How Trade Credit Works

How Trade Credit Works | Terms, Risk, Insurance, LCs

How Trade Credit Works

Trade credit is when a seller delivers goods or services today and lets the buyer pay later. Terms like Net 30 or Net 60 set the due date. Early-payment discounts, late-payment charges, retention, and setoff rules shape the economics. Risk sits with the party that ultimately pays on the due date or with the credit wrapper backing that payment. The goal is simple: protect cash flow, ship on time, and collect in full. All amounts in USD.

Snapshot: Standard terms run 30 to 120 days. Open account is common for repeat buyers. Higher risk routes use documentary collection, guarantees, or letters of credit. Credit insurance and confirmations can move risk off the supplier. Effective cost of a 2% early-pay discount 10/30 is ~36.7% annualized. Build controls around approval data, proof of delivery, and dispute handling. See our How It Works and Procedure for next steps.

What Buyers And Suppliers Gain

For Buyers

  • Stretch payables to match sell-through and seasonality.
  • Secure supply without drawing on revolvers.
  • Capture early-pay discounts when cash is abundant.
  • Negotiate better pricing with larger committed volumes.

For Suppliers

  • Grow sales with competitive terms.
  • Use credit insurance or confirmations to de-risk receivables.
  • Convert AR to cash with factoring or payables finance partners.
  • Tighten dispute windows to reduce dilution and chargebacks.

Core Mechanics

Step What Happens Controls
PO And Terms Buyer issues PO. Terms set: Net X, discount windows, Incoterms, penalties. Credit limit by buyer, signed T&Cs, sanctions and KYC checks.
Shipment And Evidence Goods ship or services complete. Proof of delivery or acceptance logged. POD, GRN, milestone sign-offs, transport docs, inspection where relevant.
Invoice Approval Invoice enters ERP, matched, approved, and scheduled for payment. Immutable approval events, reversal logs, segregation of duties.
Early Payment Or Due Date Supplier takes discount or external funder pays early. Buyer settles on due date. Clear discount rules, single source of truth on balances and offsets.
Collections And Disputes Disputes are cut off by a hard date unless defined issues arise. Short dispute windows, reason codes, documentary evidence, audit trails.

Common Instruments

Open Account

Ship now, pay later on agreed terms. Cheapest for the buyer, highest unsecured risk for the supplier without wraps.

Documentary Collection (URC522)

Banks handle documents against payment or acceptance. No bank promise to pay. Useful for mid-risk corridors.

Letter Of Credit (UCP600)

Issuing bank commits to pay on compliant presentation. Can be confirmed by a second bank to remove issuer and country risk.

Guarantees & SBLCs (URDG758/ISP98)

On-demand obligations that back payment or performance. Triggered by defined default events or documentary demand.

Credit Insurance

Policy indemnifies a percentage of unpaid invoices after waiting periods. Assignable to funders to support non-recourse AR sales.

Confirmations

Bank confirms a payment obligation from a strong buyer or issuer. Removes counterparty and country ceilings for exporters.

Pricing And Math

Early-payment discounts carry an implied annual cost. Compare that to your borrowing cost. Formula for discount d with window t and net term n: (d / (1 − d)) × (360 / (n − t)).

Offer Implied Annual Rate Comment
2/10 Net 30 ~36.7% Only makes sense if your cash earns above this rate or the risk relief is worth it.
1/10 Net 30 ~18.2% Often beats unsecured borrowing for smaller buyers.
3/10 Net 60 ~22.3% Longer tenor reduces the annualized hit despite a higher headline discount.

For sellers, price discounts against gross margin and bad-debt relief. For buyers, compare to WACC or short-term funding cost.

Risk And Controls

  • Counterparty risk: Probability the buyer fails to pay on time. Mitigate with limits, insurance, or bank support.
  • Dilution risk: Returns, rebates, shortages, and pricing disputes reduce collectible amounts. Control with tight dispute windows and reason codes.
  • Documentation risk: Weak terms, missing POD, or vague acceptance mechanics lead to write-offs. Use clear T&Cs and evidentiary rules.
  • Country and FX risk: Convertibility, transfer delays, and currency swings. Use confirmed instruments or hedge bands.
  • Fraud typologies: Fake POs, identity switches, diverted payments. Enforce bank account verification and two-factor approvals.

Worked Example In USD

Supplier issues a $10,000,000 invoice on Net 60. Buyer offers 1.5% 10/60.

  • Option A take the 1.5% early-payment discount on day 10. Cash received $9,850,000. Implied annual cost ~ 10.96%.
  • Option B sell the receivable at 5.0% annualized for 50 days. Funding cost ≈ $69,444. Cash received ≈ $9,930,556.
  • Difference Option B preserves ≈ $80,556 versus Option A while keeping buyer risk off the supplier if the sale is without recourse.

Accounting And Working Capital

  • Suppliers: Trade receivables on balance sheet until collected or sold. Watch DSO, bad-debt expense, and dilution.
  • Buyers: Trade payables rise with longer terms. Watch DPO and relationships with critical vendors.
  • Cash conversion cycle: CCC = DSO + DIO − DPO. Trade credit moves DSO and DPO levers directly.

When To Use What

Scenario Preferred Route Why
Repeat buyer, low disputes Open account with credit limits Keeps costs down and speeds up shipments.
New market or higher risk LC with confirmation or SBLC Bank promise to pay reduces non-payment risk.
Broad portfolio of buyers Credit insurance plus AR sale Scales protection and supports non-recourse funding.
Document-driven trade Documentary collection Bank-handled documents without full bank risk take.

Eligibility And Data Room Checklist

Item Details
Buyer Master Credit limits, financials, country, and sanctions screening.
Terms And T&Cs Payment terms, setoff rights, late fees, retention, governing law.
Evidence Of Delivery POD, GRN, acceptance certs, inspection reports, Incoterms mapping.
ERP Approval Data Immutable events, reversals, dispute logs, audit trails.
Policies Or Instruments Insurance binders, LC formats, guarantee templates, assignment rights.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is trade credit a loan?
No. It is a commercial payment term. If receivables are sold or financed, that separate funding can be a loan or a true sale depending on the documents.
Who bears risk on open account?
The supplier bears buyer default risk unless a bank or insurer backs the payment, or the receivable is sold without recourse.
What rules govern documentary instruments?
UCP600 for commercial LCs, URDG758 for guarantees, ISP98 for standby LCs, and URC522 for collections. Incoterms 2020 define delivery risk and cost split.
How do early-payment programs fit in?
Payables finance and dynamic discounting convert approved invoices into early cash for suppliers. Pricing tracks buyer risk and expected loss.

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Financely acts as an advisor and arranges capacity through regulated partners. We do not custody client funds. All engagements are subject to underwriting, KYC, AML, sanctions screening, legal review, and final approvals by funding counterparties and insurers. ICC rules referenced: UCP600, URDG758, ISP98, URC522. This page targets professional clients and eligible counterparties only.

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