Unconventional Financing For Amazon Sellers: Finding The Money

When it comes to business expansion many factors enter into the equation. Not least of which is financing.

Whether raising capital for growth, inventory for a new product, a new marketing campaign or any of the other many needs an Amazon business might have in order to expand, there now exists an entire field dedicated to providing financing for Amazon sellers.

Not surprising, considering how vast an enterprise selling on Amazon has become.

For a creative seller there are, however, ways to handle Amazon funding beyond the traditional methods.

Traditional Financing

Amazon lending has become an entire industry unto itself. The days of lending institutions not knowing how to rate, evaluate and advance capital or lines of credit to online – and especially Amazon – businesses is long past.

An Amazon loan is now as routine as a standard business loan of yore. In fact Amazon itself lends sellers money and has been for some time.

Modern lending institutions have evolved, many dedicated to the Amazon seller, offering things like:

Financing of Small Business Loans 

• Revolving Lines of Credit 
• Revenue Based Financing 
• Personal and Business Credit Cards

But what if you’d rather not take on a debt?

What if you’d rather find the money to expand another way?

RELATED: A Seller’s Guide To Funding Your Amazon Business Expansion

A Penny Saved

Traditional Amazon financing (the fact that we can even now call it “traditional” speaks to how common this has become) is often flexible, affordable, exceedingly workable and effective.

Only, maybe you prefer leveraging your existing operations.

Certain, clever approaches have the potential to free up the capital you need to expand, right from your own resources.

To name a few:

1. Reimbursements
2. Enhanced inventory management
3. Optimized ads

When we look at these, plus things like more efficient business operations, it quickly becomes clear how resulting profit increases could be spun into capital for growth.

Leveraging Reimbursements

Did you know Amazon may actually (likely) owe you money?

This isn’t necessarily a well-kept secret. Still, you may not realize there could be funds owed, waiting for you to claim, which Amazon is sitting on.

Maybe sitting on isn’t the best way to put it, but the fact is Amazon will only get these to you if you ask.

“What are these funds of which you speak?” we hear you wonder. “And how do I get them?”

The short answer is that there are reimbursements due as a result of errors in shipping and other, common issues Amazon encounters day in and day out, which are noted but not typically issued by default.

The amounts are not insignificant.

You can learn how to find and file claims on these. There are also services that help, like our Seller Investigators. They find, file and reimburse these for you.

As well there may be chargeback fees you can recoup. We can help with that, too. Our chargeguard service identifies and reclaims funds you may be owed.

Funds that can then be reinvested into your business.

Enhanced Inventory Management

Another way to free up funds.

Inventory is central to, well, everything. Inventory, in many ways, is your Amazon business. Meaning if you get a firm handle on your inventory you’re already a long way toward increased success.

And more capital at your disposal.

Effective inventory management means:

• Optimizing for cashflow.
• Avoiding overstock/stockout issues.
• Forecasting accurately.

All things you can do with proper oversight, insight, and enough time.

You can also use tools.

A big member of the Carbon6 family, SoStocked, offers multiple solutions for doing exactly that: getting a handle on your inventory.

Which, in turn, marks the beginning of the road to riches.

RELATED: 3 Top Amazon Profit Killers and How to Recover Your Margins with Inventory Management Methods

Capitalize On Infinite ROAS

ROAS, or Return on Ad Spend, is yet another way to recoup funds that can then be allocated for expansion.

Getting an FBA loan is great, but may not be needed if you’re exploiting incredible gains brought about through ultra-effective advertising.

What if you could drive your ROAS to unheard-of levels?

Is “infinite ROAS” truly possible?

In theory, yes. Zero is pretty much the same as infinity, mathematically. Thus, if you could get ad results for zero ad spend you’d have what amounted, basically, to a money printing machine.

A lofty goal, and not entirely unobtainable. Again, with the right tools you can close in on that Holy Grail of advertising, freeing growth-capital in the bargain.

Finding The Money

Whether you borrow capital by getting an Amazon seller loan, or make it by redirecting enhanced profits, the key is that you’re using your capital to grow. Even if you plan to eventually sell (perhaps especially then), expanding your Amazon business should be Priority One.

What’s that saying? Go big or go home?

We propose a revision: “Go big or go bigger.”

Why give ourselves the other option?

Survival and profitability are admirable goals, but the way to really make it is constant expansion. Done right, raising and allocating capital toward growth leads directly to that promised land.

Which method you choose to find the money is up to you.