Hot take: I saw a post saying 'never work without a deposit' but another guy said deposits scare off clients

I read two freelancers going back and forth on LinkedIn last week. One said she lost $2,000 because she didn't take a deposit, the other said he never asks for money upfront and his clients love him for it. Which side do you lean on for smaller jobs under $500?

3 comments

3 Comments

fisher.jessica10d ago

wait but why does a small deposit scare someone off? if $50 or $100 is enough to make a client run, were they ever gonna pay you at all? i feel like that guy on LinkedIn is just lucky he hasnt been burned yet. i get that for tiny jobs like $100 you might skip it to seem flexible, but under $500? 10-20% down is just basic self respect. if they say no to a tiny deposit i honestly wonder how they treat other people in their life. at the end of the day you can always say you give the deposit back as a discount on the final invoice or something. that way nobody feels like theyre losing money.

parker_hall510d ago

In my experience even a small deposit like 25% weeds out the tire kickers and makes sure you're both serious. Your mileage may vary but I'd rather lose a client than chase payment after the work's done.

casey3429d ago

25% feels steep for a small job though.