AI agents for business finance: what they can and can't do
What AI agents can do in bookkeeping, close, collections and compliance today, where a person must stay in charge, and how to judge a product.
The short answer
Give each retailer a written credit limit based on what they normally buy in a week or two, a short payment term, and a rule for crates and broken eggs, then record every delivery on a note the retailer signs. In the example below, a shop buying 40 crates a week at ₦5,500 gets a limit of ₦220,000 on 7-day terms, raised only after a record of on-time payment.
Selling eggs on credit to supermarkets, provision shops and market traders moves volume, and eggs do not wait. But credit sales are where many farms lose money: unpaid balances that grow week after week, disputes over broken eggs, and crates that never come back. Credit works when the rules are written before the first delivery.
Setting a credit limit
Base the limit on what the retailer sells, not on what they ask for.
- Start new customers on cash or a small limit for the first few weeks.
- Watch how many crates they sell in a normal week.
- Set the limit at one week of normal purchases, or two for long-standing customers.
- Raise it only after a run of on-time payments, and say so in writing.
- Stop new credit deliveries when the limit is reached, whatever the reason given.
Worked example
Example. A provision shop buys 40 crates a week at ₦5,500 a crate: ₦220,000. You set a limit of ₦220,000 on 7-day terms. In week three the shop has paid week one but not week two, and asks for another 40 crates. The unpaid balance is already ₦220,000, so the next delivery is cash only until week two is cleared. Prices in this example are illustrations; egg prices change with feed costs and season.
Crates, trays and breakages
Write down how you handle packaging and damage:
- Returnable crates or plastic trays: record how many go out and come back on each delivery note. Some farms take a refundable deposit per tray (for example ₦150 each, an example figure) or charge for trays not returned within a set time.
- Paper trays: usually not returned; include their cost in your price.
- Breakages at delivery: count and agree broken eggs at handover, record them on the note and credit them then.
- Breakages after delivery: the retailer’s cost, unless a quality problem is shown, such as cracks under the shell found on opening a crate the same day.
- Quality complaints: set a short window, for example 24 hours, to report bad eggs, with the crate kept for inspection.
Paperwork that prevents disputes
| Document | What it records | Who signs |
|---|---|---|
| Delivery note | Date, crates delivered, price, trays out and in, breakages | Driver and retailer |
| Invoice | Amount due and due date | Issued by the farm |
| Weekly statement | Opening balance, deliveries, payments, closing balance | Sent to retailer |
| Receipt | Each payment received | Issued by the farm |
A summary of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act on Mondaq states that a consumer must be given a written record of every transaction; with business customers, a written record is simply your evidence. Our guide to evidence to gather in a payment dispute covers what holds up.
Pricing for credit customers
Selling on credit costs you money even when customers pay on time: you have paid for feed, labour and trays weeks before the cash arrives. Some farms charge a slightly higher price for credit than for cash on delivery, or give a small discount for payment on delivery. Whatever you choose, apply it the same way to every customer and write it on the price list. Keep an eye on the total owed across all retailers: if credit sales grow faster than your cash, you may be funding your customers’ businesses with your feed money.
Who to give credit to
- Retailers with a fixed shop you can visit, not traders you cannot find again.
- Customers who have bought for cash for some weeks first.
- A named owner or manager who signs for deliveries, with a phone number you have called.
- Customers who pay into your business account rather than in cash to a driver, so every payment is recorded.
Following up overdue balances
- Day 1 after due date: reminder by message with the statement attached.
- Day 3: call; agree a payment date and record it.
- Day 7: stop deliveries on credit; offer cash deliveries to keep the relationship.
- Day 14: written demand stating the amount and a deadline.
- After that: consider the Small Claims Court. In Lagos, the 2023 Practice Direction covers liquidated debts up to ₦5 million, after a Letter of Demand (Form SCA 1) giving 14 days, and aims to reach judgment within 60 days.
Be polite and consistent at every step. Most late payers are short of cash, not dishonest, and a retailer who is treated fairly while catching up often stays a customer for years. Delivery notes, invoices and statements are your evidence if it does reach court. A farm with a large retail book should also think about whether running its own credit is worth it, compared with selling for cash; store credit vs a pay-later provider sets out the trade-offs.
Where Pryme fits
Give each retailer its own account number with Pryme virtual accounts, so payments match the right balance, and send invoices and statements with invoicing. Farm costing is covered in costing layers vs broilers.
Questions people ask
How do I sell eggs to supermarkets on credit?
Agree a written credit limit and payment term, record every delivery on a signed note, send weekly statements, and stop credit deliveries when the limit is reached.
What credit limit should I give an egg retailer?
A common approach is one week of their normal purchases, raised after a run of on-time payments. There is no fixed rule.
Who pays for broken eggs?
Agree it in advance. Many farms credit breakages counted at delivery and treat later breakages as the retailer’s, unless a quality problem is shown.
How do I recover money a shop owes me for eggs in Lagos?
Send a written demand, then use the Small Claims Court for debts up to ₦5 million under the 2023 Practice Direction.
Sources
- Lagos State Practice Direction on Small Claims Court 2023 · accessed Oct 2026
- Mondaq: The rights of a consumer under the FCCPA · accessed Oct 2026
This article is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice. Products described are provided under the terms on this site and are subject to regulation and eligibility.