# Inventory deal cash-flow timeline planner

This planner shows, week by week, whether you can pay for an inventory deal and keep the business running until the goods sell. Ending cash each week equals the prior week's cash plus receipts minus all payments. The pre-financing cash gap is the lowest projected balance turned positive, or zero if cash never goes below zero, and the planner shows it for a base case and a delayed-sale case.

## Hypothetical example: a $45,000 supplier payment in week 1 with $20,000 opening cash

| Week | Receipts | Payments | Ending cash, no financing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | $3,000 | $45,000 | -$22,000 |
| Week 2 | $3,000 | $4,000 | -$23,000 |
| Week 3 | $9,000 | $4,000 | -$18,000 |
| Week 4 | $12,000 | $4,000 | -$10,000 |
| Week 5 | $14,000 | $4,000 | $0 |
| Week 6 | $14,000 | $4,000 | $10,000 |
| Week 7 | $12,000 | $4,000 | $18,000 |
| Week 8 | $10,000 | $4,000 | $24,000 |
**Lowest balance:** -$23,000 in week 2, so the base-case gap before financing is $23,000. If every receipt arrives two weeks late, the lowest balance falls to -$31,000 in week 4, so the delayed-case gap is $31,000.
All figures are hypothetical. Payments include the $45,000 supplier invoice in week 1 and $4,000 of weekly operating costs. With $30,000 of funding received in week 1 and hypothetical $2,500 weekly repayments from week 2, the planner shows whether cash stays above zero.

PlannerNothing you type is sent anywhere. All math happens in your browser.

Opening cashFunding received in week 1 (enter 0 to see the gap)Delayed-sale case: receipts arrive this many weeks late1 week2 weeks3 weeks4 weeks
| Week | Customer receipts | Purchase and operating payments | Financing repayments | Ending cash, no financing | Ending cash, with financing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 |  |  |  |  |  |
| Week 2 |  |  |  |  |  |
| Week 3 |  |  |  |  |  |
| Week 4 |  |  |  |  |  |
| Week 5 |  |  |  |  |  |
| Week 6 |  |  |  |  |  |
| Week 7 |  |  |  |  |  |
| Week 8 |  |  |  |  |  |
Pre-financing cash gap (base case)**Pre-financing cash gap (delayed sales)**Lowest balance with financing (base case)**

Prefilled with the hypothetical example below. Replace every number with your own dated quotes, invoices, sales estimates and the schedule in your written offer.

## How the planner works

Each week starts with the previous week's ending cash, adds money coming in and subtracts every payment going out. The planner runs the same weeks twice: once without financing, to measure the gap, and once with the funding and repayments you enter, to test whether the offer actually keeps you above zero.

- **Ending cash** = prior cash + receipts - all payments.
- **Pre-financing cash gap** = the larger of zero and the negative of the lowest projected balance.
- **Delayed-sale case** = the same plan with every receipt moved later by the number of weeks you choose. Receipts pushed past week 8 drop out of the view.

## What to enter in each column

Enter dated amounts you can support with paper: supplier invoices and quotes for payments, your sales history or customer terms for receipts, and the repayment schedule from a written offer. Estimates are fine, but write down where each one came from.

- **Customer receipts:** cash you expect to actually land each week, after marketplace holds or customer payment terms, not the day you make a sale.
- **Purchase and operating payments:** the supplier deposit and balance, freight, and normal weekly costs such as rent and payroll.
- **Financing repayments:** copy them from the written offer. If you do not have an offer yet, test a few hypothetical schedules.For help with the order itself, see [short-term working capital for inventory deals](https://primefundingnow.com/funding-solutions/working-capital-for-inventory-deals/) and [funding a bulk inventory purchase](https://primefundingnow.com/blog/bulk-inventory-purchase-funding/).

## Reading the results

The base-case gap is the least you would need to fund to avoid going negative if everything sells on time. The delayed-case gap shows how much more room you need if sales are slower. If the with-financing line still dips below zero, the amount or the repayment schedule does not fit the deal.

A plan that only works when every receipt arrives on time is fragile. Many owners size the request between the two gaps and keep a reserve, rather than borrowing exactly the base-case number.

## Why repayment timing matters as much as the amount

Two offers for the same amount can feel very different week to week. Payments that start before the goods sell pull cash out when it is tightest. Enter each offer's schedule in the repayments column and compare the lowest balance, not just the total cost.

To compare the total dollar cost of two offers, use the [offer comparison tool](https://primefundingnow.com/tools/business-funding-offer-comparison/). When the plan holds up, you can [apply online](https://primefundingnow.com/apply/) with the supplier quote attached, or start with the [inventory purchase funding](https://primefundingnow.com/offers/working-capital-for-inventory-purchases/) page.

## Frequently asked questions

**Does the planner store or send my numbers?**

No. Everything runs in your browser and nothing is sent to Prime Funding Now or anyone else. You do not need to give contact details to use it, and closing the page clears it.

**Why eight weeks?**

Most inventory deals turn from a supplier payment into customer receipts within a couple of months. If your cycle is longer, run the planner in two-week steps by treating each row as a fortnight and adjusting the amounts.

**What is a good cash reserve to keep?**

There is no single right number. Look at your lowest week in the delayed-sale case and ask whether the business could still pay rent, payroll and suppliers if that week happened. If not, buy less or fund more conservatively.

**Is the pre-financing gap the amount I should request?**

It is a starting point, not a recommendation. The amount offered and its repayment schedule are set by the funder. Test the written offer in the repayments column to confirm cash stays above zero.

**How fast can I get a decision?**

At Prime Funding Now, a decision is typically made within 24 hours of a complete application. Actual funding time varies by product, so plan the supplier payment date with some margin.

Apply: https://primefundingnow.com/apply/
Canonical: https://primefundingnow.com/tools/inventory-deal-cash-timeline/
Updated: 2026-10-17