Import · Export · Trade finance
Finance for the stock that's still at sea
Trade Loan funds the gap between paying an overseas supplier and getting paid for the stock — deposits, balances, duty and GST at the border, and the weeks until it sells.
- No credit check to enquire
- No spray-and-pray
- A real person on your file
Landed per unit
—
Cash out before sales
—
Includes import GST in the cash figure (usually claimable later). Illustrative duty rate — check yours.
Full calculator with deposit timing and funding gap →No credit check to enquire
Asking what's possible for your next shipment leaves your credit file untouched. A credit check only comes up if you decide to proceed.
No spray-and-pray
We don't auction your enquiry to a list of lenders. Your details stay with the person working on your file.
A real person on your file
Someone who understands deposits, landed costs and lead times reads your enquiry and calls you. Accurate answers on the form mean the right match first time.
Where the money goes
An import order spends your cash in four stages
Every container follows the same route: money out at order, again before shipment, again at the border — and back only after the stock sells. Funding works best when it's matched to the stage that's squeezing you.
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When you confirm the order
Deposit
Most overseas suppliers want part of the order value up front before they start production. It's money out months before any sale.
Funding supplier deposits → -
Before the goods ship
Balance
The rest is usually due when production finishes and before the supplier releases the goods or the shipping documents.
Paying the balance → -
When the container lands
Border
Duty, GST on imports, broker fees and port charges are typically paid before your goods are released.
Duty and GST at the border → -
Weeks or months later
Sell-through
The stock still has to sell, and customers on account still have to pay. Only then does the cash come home.
Stock finance for importers →
Explore by topic
Import finance, export finance and landed costs
Plain-English pages on each funding question traders ask, built on the ATO, ABF and Austrade rules.
Supplier deposits, balances before the ship sails, duty and GST at the border, and the weeks until the stock sells — each stage of an import order has its own funding question.
- Supplier deposit funding
- Stock finance for importers
- Trade finance for small business
- Balance before shipment
- Duty & GST at the border
- Import line of credit
- Property-secured import finance
Producing an order before an overseas buyer pays, waiting out long payment terms, spending first on an EMDG-backed campaign — plain-English answers for exporters.
- Export working capital
- Overseas buyer payment terms
- Pre-shipment finance
- EMDG grant cash flow
- Trade credit insurance
- Letters of credit explained
- GST-free exports & BAS refunds
What a shipment really costs once it's on your shelf: duty, GST on imports, freight, insurance, broker fees, port charges and exchange-rate timing — explained with the official rules.
- How to calculate landed cost
- GST on imported goods
- Deferred GST scheme
- Customs duty explained
- Customs broker fees
- Exchange-rate timing
- Incoterms for importers
Who we work with
Businesses that move goods across borders
If your stock is made overseas, or your customers are, the timing of money is your biggest risk. That's the problem we're built around.
- Importers and wholesalers bringing in full or part containers for resale across Australia.
- Online stores ordering private-label or branded stock from overseas factories.
- Retailers placing seasonal orders months before the selling season starts.
- Manufacturers importing components, raw materials or machinery.
- Exporters producing orders for overseas buyers who pay on terms or by letter of credit.
Unsecured & lines of credit
$5k – $500k
Sized on turnover and bank statements
Property-secured
$20k – $5m
First, second mortgages and caveat loans
Past credit issues and ATO debt considered case by case. Business purposes only.
How it works
From "we've got an order" to funded
- 1
Tell us about the shipment
About 60 seconds online: the amount, what it's for, your state and a few questions about the business. No credit check to enquire.
- 2
A real person calls
Someone who knows how deposits, balances and landed costs work reads your enquiry and rings to fill in the picture.
- 3
Options matched to the order
Unsecured, line of credit or property-secured — explained plainly, with what each would need. Your details aren't farmed out.
- 4
Documents, approval, funds
Only once you decide to go ahead. Funds can go to your account or be paid where the order needs them.
Heard on the wharf
Four things importers get told — and what's actually true
"Trade finance is only for big importers with bank facilities."
Plenty of small importers fund deposits and landed stock with a line of credit, an unsecured facility sized on turnover or a property-secured loan. The right fit depends on the order, not the size of your logo.
"GST on imports is a cost of the stock."
It's a cash cost at the border, but a GST-registered importer buying for business use can usually claim it back as a credit. It affects how much cash you need, not your margin.
"If the exchange rate moves, I'll just adjust my prices."
By the time the stock lands, you may have already quoted customers. Exchange-rate movements between order and payment go straight into your landed cost.
"Asking about finance will hurt my credit file."
Not with us. There's no credit check when you first enquire — only if you decide to proceed with a specific option.
Guides
Guides for importers and exporters
Worked examples, calendars and checklists — written for people who've got stock on the water.
What One Container Really Costs: A Landed-Cost Walkthrough
Follow one illustrative 40-foot container from supplier quote to shelf — every cost, every payment date, the landed cost per unit and the funding gap.
Read the guide → SuppliersNegotiating Deposit Terms With Overseas Suppliers
How Australian importers negotiate smaller deposits, later balances and better payment terms with overseas factories — what to offer, what to ask and when.
Read the guide → Cash flowThe Importer's Cash Cycle: From Deposit to Payment
Measure the importer's cash conversion cycle — from supplier deposit to customer payment — and the five levers that shorten it before you need to borrow more.
Read the guide → ExportingGetting Paid by Overseas Customers: Methods Ranked
Payment in advance, letters of credit, documentary collections or open account — how Australian exporters choose the right way to be paid by overseas buyers.
Read the guide → PricingPricing Imported Products: Build Margin on Landed Cost
How to price imported products in Australia: start from landed cost, use margin not markup, allow for exchange rates and platform fees, then test the price.
Read the guide → PlanningBuilding an Import Order Calendar for the Year
A practical way for Australian importers to plan the year's orders around lead times, overseas factory closures, peak shipping, BAS dates and cash-flow peaks.
Read the guide →Questions importers and exporters ask us
What is import finance?
Import finance is funding that covers the money an importer has to pay out before its stock sells: supplier deposits, balance payments before shipment, freight, duty, GST at the border and clearance costs. It can be a one-off loan for a particular order, a revolving line of credit for repeat orders, or a larger property-secured facility.
Can you fund a deposit to an overseas supplier?
Yes, supplier deposits are one of the most common reasons importers talk to us. Unsecured and line-of-credit options for trading businesses typically run from $5,000 to $500,000, sized on turnover and bank statements. Property-secured loans run from $20,000 to $5,000,000.
Do you help exporters too?
Yes. Exporters often wait weeks or months for overseas buyers to pay, or have to produce an order before any money arrives. We talk through working capital for those gaps, and how it fits with things like letters of credit, trade credit insurance and EMDG grants.
Can you help if we have several containers on the water at once?
Yes, and it's a common situation for growing importers. When orders overlap, a revolving facility sized to your usual peak often works better than separate loans for each shipment. Tell us about your order pattern in the enquiry and we'll talk it through.
Does enquiring affect my credit score?
No. There's no credit check when you first enquire. We only discuss a credit check once you've chosen to go ahead with a particular option.
Will my details be sent to lots of lenders?
No. We don't spray enquiries around. A real person looks at your import or export situation and works on a match that fits it.
Do you publish interest rates?
No. Every facility is priced on the business's own circumstances — trading history, security, the order and the timeline — so a published rate would mislead more people than it helped. You'll get the real figures for your situation before you commit.
What should I have ready before I enquire?
Nothing formal for the first step. It helps to know the order value, your supplier's deposit and balance terms, rough freight and duty, when the stock should sell, and whether you own property. Please answer the form accurately so we can match you properly first time.
More answers on the full FAQ page, or start your enquiry and ask a real person.
Got a container to fund?
Tell us the order, the supplier terms and when the stock sells. A real person calls you back — no credit check to enquire, and your details stay with us.
No credit check to enquire
No spray-and-pray
A real person on your file