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Deposit?

by Mattds
9 replies
  • WEB DESIGN
    • |
Hi everyone.

I have been freelancing as a web designer for several months now and after having a discussion with a fellow web designer and he was shocked that i don't take a deposit from my customers.

I haven't felt the need to do so far but I have only been freelancing for a short time.

So what does everyone think? Should I take deposits in future and if so what sort of percentage? I was thinking maybe... 10%.

:confused:
#deposit #freelance #web design
  • Profile picture of the author david5000
    I look at it like this.

    If they like you site/portfolio and they hire you they will like you end product.

    If they are serious about hiring you they shouldn't mind paying 10%-20% deposit.

    I personally have 2 sites. 1 i don't take a deposit. other i look for all the money upfront!
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    • Profile picture of the author wcardinal
      you should get half up front. Why do you want to leave the chance of the customer to walk away? 10% (or no deposit) makes it easy for you to not get paid the balance.
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      • Profile picture of the author WPCHARLIE
        Agree with @WCardinal. There's no reason to risk doing all the work and having the client walk away. That's time and money you wasted.

        It is very common to take 50% upfront for a job, and clients should not mind paying it either. If they do, then try to re-negotiate it downwards to 25%, but phase the development into quarters and request 25% at the end of each phase.

        I also find that, indirectly, clients value your time more when they have to pay for it upfront. Otherwise, it's a wait and see what happens type of attitude (with some, not all clients).
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  • Profile picture of the author Patrick
    If I work for a client, who is regular and gives me work always, I do not take any deposit.

    If I meet someone new, I ask them to open a project in Odesk or Freelancer.

    Whatever it is, I do the development on my server ALWAYS, so that they do not get the work for free.
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  • Profile picture of the author Istvan Horvath
    Never started to do anything before getting the 50% upfront.
    (Long time returning customers are treated differently)
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  • Profile picture of the author Mutiny
    Always get a deposit up front - if you don't start now, you'll start the first time you get burned by a client.

    I base mine on the workload and cost, creating milestones in the project that correspond with payments. That way, if a client bails out or takes a long time in getting draft approvals or info to you, you're not stuck playing lender, and you've been paid for your time and effort.

    If it's a quick job and inexpensive, then 50% is fine.
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  • Profile picture of the author nthmarketing
    Similar to Charlie I always ask for 50% up front, 25% on first delivery and final payment when the customer is 100% satisfied. If the estimate is higher than $2500 then I break payments into milestones but still ask for at least 25% up front.

    Aloha,
    Fred
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  • Profile picture of the author KenW3
    It depends upon what you are charging. If all I am doing is dropping some theme on a Wordpress site and they take it from there, that is cheap and it is always paid in advance.

    For more complex site design, though, you should always have a deposit and a development contract so they don't waste your time.
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  • Profile picture of the author Mattds
    So there it is. Thanks guys I will start to ask for a deposit in future.And I agree and think using milestones would be a good thing for larger projects.
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