A profitable order can prevent the next dispatch
The exporter may have paid for goods, loading and transport while the buyer pays only after documents or acceptance. During that interval, someone finances the shipment. Several overlapping orders create a combined requirement that must be assessed by date, not by adding their expected profits.
The Trade Finance Guide describes the general export cash cycle. Its US support programmes should not be assumed available to a Russian business. The calendar below is a planning model; actual financing availability and security requirements must be discussed with the relevant bank.
Let’s discuss shipment cash-flow planning
I can help review your situation, identify documentation and coordination tasks, and agree participants and next steps. We can also discuss related trade issues and similar difficulties across your company’s shipments. Tell me where the process is getting stuck so we can agree a specific task and scope of support.
Discuss your taskRecord actual cash events
Include supplier payments, contractors, the buyer's advance and balance, fees and funding charges. Expand “payment after documents” into a clear event: which documents, who confirms receipt and when payment becomes due under the contract. Incoterms do not create this payment calendar by themselves.
Distinguish a planned transfer, evidence of dispatch and money actually credited. A payment awaiting clarification is a receivable, not an available bank balance. Keep a responsible person and supporting confirmation against each date.
Illustrative shipment calendar
The example uses millions of roubles and excludes tax and interest. It starts at zero to isolate the shipment, rather than representing the company's actual bank account.
| Day | Cash movement | Cumulative flow |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Buyer advance +2 | +2 |
| 2 | Goods payment −6 | −4 |
| 10 | Logistics −1 | −5 |
| 20 | Documents and handling −0.5 | −5.5 |
| 45 | Buyer balance +8 | +2.5 |
Peak calculated funding need is RUB 5.5 million. A positive final flow does not remove that interim requirement. For the company-wide plan, add opening cash, other shipments, payroll, taxes, repayments and interest. One order's peak is not the total business requirement.
Separate extra time from extra funding
Move the buyer's payment from day 45 to day 65. With no additional expenditure, the peak stays the same but cash remains tied up for another 20 days. A new purchase or storage charge can also increase the peak. These are distinct effects.
For an unchanged hypothetical funded balance of RUB 5.5 million, an illustrative annual rate of 18% and a 365-day basis, another 20 days costs approximately RUB 54,247: 5,500,000 × 0.18 × 20 / 365. The rate is an example only; a real agreement can include fees and a different calculation basis.
Make the next-order decision with both scenarios
Management needs the expected result and the cash position under delay. Negotiation options include the advance, supplier instalments, shipment size and dispatch sequence. Test whether the proposal also works for the buyer: requiring an excessive advance may stop the transaction.
Update the calendar when the route, acceptance schedule or payment status changes. Combine it with the margin calculation and actual timing from completed shipments. If dates are unreliable because participants report separately, coordinated shipment support can help connect the plan to confirmed events.
Management guidance for exporters. Numerical examples are illustrative; requirements and terms must be checked for the specific product and transaction. Sources checked on 24 October 2026.
