Wholesalers and importers · Distribution, import and export
Fractional CFO for wholesalers and importers
An importer pays for stock, freight and duty months before the sale, and the exchange rate can move the margin while the goods are on the water. We help you price each line on its landed cost and plan the cash it ties up.
What wholesalers and importers are deciding
Rules and rates are stated in general terms. Your legal adviser or tax adviser can confirm how they apply to your business.
The landed cost of every line
Freight, insurance, duty and the exchange rate move the real cost of stock between the order and the sale.
How much stock to carry into the busy season
An order placed in August sets the Christmas margin, and the cash it ties up has to last until customers pay in the new year.
Supplier terms against customer terms
Paying suppliers in 30 days while customers take 60 leaves a gap that grows with every new account.
What the United States tariff does to export margins
Most Australian goods sold into the United States have carried a 12.5 per cent tariff since 24 July 2026, with exemptions for listed goods.
Illustrative example · Importer · Queensland
When the dollar moves four cents, in one imported line
An importer buys a line for US$40.00 a unit. With the Australian dollar buying 66 US cents, that is A$60.61, and freight, insurance, duty and clearance add 12 per cent, so the landed cost is A$67.88. Sold to retailers at A$97.00 before GST, the line earns a gross margin of 30.0 per cent.
If the dollar falls to 62 US cents before the next order is paid for, the same unit costs A$64.52 and lands at A$72.26. At the old price the margin falls to 25.5 per cent. Holding the margin means a new price of A$103.26.
A$67.88
Landed cost at 66 US cents
A$72.26
Landed cost at 62 US cents
25.5%
Margin at the old price
6.5%
Price rise that holds the margin
The same working, run before an order is placed, shows the exchange rate at which a line stops paying its way, and how much margin is at risk if the dollar moves. Your bank or a licensed adviser can explain the options for cover.
Illustrative, modelled on an importer of this kind. Not a client engagement.
Method: landed cost as the foreign price converted at the exchange rate plus a stated allowance for freight, insurance, duty and clearance; gross margin on the price before GST. Worked in code on 22 October 2026.
How an engagement runs
Every engagement starts with discovery and a diagnostic in the first two weeks. We get under your numbers, from landed cost and stock turns by line to supplier terms, payroll and aged debtors, and surface the issues and opportunities that matter most to a wholesale or import business.
In weeks three and four we set up clean reporting, a cash flow forecast and the rhythm of reviews. The first decisions land in the second month, in pricing, cash or cost, and from the third month we are part of how the business runs, alongside your accountant and bookkeeper. The fractional CFO service page sets out the full scope.
Tools to start with
Free tools on the ProfitPulse tools site for the questions wholesalers and importers ask most, each with its result on screen straight away.
Reading for wholesalers and importers
Common questions
Do you replace our accountant?
No. Your accountant keeps the tax returns, BAS and year end accounts, and your bookkeeper keeps the books. We add the forward looking work: cash forecasts, landed cost and margin by line, and the numbers behind decisions on pricing, stock and investment. We share what we find with your accountant, so everyone works from the same figures.
What does it cost?
The fractional CFO partnership starts from $3,750 a month, billed month to month with no long term lock in. When you need a figure for the business, before a sale or a handover, an indicative valuation starts from $4,500 and a comprehensive valuation from $13,500. Each of these is a starting price.
How is the fee sized?
Engagements usually stay at the starting price. Some need closer oversight or a deeper assessment, and the scope and fee rise to match. Find your fit confirms your price based on the characteristics of your business, and the pricing page explains how everything is sized.
Do you work with wholesalers and importers outside Brisbane?
Yes. We work with wholesalers and importers across Brisbane, the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast, and further afield across Australia. Most of the monthly work happens over video calls and shared reports, with visits to your site as each engagement needs, so distance changes little. The locations we serve page has the detail.
What do you need from us to start?
Read only access to your accounting software, the last two years of financial statements, your stock report by line with turns, your supplier terms and landed cost workings, aged debtors and creditors, and your payroll summary. A first meeting with you covers how stock is bought, held and sold. Nothing needs to change in your systems before we start.
Talk it through with us
A 45 minute discovery call is complimentary. Bring your stock report and your supplier terms.