CannaBiz Collects Collection Services

Submit Claim Here
Visit CannaBiz Collects Website

What Is CannaBIZ Collects

  • CannaBIZ Collects is a debt collection agency specialized for the cannabis / hemp / CBD industry.

  • They operate on a contingency basis: you submit a claim, they attempt to collect, and if they succeed, they take a recovery fee. If they fail, you pay nothing.

  • They claim to be the first and leading cannabis-focused collections agency, with a specialization in understanding the unique regulatory, legal, and reputational challenges of collecting in the cannabis space.

  • Their operations are nationwide (in states where cannabis is legal) and they handle collections for both “plant-touching” (growers, distributors, retailers) and ancillary (labs, marketing, suppliers, etc.) firms.

What They Do / Core Services

Here’s how CannaBIZ Collects works (from public descriptions) and what services it offers:

ServiceDescription / Purpose

  • First-party collections / AR follow-up - They attempt to collect unpaid invoices on behalf of their clients before moving to legal escalation.

  • Debt settlement / negotiation - For accounts that are past due, they negotiate settlements or payment plans with debtors.

  • Legal escalation - If collection via negotiation fails, they may escalate via litigation, working with legal partners in relevant states.

  • Credit / A/R data reporting - They may feed data into credit / risk systems or contribute to credit data (through partnerships like the CCA) so businesses can monitor debtor risk proactively.

  • Consulting / claim submission process - They provide a portal to upload claims, documentation, and initiate recovery.

  • Industry awareness / thought leadership - They publish content on “collection crisis” topics in cannabis, offering strategies, best practices, and trend commentary.

They emphasize that they understand both collections & cannabis regulation — e.g. knowing how to approach debtors in a regulated industry without triggering reputational or legal problems.

Who Uses CannaBIZ Collects / Typical Users

Because they work with accounts receivables, clients of CannaBIZ Collects include:

  • Growers / Cultivators — when they have unpaid invoices from distributors or retailers

  • Distributors / Wholesalers — chasing payments from retailers or accounts that default

  • Retailers / Retail Chains — collecting from customers or business partners (less common, but possible)

  • Ancillary / Supplier Firms — e.g. lighting, packaging, lab, marketing services, who have extended credit to cannabis operators

  • Finance / Accounting Teams — that want to outsource or augment AR recovery efforts

  • Credit / Risk Teams — to help inform creditworthy vs risky customers

  • Legal / Collections staff — to help execute escalations in jurisdictions where their internal team might lack expertise

Because cannabis is a high-risk, underbanked sector, many firms may struggle with cash flow and face higher delinquencies. Using a specialist collection agency helps navigate that risk.

Strengths & Differentiators

Here are what appear to be the main advantages of CannaBIZ Collects in the cannabis domain:

  1. Cannabis specialization
    They understand the regulatory, reputational, and financial peculiarities of cannabis dealings (e.g. dealing with state risk, banking limitations, reputational fragility). That domain knowledge reduces missteps versus a generic collections agency.

  2. Contingency / lower risk model
    You pay only upon successful collection. This reduces the downside of engaging a collections firm.

  3. Nationwide / multi-state coverage
    They claim they operate in all legal states, so you don’t have to engage multiple agencies per state.

  4. Data / network advantage
    Because they specialize in cannabis, they may have intelligence about which companies are high risk, prior payment behavior, and a database to inform which claims are worth pursuing.

  5. Legal escalation capability
    They can push claims into litigation when needed, making them more than just a soft collection service.

  6. Thought leadership / educational content
    Their blog / articles (e.g. “Navigating the Collection Crisis”) shows they aim to build credibility and help the ecosystem understand credit risk.

Risks, Challenges & Critiques

Using any collections agency (especially in a regulated, borderline legal environment) has risks. Here are caveats for CannaBIZ Collects:

  • Legal enforceability disputes
    In some jurisdictions, cannabis contracts may be considered unlawful or tricky due to federal law conflicts. It may limit ability to enforce certain claims via courts.

  • State / jurisdiction variation
    Laws on debt collection, consumer protection, statute of limitations, allowed practices differ by state. CannaBIZ Collects has to adapt per state, which increases complexity and risk.

  • Reputational risk
    Aggressive collection in small, tight-knit cannabis communities could backfire — damage relationships, brand perception, or trust.

  • Selective claims
    They may reject claims that look too risky to collect — your debt may be uncollectible in reality, even if they accept it initially.

  • Fee structure / hidden cost
    Ensure you understand their commission rates, whether you must cover legal costs if litigation, and how much they deduct from recoveries.

  • Time to resolution
    Some claims may take many months to resolve, or get stuck in cycles of negotiation / legal limbo.

  • Conflict / compliance sensitivity
    Because cannabis is regulated, debt demands must be careful to comply with advertising laws, licensing restrictions, and to not implicitly promote illicit transactions. A misstep could trigger regulatory scrutiny.

  • Data privacy / security
    Handling debtor information, claims, payment data must comply with privacy regs. Ensure the agency handles data securely.

Previous
Previous

Navigating Succession Planning in Cannabis Businesses

Next
Next

MyTrace