I am not a freelancer, but am preparing to become one, and have a few questions for the novices to put my mind to rest!!

If I base myself in Ireland, is there any charges for doing work for someone in USA or someone in say, Zanzibar?

What method of payment do you all use? Which is better/secure? Is PayPal good? or cheques?

In Ireland, how often would you come across a client who refuses to pay, or turns into roger the dodger? Because I've read from a previous thread on this forum that clients here are notorious for it..?

Is hosting your clients site the best way for collateral until you receive final payment?

Is there an essential must have book that gives you all the information you need for doing business in Ireland, copyright issues (for Ireland), samples of contracts you can use, samples of all other legal documents???

A client has a business and doesnt have a website. He contacts you throught email and asks you to design a site. The name of his company is "XYZ". You've never heard of XYZ before, and you complete the site for him.
What would happen if XYZ already existed and the client was breaking some copyright law, would you be also in the wrong ie could any legal action be taken against you for designing a logo for XYZ and a website?

I have a simple system , Reseller hosting , host the site if you can
My server serves up index.html first the real home page is index.php
I build an intro page on index.html like Site for Mr X Being developed by GHOST I remove it and hand over full control of the server only on receipt of final payment . This works both ways as the client can type in index.php to access the site at any time and review progress while your are working,
works for me
Most of your work will come from referrals but you should always vet your client before committing your self

interesting...
thanks for your response

ghost is correct in saying about the resellers hosting package. besides that generally in ireland you dont face such problems. if your work is good no body stops your payment. and if you want to work for US, then paypal is the most convenient option. if you want little safety then a certain escrow arrangements can be made.