From Inventory to Income: Creative Ways Amazon Sellers are Financing Growth

From Inventory to Cash Flow, Here’s How Product-Based Businesses Are Funding Growth Across Sales Channels

For growing brands and mid-market product companies, selling through Amazon is just one part of a diversified strategy. Many are also managing their own DTC websites, fulfilling wholesale orders, supplying distributors, and negotiating with big-box retailers. But no matter how diversified the revenue streams, the same challenge persists: cash flow often lags behind growth.

Historically, sellers had limited options for financing—usually high-interest credit cards, rigid bank loans, or raising equity capital that diluted ownership. These traditional paths were slow, conservative, and often inaccessible to companies with unconventional models, tight margins, or rapid scaling trajectories.

Today, that’s changed.

Thanks to the rise of fintech lenders, product-based businesses now have more tools than ever to access fast, flexible capital. Leveraging data from marketplaces, accounting platforms, payment processors, and inventory systems, modern lenders can underwrite deals in days—not weeks—and offer tailored financing solutions that align with the actual cash flow of your business.

Whether you’re ramping up for a seasonal spike, managing long retailer payment terms, or expanding into new sales channels, fintech-driven financing options make it easier to unlock working capital, smooth cash flow, and fuel your next phase of growth—without jumping through the hoops of traditional banks.

In this article, we explore the most relevant financing options for product companies selling across Amazon, Shopify, wholesale, and distribution—so you can choose the right solution to scale with confidence.

1. Inventory Financing

Inventory financing enables you to borrow against your on-hand or in-transit stock—whether it’s headed to Amazon FBA, a 3PL, or major retail partners. This keeps product flowing without tying up your cash.

Key Features:

• Advances based on inventory value or purchase orders
• Works across fulfillment models (FBA, FBM, wholesale, DTC)
• Helps prevent stockouts and missed revenue

When It Works:

Perfect for businesses preparing for demand spikes or expanding SKUs across multiple sales channels.

2. Accounts Receivable Financing (Invoice Financing)

For companies selling to retailers, distributors, and B2B buyers, AR financing provides working capital by advancing funds against unpaid invoices—bridging long payment cycles without relying on credit cards or equity.

Key Features:

• Advance up to 90% of invoice value
• Repayment occurs when the buyer pays
• Improves cash flow without taking on new debt

When It Works:

Best for businesses dealing with 30–90 day payment terms from wholesale or retail accounts.

3. Revenue-Based Financing

Revenue-based financing provides working capital in exchange for a percentage of future sales. It’s a popular option for multichannel brands with consistent revenue streams across DTC, Amazon, wholesale, and distributor channels.

Key Features:

• Repayment tied to your revenue, not fixed payments
• No equity dilution
• Fast approvals based on sales performance

When It Works:

Ideal for companies with seasonal revenue or expanding across multiple channels, who need capital for marketing, inventory, or fulfillment without giving up ownership.

4. Marketplace and Platform Receivables Financing

If you’re selling through Amazon, Walmart Marketplace, or Shopify, some fintech lenders offer payout acceleration, allowing you to access funds before the platform’s standard disbursement cycle.

Key Features:

• Advance against pending payouts from e-commerce platforms
• Immediate working capital for reinvestment
• Short-term, fast-turnaround structure

When It Works:

Helpful for smoothing cash flow between payouts, especially when scaling ad spend or inventory quickly.

5. Asset-Based Lending (ABL)

For more established companies with strong revenue and multiple asset types (AR, inventory, equipment), asset-based lending offers scalable, revolving credit lines based on the value of your balance sheet—not just profitability.

Key Features:

• Revolving access to capital tied to asset value
• Greater flexibility than traditional term loans
• Can support ongoing operations, M&A, or restructuring

When It Works:

Ideal for mid-market sellers expanding across markets or undergoing a transformation.

6. Term Loans & Growth Capital

For long-term investments—such as facility expansion, brand acquisition, or technology upgrades—structured term loans can provide the capital needed to support sustained growth across all sales channels.

Key Features:

• Larger loan amounts, fixed repayment terms
• Often secured by business assets or performance
• May require stronger financial history and documentation

When It Works:

Best for capital-intensive initiatives with a clear ROI and longer time horizon.

Choosing the Right Financing Mix

Multichannel product companies have more complexity—and more opportunity—than ever before. But growth across Amazon, DTC, retail, and wholesale also creates friction in cash flow. When selecting a financing option, consider:

• Are your biggest constraints tied to inventory, receivables, or operational overhead?
• Do you need short-term flexibility or long-term funding?
• Are your assets (inventory, AR) underleveraged?
• What impact will funding have on your margin, equity, and timeline?
• The most successful brands don’t just raise capital—they strategically match funding to channel-specific needs while maintaining optionality for future growth.

Final Thoughts

Financing a multichannel product business today requires agility, visibility, and the right capital partners. Whether you’re expanding your Amazon presence, negotiating larger retail orders, or investing in DTC growth, the right financial strategy can unlock the working capital you need—without sacrificing control.

The financing landscape has evolved—just like the way products are sold. Multichannel sellers are no longer confined to rigid banking products or forced to give up equity just to maintain momentum. Fintech lenders are filling the gap, offering purpose-built solutions that move at the speed of commerce and align with the realities of today’s supply chains, platforms, and payment cycles.

Whether you’re managing growth on Amazon, expanding into wholesale partnerships, or smoothing cash flow across retail accounts, the right financing partner should adapt to your strategy—not the other way around.

Modern capital is smarter, faster, and more accessible than ever. And with the flexibility to draw on receivables, inventory, sales data, and future revenue streams, fintech-enabled solutions are empowering sellers to stay in control and scale on their own terms.

The bottom line? You don’t need to slow down growth to secure capital. You just need the right kind of lender.