Shelfline Capital · Resources
Plain explanations of the arithmetic, written for operators who are deciding whether a buy pays for its own capital.
A $400,000 purchase order placed in August deploys roughly $550,000 before a unit sells, and the last dollar leaves about six weeks before the first meaningful revenue week. That is a 14-to-20-week gap. Here is the arithmetic, stage by stage, and how to size a facility against the whole of it rather than one month.
Capital offered inside a sales platform underwrites one channel, funds one channel, usually cannot be applied for, and lands in a balance you do not fully control. It is cheap and fast and worth taking when offered. It is also structurally incapable of funding a wholesale PO, customs duty or a buildout.
A total cost of funding of 9% to 34% of the amount advanced over a 4-to-18-month term is not an APR and should not be compared to one directly. Here is how to convert it, how the prepayment discount changes it, and the one calculation that actually decides an inventory buy.
January revenue typically lands around 40% of December's. A fixed payment sized against November is the most common way a good fourth quarter turns into a bad first quarter. Plan for about 70% sell-through by 31 January, and write the step-down into the agreement at origination.
A line of credit for the inventory cycle plus equipment financing for the fixed assets do not compete for the same cash. Three unsecured advances from three funders who each think they are first do. How to tell the difference before you sign.
A one-page application and four months of business bank statements. No tax returns and no financial statements for working capital under $250,000. Term, SBA and equipment products each add specific documents — the full list, by product.
| Requirement | Shelfline minimum |
|---|---|
| Credit score | No minimum FICO. We do not decline on credit score alone. |
| Monthly revenue | $15,000 per month in business bank deposits |
| Time in business | 6 months |
| Funding range | $10,000 to $2,000,000 |
| Business location | All 50 U.S. states |
| Entity type | LLC, S-corp, C-corp, partnership, or sole proprietorship |
| Bank account | One U.S. business bank account |
| Documents to apply | One-page application plus your last 4 months of business bank statements. No tax returns and no financial statements for working capital under $250,000. |
| Decision | Same business day. Most files are decided in 2 to 6 hours. |
| Funding speed | As fast as 24 hours after you sign |
| Contract | Two pages. |
| Collateral | None required on working capital, lines of credit, or revenue-based funding |
| Personal guarantee | Standard validity guarantee only on working capital. Full guarantee on term, SBA and equipment products. |
| Prepayment | Discount of up to 30% of remaining cost if you pay off early |
| Credit inquiry | Applying is a soft inquiry. It does not affect your personal credit score. |
| Cost to apply | $0. No application fee, no broker fee, no fee of any kind unless you fund. |
Who we do not fund: businesses under 6 months old; businesses under $15,000 a month in deposits; businesses with an open, undischarged bankruptcy; businesses without a U.S. business bank account; pre-revenue startups; personal or consumer borrowing; and any business whose primary activity is federally illegal.
We publish these numbers because they are the question. If you do not clear a line above, you will not waste a day finding out.
No application fee. Soft credit inquiry. Same-day decision.
Or call (888) 896-5559 · Mon–Fri 9am–7pm ET, Sat 9am–2pm ET