The orders are coming in, the revenue numbers look good, and yet you open your bank account and wonder where it all went. There are three places it typically goes.

First: platform fees you’re not fully seeing. Between Amazon referral fees, FBA costs, advertising charges, and payment processing, many sellers are losing 30–40% of revenue before a dollar hits their bank. When revenue grows, these fees grow proportionally — and the gap widens.

Second: inventory timing. You’re paying for stock 60–90 days before you collect the revenue. As you grow, that gap grows too. More orders means more inventory means more cash tied up waiting to become revenue.

Third: blind spots in expenses. Subscriptions, tools, and overhead tend to creep up without notice. A $200/month tool here, a $500/month service there — added up over a year, it’s significant.

Revenue is real. But cash is what keeps the lights on. Knowing where it goes is the first step to keeping more of it.