You reckon wrong, you don't get money on Lazada until delivery is complete. I am not doing the finances, but we used to get it about every 10 days. Shopee faster.
However some very 'little ghosts' have little cashflow, and order it when sold one, so yes, it is likely they don't have their own stock but they still have to finance your order first.
Their rating will drop as a result so usually they are gone within 3-6 months.