be prepared for the fact that leftist accounts will be constantly added as friends. Moreover, they may contain links to different sites with fraud.
An example of a scammer's scheme:
A well-filled account with expensive equipment (from $1000 in total) is added as a friend to you, and begins to discuss your skins and so on with you. You seem to trust him, because he doesn’t offer anything bad. Afterwards he may ask a question: where did you get your skins? You, of course, busted your ass, earned money and worked. You answer him something that is actually not interesting to him. Then he says, I am the owner of the roulette . I can twist the results in a way that interests me and provides a link. You open the link and see that there are actually games for some devices and clothes. Of course, this is all fake, and no one is playing anything there. You are offered to play by betting something for $3-5. And then bam, you won a skin worth $600. But you can’t withdraw it, because the system says “If you want to withdraw things, you need to add 25% of the cost of these things.” In other words, if you want to withdraw $600, put in $150.
Many are conducted according to this scheme. Be careful.
The owners of the GOCSGO website have extensive experience in identifying such scammers. There are a lot of mechanisms and schemes. If you are interested in other possible schemes so as not to fall for the “bait” in the future, write in the comments, we will definitely describe a couple more schemes. We love our readers very much and want to make the world a fair place.
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How to open your own currency exchange office: strategy and business plan
Currency exchange has always been considered a very profitable business. To be convinced of this, just look at the number of “underground” money changers in the markets. And the number of exchange points is growing exponentially.
The history of currency exchangers dates back to the times of the USSR, when all transactions with currency were held in great secrecy, and for illegal transactions with “overseas” money you could go to prison. Immediately after the collapse of the Union, the exchange business was legalized, because most citizens of the Russian Federation were able to travel outside the country. In order not to waste nerves and time on exchanging funds abroad, many residents of the Russian Federation tried to change money before leaving. The currency has also become popular as a store of capital. We all know the result - increased demand led to the emergence of the first exchange offices.
Functions, pros and cons of the exchange office
Modern exchange offices conduct the following activities:
— buy foreign currency from individuals (non-residents and residents); — sell foreign currency to individuals (usually residents); - carry out a reverse exchange of currency from national to foreign (for non-resident individuals, taking into account established rules and regulations; - carry out converted transactions with foreign currency; - exchange banknotes of the monetary unit of one country.
Pros of opening a currency exchange office:
— quick payback; — maximum simplicity from a technical and organizational point of view; — the opportunity to expand activities and increase profits by opening new currency exchange points.
Disadvantages of opening a currency exchange office:
— large investments, which are caused by the need to prepare documents and organize reliable protection of the exchange office; — high level of competition (especially in big cities); — difficulties in finding a visible and profitable place to open a business.
The main risks of opening an exchange office:
— high risk of theft of funds by staff; — the likelihood of losing a license due to violation of operating conditions; — the danger of robbery due to the low level of security (this is why it is not recommended to save on this aspect); — frequent inspections by a representative of the Central Bank and the Department of Economic Crimes.
How to register a currency exchange office?
The main problem with this type of business is the design. According to the laws of the Russian Federation, only a bank (credit organization) has the right to organize an exchange office. The procedure for opening such a business is carried out taking into account two documents:
— Federal Law of Russia “On the Central Bank of the Russian Federation”; — Federal Law of Russia “On Currency Regulation and Currency Control.”
Thus, the Central Bank of the Russian Federation independently regulates the processes of opening currency exchange offices, completing their activities, organizing work, as well as the list of permissible operations and other transactions using national and foreign currencies with the participation of individuals.
A private individual has access to this type of business only if an employment relationship with a financial and credit structure is officially formalized. Banks that have the right to open exchange offices issue a license to individuals. After this, newly minted entrepreneurs have the right to open a currency exchange office. The advantage is that the issuance of licenses has recently become available even to small banking institutions.
How to proceed? To start an exchange business, you need to get a job in a banking institution and take the position of manager or manager of a currency exchange office. Next, an application is submitted to the banking institution to open an exchange office. The following documents will be needed here:
— employment agreement with a banking institution;
— an agreement confirming the fact of opening an exchange office; — a list of the bank’s requirements for its partner (following the instructions of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation, timely submission of reports, payment of commissions once a month, and so on).
In turn, the entrepreneur takes upon himself the following issues:
— searching for a suitable office for an exchange office and arranging its lease; — selection of equipment for the premises and its installation; — searching for suitable employees and resolving issues regarding their employment.
In practice, the relationship between a banking institution and the owner of an exchange office can be organized in different ways. For example, the bank itself can search for premises and arrange for sublease. At the same time, the owner of the exchanger makes payments once a month for collection, packaging of cash, their recalculation, software maintenance, and so on. Total payments can be 40-60 thousand rubles. In addition, you will have to transfer 50-60 thousand rubles to the bank for servicing the cash register.
During the period of operation of the exchange office, the partner bank is engaged in generating reports, making tax payments, and so on. If the owner has violated the requirements of the agreement, the bank has the right to close the exchange office by notifying the Central Bank of the Russian Federation. If problems arise with the bank itself (for example, it was deprived of its license), then it is not necessary to close the exchanger - you can contact another banking institution.
How to choose a room for a currency exchange office?
It is best to place an exchange office in a crowded place where there will always be customers. For example, it could be a train station, bus station, business district, market, and so on. The exchange process itself largely depends on the location of the point. For example, if an exchange office is open in a residential area, then a popular conversion will be the exchange from ruble to foreign currency. If the exchanger is placed in a shopping business center, then the process will be reversed.
When choosing a place for premises, you should focus on the presence of competitors in the nearest areas, their exchange rates and popularity. If there are other exchange offices in the area, it is easier to figure out which currency is most in demand and what to focus on during the first time of work. If the rate of a particular currency in an existing exchanger is too high, then the offered currency is simply not in demand.
After choosing an office, a lease is issued. The legal entity of the partner bank acts as the tenant. To conduct normal activities, the area of the exchange office must be 6 thousand square meters or more. Mandatory requirements are the presence of an armored door, the same windows and walls. Fire and security alarms must also be provided. Ready-made booths can be sold ready-made - their price ranges from 150 thousand rubles and more.
What equipment to buy for an exchange office?
Basic equipment that you can’t do without even at first include:
-currency detectors (check cash for counterfeit); — safes (for storing money); — cash counters; - a computer with software whose task is to control the movement of money. As a rule, the supervising bank acts as the software supplier.
It is important to take into account a number of other requirements of the Bank of Russia, according to which the exchange office stand must have:
— information regarding the telephone number and address of the authorized banking institution that opened the exchange office;
— data on the exchange rates of those currencies that can be exchanged at a given time;
— a list of operations that the exchange office can perform (with currency and national money);
— operating mode of the exchange office. As a rule, the operating hours of the exchange office coincide with the operating hours of the banking institution (operating day). There are exchange offices that operate around the clock;
— a statement showing the commissions of the partner bank for conducting cash transactions;
— a standard book for the consumer, where you can leave your complaints and suggestions;
— rules for the exchange (acceptance) of damaged banknotes and other documents.
How many staff will be needed to operate the exchange office?
For one exchange office, two cashiers are enough. The work schedule is every other day or every other day. At the same time, it will not be possible to directly register new employees at a currency exchange office. All employees must obtain an official position as a currency exchange manager or bank teller.
The main problem of all exchange offices is theft by staff. When a client hands over any money in foreign currency, the cashier can keep the difference from the exchange. As practice shows, there is little trust in this type of business. So at first, the ideal cashier is the owner himself. But, of course, you won’t be able to work like this for long.
An important issue is the control of cashiers who work 12-18 hours and pass large cash flows through themselves. There are two ways to do this:
— install a video surveillance system; - make test purchases.
In practice, both of the above options work poorly, because it is impossible to watch 12-18 hours of video, and catching a neat cashier in deception is a very difficult task. It is easier to set a limit on the daily earnings that an employee must hand over. The rest is his income. To determine the average amount of daily revenue, the owner himself sits in the cashier’s place and works for several days.
Profit of a currency exchange office
The main income of an exchange office is the spread (the difference between the sale and purchase of currency). In addition to this amount, the exchange office may impose additional commissions. As for the rates, the exchanger sets them independently, taking into account current supply/demand. At the same time, for normal operation, the point’s cash desk must have cash for the purchase and sale of various currencies.
The bank administration has the right to control the work of the exchange office and make adjustments to its activities. If you deviate from the rules, the bank may issue a warning or close the point altogether.
With proper business organization, the annual earnings of an exchange office can reach 3-3.6 million rubles. All this money is the owner’s net income. They must be at the exchange office and cannot be collected.
Who checks the currency exchange office?
Owners of exchange offices need to be afraid of three main authorities:
- TSB RF; — OBEP (department for combating economic crimes); - tax service.
Most often, the inspection is carried out on the first day of activity. The main attention is paid to compliance with all rules and regulations (mentioned above), the presence of panic buttons, reliability, notification functions and the presence of an alarm.
The risks associated with inspections of the Central Bank and the Department of Economic Crimes can be reduced. All that is required is to conduct honest business, avoid fraudulent transactions, and clearly declare the exchange rate. If you comply with all the requirements of OBEP, then there will be no problems with the partner bank and the Central Bank. The only downside is that doing business honestly inevitably leads to additional costs. On average, this is 5% plus taxes on income reflected in the documents.
How much money is needed to open a currency exchange office?
When organizing such a business, two main types of costs can be distinguished:
1. One-time expenses:
— purchase of equipment (safe, PC, software, telephone line, detector, etc.) — from 200 thousand rubles; — organizing a work cubicle — from 250 thousand rubles; — installation of video surveillance, alarm systems, access control systems (access control systems) — from 150 thousand rubles; — personal funds for turnover — from 1.2 million rubles.
Total - from 1.8 million rubles.
2. Monthly expenses:
— commission to the curator bank — from 50 thousand rubles; — rent for premises — from 30 thousand rubles; - salary of two cashiers with taxes - from 30 thousand rubles; — payment for security services — from 50 thousand rubles.
Total - from 160 thousand rubles.
With an average monthly income of 250-300 thousand rubles, the costs of organizing an exchange office can be recouped within a year.