Finance for stock and inventory finance, shaped around how you get paid.

The lender pays your supplier, local or overseas, and you repay the lender 90 to 180 days later from the sales of that stock. It is revolving, so each purchase is its own transaction, and it suits importers and wholesalers with margins that cover the cost. Letters of credit and foreign currency payments can be included.

Trade finance for supplier payments, a line of credit for deposits and top-ups, and for retailers with strong card sales a merchant cash advance repaid from takings across the season. Applying two to three months before the season starts allows time for the facility to be set up before supplier deposits are due.

Rarely on its own, because stock is hard for lenders to value and sell, but businesses with commercial debtors can use invoice finance to release the cash tied up in the sales cycle, and a general security agreement over the business can support a line of credit. A broker structures the combination.

Gross margin, stock turn, supplier terms, a sales history for the products and, for trade finance, supplier invoices or pro forma orders. Established importers and wholesalers with consistent sales are approved quickly; new product lines need a sales plan.

Trade finance pays your supplier for stock or goods when they are ordered or shipped, and you repay the financier once the goods are sold, usually within 30 to 180 days. It bridges the gap between paying for stock and being paid by your customers, so you can take larger orders without tying up cash. Facilities can cover local purchase orders as well as imports, and payments can be made in foreign currency. Interest and fees are charged on each drawdown for the days it is outstanding.

Trade finance funds the purchase side of the cycle, paying suppliers before goods arrive or sell. Invoice finance funds the sales side, advancing cash against invoices you have already issued. Many wholesalers and importers use both together: trade finance pays the supplier, the goods are sold, and invoice finance releases cash from the resulting invoices to repay the trade facility. Your broker checks that the two lenders’ security interests are compatible before setting both up.

Trade finance is usually priced as an establishment fee, a fee or interest charge per drawdown calculated on the amount and the number of days until repayment, and sometimes a facility line fee. Foreign currency payments may also carry a conversion margin. Because each drawdown is short, comparing the all-in cost per $10,000 over your typical 60 or 90 day cycle is clearer than comparing headline rates. Lyft Money sets this out for each lender before you commit.

Trade finance suits established importers, wholesalers, distributors and manufacturers with a track record of buying and selling stock, typically 12 months or more of trading and turnover in the hundreds of thousands or above. Lenders look at your sales history, the reliability of your suppliers and customers, and the margin on the goods. Service businesses with no stock and one-off buyers are generally not a fit. Security can be the goods themselves, receivables or a general security agreement.

Yes. Most trade finance lenders can pay suppliers in US dollars, euro, yuan and other major currencies, either directly or through a letter of credit, and some let you lock in an exchange rate at drawdown so the landed cost of the goods is known. The currency margin is part of the cost to compare. If you already use a foreign exchange provider, your broker checks whether the lender can work alongside it.

Each drawdown is usually repayable within 30 to 180 days, matched to how long it takes for the goods to arrive and sell. Some lenders allow up to 120 or 180 days for imports with long shipping times, and shorter terms for local purchase orders. You can have multiple drawdowns running at once up to the facility limit, each with its own due date. Repaying from sales proceeds or from an invoice finance facility keeps the cycle turning.