Prepared by Duneland Financial · Updated October 5, 2026
What financing can support an online-business purchase?
SBA 7(a) permits changes of ownership and working-capital uses, subject to program eligibility and lender review. An online sales channel alone does not answer those tests. Conventional debt and other capital can also be evaluated against the actual buyer, earnings and structure. SBA 7(a) program and application guidance.
The practical question is how the target produces cash after the costs needed to keep it operating. A revenue screenshot does not show those costs. Assemble the financial records, clarify what transfers to the buyer and distinguish a proposed funding source from a committed one.
Prepare evidence for five acquisition questions
The following is Duneland’s preparation framework, not a universal lender checklist. It connects an online business’s operating details to the financing discussion.
- Are the earnings repeatable?
- Reconcile platform and payment-processor reports with financial statements and bank activity. Separate refunds, advertising, fulfillment, platform fees and owner adjustments. Explain seasonal periods and material changes.
- What inventory will the buyer actually receive?
- Prepare a stock list with ownership, location, age and purchase commitments. Identify consignment or other unusual arrangements. State whether inventory is included in the price or bought separately.
- What cash is needed after closing?
- Map supplier deposits, lead times, inventory replenishment, advertising and payout timing. A profitable year can still contain months with cash requirements the purchase budget did not capture.
- What must transfer or continue?
- Identify brand rights, domains, supplier arrangements, fulfillment agreements and sales-channel accounts. Verify transfer requirements with the relevant platform and transaction counsel rather than assuming every account can move with the sale.
- What is the buyer bringing?
- Document the proposed equity, relevant operating experience, transition plan and reserves. A personal financial statement supports the resource discussion; it is not evidence that every asset can be used at closing.
These questions extend the general repayment and collateral analysis described in the OCC Commercial Loans handbook, examination procedures. That guidance addresses cash flow, payment terms and inventory valuation; it does not prescribe eCommerce loan terms.
A purchase budget that includes the operating cycle
Hypothetical example. Assume inventory is excluded from the business price, and the buyer needs additional working capital. The figures below are chosen to illustrate the arithmetic, not a lending offer or market benchmark.
- Business purchase, excluding inventory
- $1,200,000
- Inventory purchased separately
- $150,000
- Additional working capital
- $100,000
- Assumed transaction costs
- $50,000
- Total funding requirement
- $1,500,000
$350,000 of buyer equity and a proposed $150,000 seller note leave $1,000,000 to arrange. No lender availability or SBA contribution treatment is assumed. The seller note’s payments, any senior debt service and the buyer’s retained liquidity still need to be tested.
If inventory is already included in the agreed price, adding it again would double count that use. Likewise, working capital purchased with the business and new post-close funding should be reconciled. Use the capital-stack calculator to model the proposed uses and sources, then the DSCR calculator to test a specified payment scenario.
How the financing review starts
Discuss a specific eCommerce acquisition with Duneland once you have the basic transaction facts.
Prepare a non-confidential summary with the asking price, recent earnings, industry, buyer contribution, transaction stage and main financing question. Supporting records can follow through the agreed private process. A business debt schedule helps distinguish existing obligations from proposed closing treatment; the personal financial statement resource helps organize the buyer’s position.
For a broker-represented listing, Duneland can assess buyer fit or work on the financing structure. Bring us the opportunity; all introductions are coordinated through Duneland.