Vendor Financing
The lending of money by a company to one of its customers so that the customer can buy products from it. By doing this, the company increases its sales even though it is basically buying its own products.
Investopedia Commentary
This is a sneaky method a company can use to increase sales. It is also very risky, as the companies it lends money to are usually not very financially stable and may never pay back the money. If they don't pay back the debt, the lending company will just write-down the loss as a bad debt.
Related Links
Cooking The Books 101
Introduction to Fundamental Analysis
Advanced Financial Statement Analysis
Evaluating A Company's Management
See also: Bad Debt, Big Bath, Cook the Books, Restatement, Voodoo Accounting, Write-Down