Funding stock for the festive season.
The busiest weeks of the year need stock that has to be paid for months earlier. Funding that gap is sensible when the numbers work: the stock sells, the margin covers the cost, and the repayment does not outlast the season.
Checked 21 September 2026
The gap is longer than it looks.
Stock ordered in September or October, especially imported stock, is paid for well before December’s sales come in, and the cash from those sales often only settles in January. That is three or four months with money tied up in shelves and warehouses. Fund the whole gap, not only the supplier’s invoice.
Work out the number before you apply.
Borrow against what you expect to sell, not what you hope to. Start from last year’s festive sales, the margin on this year’s stock and how quickly it moved. Then check the total cost of the funding against that margin: if the funding takes most of the profit on the stock it pays for, order less.
- What you are buying, from whom, and the supplier’s payment terms.
- Last year’s sales for the same period, from your bank statements or point of sale.
- The margin on the stock, after the cost of the funding.
- When the repayment ends. January and February are quiet months for many businesses.
The funding that fits seasonal stock
Trade finance pays the supplier directly, and suits imports and larger orders. If your customers pay by card, revenue-based finance is repaid as a share of those sales, so repayments rise with the festive rush and ease after it. A short loan or a facility covers smaller local orders with a known repayment.
Whatever the shape, match the term to the season. Funding that is still being repaid in March has turned a December decision into a first-quarter one.
Lenders on Frank’s panel for this
These are the panel products the results page puts first when a business says the funding is for stock. How your customers pay, and whether the stock is imported, decides which leads.
- Trade finance
- Built for buying stock against future sales — the stock often secures the facility itself.
- Term loan
- Works if the margin on the stock comfortably covers the repayment.
| Lender and product | Min. turnover | Min. trading | Amount | Security | Card sales | Credit record | Documents | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geddes Capital Trade Finance Trade finance | R167k a month | 12 months | R500k to R15m | Required | Not needed | Some adverse credit considered | 6 months’ bank statements, financial statements | 2–4% a month |
| Geddes Capital Secured Business Loan Term loan | R167k a month | 12 months | R500k to R15m | Required | Not needed | Some adverse credit considered | 6 months’ bank statements, financial statements | From prime + 2% |
| Pollen Finance Unsecured Business Loan Term loan | R83k a month | 12 months | R100k to R6m | None | Not needed | Some adverse credit considered | 6 months’ bank statements | Flat fee |
| Lula Cash Flow Facility Line of credit | R40k a month | 12 months | R10k to R5m | None | Not needed | Clean record | 3 months’ bank statements | 2–6% a month |
| Bridgement Revenue Advance Facility Revenue-based | R100k a month | 6 months | Not published | None | Not needed | Clean record | 3 months’ bank statements | 2–5% a month |
| Merchant Capital Merchant Cash Advance (MCA) Revenue-based | R50k a month | 8 months | R30k to R5m | None | Needed | Clean record | 6 months’ bank statements | Factor rate 1.08–1.15 |
- Geddes Capital
Trade Finance · Trade finance
- Min. turnover
- R167k a month
- Min. trading
- 12 months
- Amount
- R500k to R15m
- Term
- 6 to 120 months
- Security
- Required
- Card sales
- Not needed
- Credit record
- Some adverse credit considered
- Documents
- 6 months’ bank statements, financial statements
- Rate
- 2–4% a month
- Speed
- 1 week
- Geddes Capital
Secured Business Loan · Term loan
- Min. turnover
- R167k a month
- Min. trading
- 12 months
- Amount
- R500k to R15m
- Term
- 6 to 120 months
- Security
- Required
- Card sales
- Not needed
- Credit record
- Some adverse credit considered
- Documents
- 6 months’ bank statements, financial statements
- Rate
- From prime + 2%
- Speed
- 1 week
- Pollen Finance
Unsecured Business Loan · Term loan
- Min. turnover
- R83k a month
- Min. trading
- 12 months
- Amount
- R100k to R6m
- Term
- 6 to 8 months
- Security
- None
- Card sales
- Not needed
- Credit record
- Some adverse credit considered
- Documents
- 6 months’ bank statements
- Rate
- Flat fee
- Speed
- 24 hours
- Lula
Cash Flow Facility · Line of credit
- Min. turnover
- R40k a month
- Min. trading
- 12 months
- Amount
- R10k to R5m
- Term
- Not published
- Security
- None
- Card sales
- Not needed
- Credit record
- Clean record
- Documents
- 3 months’ bank statements
- Rate
- 2–6% a month
- Speed
- 24 hours
- Bridgement
Revenue Advance Facility · Revenue-based
- Min. turnover
- R100k a month
- Min. trading
- 6 months
- Amount
- Not published
- Term
- 3 to 9 months
- Security
- None
- Card sales
- Not needed
- Credit record
- Clean record
- Documents
- 3 months’ bank statements
- Rate
- 2–5% a month
- Speed
- 24 hours
- Merchant Capital
Merchant Cash Advance (MCA) · Revenue-based
- Min. turnover
- R50k a month
- Min. trading
- 8 months
- Amount
- R30k to R5m
- Term
- 1 to 12 months
- Security
- None
- Card sales
- Needed
- Credit record
- Clean record
- Documents
- 6 months’ bank statements
- Rate
- Factor rate 1.08–1.15
- Speed
- Same day
These are each lender’s published minimums, not approvals. Every lender on the panel, side by side
Questions
Before you order, so the funding is approved when the supplier needs paying. For imported stock that can mean August or September; for local stock, allow at least a few weeks.
Enough to cover the gap from paying the supplier to being paid by customers, based on what you expect to sell. Check that the funding’s total cost leaves you a margin on the stock.
Yes. Revenue-based finance and merchant cash advances are repaid as a share of card or daily sales, so repayments follow the festive peak. They usually need a history of card turnover.
Related
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