First-order cash and reorder planner
See when the money for a first order from China leaves your account and when you need to order again. Enter your order value, the deposit your supplier asks for, the production and shipping times, the costs due on arrival and how fast you expect to sell. The planner shows each payment by day, the most cash you need before the first sale and the latest day to place a reorder.
Suppliers commonly ask for a deposit when you order and the balance before the goods ship. Readhow to pay Chinese suppliers safelyandhow to plan cash flow for a China order.
How the plan works
- Deposit = order value × deposit percentage, paid on the deposit day
- Balance = order value − deposit, paid at the end of production: deposit day + production lead time
- Arrival costs are paid when the goods land: balance day + shipping time
- Peak cash before the first sale = deposit + balance + arrival costs
- Weeks of stock = units in the order ÷ units sold per week
- Latest reorder day = arrival day + (units − safety stock) ÷ weekly sales × 7 − (production lead time + shipping time)
- Day 0 is today. Leave the deposit day blank if you pay the deposit today.
- The plan assumes the balance is paid when production ends, before the goods ship, and that the next order has the same production lead time and shipping time as the first.
- Nothing is sold before the goods arrive, so every payment on the timeline is cash you need before the first sale.
- If you are VAT-registered, import VAT you paid on arrival comes back through your VAT return. The planner does not guess when that return is filed or when HMRC repays it. If you use postponed VAT accounting, import VAT is not paid at the border at all: leave it out of the arrival costs.
- The reorder day keeps your safety stock in hand when the new order lands. If sales are faster than you entered, the reorder day comes earlier.
Sources
Checked on 6 October 2026
The planner adds up the figures you enter. It holds no deposit percentages, lead times, shipping times, freight rates or duty rates of its own, and it does not cover exchange-rate movements, bank charges or the timing of VAT repayments.
Questions about this tool
How much cash do I need for a first order from China?
The deposit, the balance and the costs due on arrival, because all three are paid before you can sell anything. Enter your own figures and the planner adds them up by day and shows the peak.
When do I pay the balance to a Chinese supplier?
It depends on your contract. Suppliers commonly ask for the balance at the end of production, before the goods ship, which is what the planner assumes.
Does import VAT count in the cash I need?
If you pay it on arrival, yes. A VAT-registered business reclaims it on its VAT return, so it comes back later. With postponed VAT accounting it is not paid at the border, so leave it out of the arrival costs.
How is the reorder day worked out?
The planner works out the day your stock falls to the safety level at your sales rate, then counts back the production lead time and shipping time of the next order. That is the latest day to place it.
What if the reorder day is before my first order arrives?
It means that at your sales rate the first order will not last as long as it takes to make and ship the next one. You can order more units, hold less safety stock or plan the second order before the first has sold.
Planning a first order from China?
Tell us the product, quantity and destination. Our own staff in China verify factories, follow production and inspect before shipment. We reply the same working day to confirm receipt and arrange next steps.
Discuss your sourcing project- WhatsAppBuying for a business? WhatsApp works too: send your company name, product, quantity and timing, and we will reply with the next steps.
- WeChat: pineapplebuin2000
- 07410367251
- enquiries@camchinabridge.co.uk
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