Paying the source before you are paid

Two clocks that do not match

The supplier takes your payment the moment you order. The marketplace pays you after the sale has cleared its own waiting period. In between, your money is outside your hands.

The float grows with speed

Selling twice as many items does not double your profit only; it also doubles the cash waiting to be repaid. A store that is healthy on paper can still run short of cash in a busy week.

Use the cash planner with your order pace, your average cost and the real waiting time.

Ways to carry less

• Shorten the gap: track exactly when payouts arrive and plan purchases around it.
• Grow in steps so the float rises gradually, not in one jump.
• Keep a working balance above the average, since busy weeks exceed it.

Credit is a cost, not a cushion

If you buy on a card, the interest you may pay when a balance is carried belongs in your margin. Count it before you decide a price is profitable.