How to Offer Net Terms on Your B2B Ordering Portal

Why Net Terms Are the Dealbreaker

Most B2B portal launches die for one reason: the platform accepts credit cards only. Your dealers have been ordering on net 30 for years. They won’t put a $15,000 purchase order on a Visa. They’ll keep calling your sales desk instead.

Net terms aren’t a nice-to-have for wholesale. They’re the baseline expectation. If your online portal can’t replicate the payment experience buyers have now, they won’t use it.

Most B2B ecommerce platforms either skip net terms or bolt them on through a third-party integration that adds cost and friction. We identified this gap when building OrderDock: native net terms support shouldn’t be an add-on.

Step 1: Understand Your Credit Risk Options

Extending credit means accepting risk. A buyer orders $20,000 of product on net 60, and you carry that receivable for two months. If they don’t pay, you lose the product and the revenue.

For established dealer networks where you know your buyers, this risk is manageable. You’ve been doing it for years via purchase orders. Moving online doesn’t change the risk profile. It changes the ordering channel.

For new accounts or marketplaces where you don’t know the buyer, the risk equation is different. That’s where third-party providers earn their fee.

Step 2: Choose Your Approach

Self-managed terms keep your margins intact. You set the credit limit, generate the invoice, and collect payment. The downside: you need AR processes and you absorb defaults. For wholesalers with a stable dealer base and low default rates (under 2%), self-managing is the right call.

Third-party providers like Resolve, Credit Key, or Behalf pay you within 1-3 days of the order. They collect from the buyer on the agreed terms. Fees run 2-4% of the invoice amount. The math works when your margins can absorb the fee and you’re selling to accounts you can’t credit-check.

Step 3: Configure Terms Per Account

Not every buyer gets the same terms. Your platform should let you assign terms at the account level:

• New accounts: Prepay or credit card only until they establish history
• Standard accounts: Net 30 with a credit limit tied to their average monthly volume
• Preferred accounts: Net 60 with higher limits based on the relationship

Set credit limits that reflect reality. If a dealer orders $8,000/month on average, a $10,000 credit limit gives them room without overexposing you.

Step 4: Set Up Invoicing Workflows

Every order placed on terms needs to generate an invoice. Manual invoice creation defeats the purpose of putting ordering online.

The invoice should include the buyer’s PO number (if provided), all line items with pricing, the payment due date calculated from the order date, and clear payment instructions (ACH details, check address, or online payment link).

Step 5: Automate Payment Reminders

Chasing payments is the part of AR that everyone hates. Automate it. A simple reminder sequence handles the majority of collections without human intervention:

• 7 days before due: “Your invoice #1234 for $8,450 is due on April 15”
• 3 days before due: “Reminder: payment due in 3 days”
• Due date: “Payment is due today”
• 7 days past due: “Your payment is 7 days overdue. Please remit to avoid account holds”
• 14 days past due: “Your account has been placed on hold. Contact us to resolve”

The account hold at 14 days past due is the key enforcement mechanism. Buyers who can’t place new orders until they pay tend to pay fast.