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Frequently Asked Questions?

General

What is cogsflow?

cogsflow works with Cost Of Goods Sold (COGS) and Cash Flow. Hence the name.
We work with merchants to finance specific Purchase Orders from their suppliers, freeing up the cash tied up in restocking. We get repaid either over a fixed term or on the final sale of the product. We make our money by marking up the product by a reasonable amount - the specifics depend on the specific deal.

Why does cogsflow want to grow my business?

cogsflow understands how hard it can be to run a successful eCommerce site. And how rewarding. We want to make money by helping our customers succeed (and sleep at night!). We're entrepreneurs ourselves, and the drive to succeed at business is in our blood, too.

How it works?

How much funding could I get?

We generally fund between $10,000 AUD and $50,000 AUD at a time. But if your need is larger or smaller than that, talk to us. We're always happy to cut a deal!

What do I need to qualify for funding?

1. Have a minimum of $10,000 monthly revenue
2. Your business is at least 6 months old, and uses Shopify and Xero.
3. Have an active ABN/ACN and be willing to share financial information with us (so we can verify everything).

Funding

How does cogsflow funding work?

1. You apply for funding with cogsflow.
2. We look over your business and finances and work out how we can help you best.
3. If we can help, we discuss specific Purchase Order(s) that we can finance.
4. If everyone's happy with it, we place the order with the supplier and have the goods delivered to your business as normal.
5. You use the cash you saved on inventory restocking to grow your business.
6. We collect repayments from you depending on the specifics of the deal, usually either over a fixed term, or as you sell the goods.
7. We discuss further deals as we go - no need to wait until the first one is complete.

You don't give up any stake in your business and, unlike a loan, your total repayment is capped from the start.

Does my business qualify for cogsflow funding?

Currently cogsflow funds most small and medium sized eCommerce or inventory-based businesses. Right now, we don't fund perishable items, tobacco or building materials. For more information please join our waitlist.

Why do cogsflow need access to my data?

In order to tailor a funding solution to your business we will ask you to provide access to accounting and point of sale data. This allows us to understand how best we can help your business, and verify that there's no fraud or strangeness involved (we need to protect our investors too). We do not share access with anyone. It's like sharing access with your book-keeper.

Onboarding

Why do you need my ABN Number?

Your ABN enables us to do a credit check and Equifax check on your company.

What are AML/ KYC checks?

Anti Money Laundering agreement & Know your customer (ID Check).

How long does the funding offer last?

Usually 30 Days.

What is PPSR lodgement?

Security for our investors. We have a claim on the inventory that we ordered from the supplier on your behalf, until you repay us. PPSR is a method of doing that.

How long does it take to get funding?

That depends on how quickly everyone moves and how much conversation we need to have. We aim to get offers out within 3 days of getting access to the information we need, but it can take longer.

Why do you only fund inventory?

We worked out that this is the major pain point for eCommerce businesses, especially where there's high growth and a long supplier lead time. If you're ordering 3 months in advance, and you're growing fast over that 3 months, then a significant chunk of your cash is going out of the door with every Purchase Order. Cash you can't use to pay marketing or SEO folks, or new product lines, or more customer service.
We identified that removing this cash drain on eCommerce businesses removes a major barrier to their growth and success.
We also identified that having the funding tied to the physical product removed whole classes of fraud risk for our business. We don't send you cash - we send your suppliers cash and you get the product we ordered for you. We can fund eCommerce businesses that are not normally fundable because we have reduced our risk profile significantly using this model.

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