Common funding needs in the ecommerce sector
- Funding stock orders ahead of peak periods (Q4, Prime Day, Black Friday)
- Scaling paid acquisition on Meta, Google and TikTok
- Bridging Amazon disbursement cycles and FBA cashflow
- Investing in warehousing, 3PL and fulfilment infrastructure
- Funding product development or launching a new SKU range
- International expansion working capital
Finance types that usually fit
Based on how UK lenders typically underwrite this sector, the following finance categories are the most common fit:
Revenue-Based Finance
Growth capital repaid flexibly against future revenue.
Merchant Cash Advance
Cash advance repaid as a share of card/POS/platform sales.
Unsecured Business Loan
Term loan or credit line repaid through fixed instalments.
Sector-specific eligibility blockers
- Recent platform suspension or compliance issues on Amazon/eBay
- Weak unit economics — high CAC, thin contribution margin
- Highly concentrated revenue from a single ad channel or marketplace
- Product category in a restricted segment (vape, supplements, regulated goods)
- Short revenue history below most lenders' 3–6 month minimum
How routing usually works in ecommerce
Ecommerce routing usually starts with revenue-based finance providers because they integrate directly with Shopify, Amazon, Stripe and major card processors and can issue offers within hours. Wayflyer typically targets larger volume sellers; Outfund focuses on growth-stage. Where the seller is principally on Shopify or PayPal, the platform-native product is often cheapest and fastest. Larger and more diversified sellers with 12+ months of accounts can also borrow from iwoca, Funding Circle and other unsecured lenders. Stock-cycle and ad-spend uses are the most common fund triggers; warehouse fit-out and 3PL deposits sometimes route to asset finance.
UK lenders active in ecommerce
The lenders below publish criteria consistent with funding businesses in this sector. Final approval is always subject to lender underwriting.
Wayflyer
Revenue-based funding
- Amount
- Up to £1m SMB; up to £20m broader platform
- Speed
- 24–48h decision; funds in 24h
- Security / PG
- No PG promoted on SMB page
- Data confidence
- High
Outfund
Growth funding
- Amount
- $35k–$13m surfaced
- Speed
- Offer ~24h
- Security / PG
- Not disclosed
- Data confidence
- Low / needs UK confirmation
Shopify
Shopify Capital
- Amount
- £400–£2m cash advances; £200–£1m loans
- Speed
- Not disclosed
- Security / PG
- Not disclosed
- Data confidence
- Medium
PayPal
Working Capital
- Amount
- Not disclosed
- Speed
- Online eligibility
- Security / PG
- No traditional collateral disclosed
- Data confidence
- High
YouLend
Sales-based funding
- Amount
- Up to 2x monthly revenue
- Speed
- Offer <24h; funding ~48h
- Security / PG
- Not disclosed
- Data confidence
- Medium
iwoca
Business loan / credit line
- Amount
- £1k–£1m
- Speed
- Instant/same-day for many
- Security / PG
- Unsecured positioning
- Data confidence
- High
Kriya
Selective invoice finance
- Amount
- Up to 90% invoice advance
- Speed
- Within 24h advertised
- Security / PG
- Invoice-backed
- Data confidence
- Medium
Frequently asked questions
- What is revenue-based finance and is it right for ecommerce?
- Revenue-based finance is funding repaid as a percentage of future sales, with no fixed monthly payment. It's purpose-built for ecommerce and SaaS because repayments flex with revenue. Wayflyer and Outfund are the main UK providers focused on this market.
- Can a UK Amazon seller get finance?
- Yes. Wayflyer, Outfund and several MCA providers underwrite directly off Amazon Seller Central data. Disbursement frequency and FBA reserves are usually factored in. Some lenders prefer sellers with at least 6 months of consistent Amazon revenue.
- Is platform-native funding (Shopify Capital) the best route?
- Often the cheapest and fastest for eligible Shopify merchants because the platform already has the sales data. The trade-off is that limits are capped relative to volume and you're tied to staying on the platform. Compare with Wayflyer and Outfund offers if available.
- How fast can ecommerce finance fund?
- Platform-native and revenue-based offers can fund in 24–72 hours once an integration is established. Unsecured loans take 2–5 working days. Fastest in the UK market is typically Shopify Capital, PayPal Working Capital, or a Wayflyer renewal.
- Will an ecommerce lender ask for a personal guarantee?
- Many revenue-based finance providers position as no-PG for facility amounts under £500k. Read the offer carefully — some still take a personal liability via a separate agreement. Asset finance and unsecured loans almost always include a director PG.
Related use cases
Eligibility checks for this sector
Each finance type has its own eligibility signals. The pages below explain what UK lenders typically look at — criteria can change and final decisions are subject to lender underwriting.