How to take deposits for custom orders
By Olusegun Osunrinde, Founder, Sentralbee · 4 October 2026
For custom orders, take a deposit that at least covers your materials before you buy or cut anything, often half or more of the price. Bill the balance before delivery or collection. Put the deposit, balance, due dates and your delay policy in writing on the invoice, so there are no surprises later.
The short version
When you make something to order, you spend money before you get paid. A deposit fixes that.
- How much: at least your materials cost. Often half or more of the price.
- When: before you buy materials or start work.
- The balance: before delivery or collection.
- In writing: the deposit, the balance, the dates and your delay policy, on the invoice.
Why take a deposit at all?
Because a custom piece can't easily be sold to someone else. A wedding cake with a couple's names on it, an agbada cut to one man's measurements, a table built to fit one dining room: if the customer walks away, you are left with the cost.
A deposit does three things:
- It pays for the materials, so you are not funding the order yourself
- It locks the date in your calendar
- It shows the customer is serious. People who pay something up front tend to follow through.
How much deposit should I ask for?
Enough to cover your materials, at the very least. Work out the true cost of the order first, then look at the materials part of it.
Here is an example, using a custom dining table:
| Amount | |
|---|---|
| Materials (timber, fittings, finish) | ₦176,500 |
| Workshop days and delivery | ₦72,000 |
| True cost | ₦248,500 |
| Price | ₦286,000 |
These are example figures. In this case a 50% deposit is ₦143,000. That does not cover the ₦176,500 of materials. A 70% deposit is ₦200,200, which does. So for this order, 70% is the safer choice.
That is why a fixed percentage is not always right. Check it against your materials each time. If you don't know your materials cost yet, read how to price custom furniture or try the free true cost calculator.
Many makers use these as a starting point:
- Fashion: 50% to 70% up front, the rest at collection
- Cakes: half or more to lock the date, the rest before delivery
- Furniture: enough to buy the timber, often 50% to 70%, the rest before delivery
These are common habits, not rules. Your costs decide.
When should I take the deposit and the balance?
Take the deposit before you spend anything. Take the balance before the item leaves you.
A simple order of events:
- Agree the price and the promised date.
- Send the invoice with the deposit due now.
- Wait for the deposit before you buy materials or cut.
- Make the piece.
- When it is ready, tell the customer and ask for the balance.
- Deliver or hand over once the balance is paid.
For big jobs, you can split it into more steps. For example, a fitted wardrobe might be 50% to start, 30% when the carcass is built, and 20% on fitting.
What should I write on the invoice?
Everything you agreed, in plain words. If it is written down, there is less to argue about later.
Put these on every custom order invoice:
- What you are making, with the key details: size, fabric or timber, flavour, colour
- Measurements or specs that the price is based on
- The full price
- The deposit amount and when it is due
- The balance amount and when it is due, for example "before delivery"
- The promised date, and that it starts once the deposit is paid
- Your refund rule for the deposit
- Your delay rule: how long you hold a finished piece, and what happens after
- Changes: that design changes after work starts may cost extra
Keep the wording short. A customer should understand it in one read.
What do I do when a customer delays paying the balance?
Stay polite, stay clear, and keep it in writing. Most delays are not bad faith. People get busy, or money is late.
A simple approach:
- On the day it is ready, send a message with the balance and a payment link.
- After a few days, send a friendly reminder.
- After a week or two, remind them of your terms: how long you hold the piece and what happens after.
- Don't release the item until it is paid, unless you have chosen to trust that customer.
Keep a list of everything that is finished or delivered but not fully paid. It is easy to forget a ₦30,000 balance when you are busy with new orders. Over a year, those add up.
What if the customer wants to cancel?
Go back to what the invoice says. This is why you write the refund rule down before they pay.
If you have not bought anything yet, many makers refund the deposit. If you have bought materials or started work, many keep the deposit to cover what was spent. If the materials can be used for another order, some makers refund part of it. Be fair, and be consistent.
How does Sentralbee help with deposits?
Sentralbee keeps the money side of every order in one place.
- Invoices and payment links so customers can pay without a long transfer chat. In Nigeria payments go through Paystack. In the US and Canada, through Stripe.
- Deposit and balance billing (milestone billing) on Enterprise plans in Nigeria and the Scale plan in the US and Canada. You bill the deposit, then the balance, on the same order.
- A delivered-but-unpaid list so you can see who still owes you
- Made-to-order lines with an agreed price and measurements on each line, and a promised date on the order
- True cost of each product, so you know your materials cost before you set the deposit. Costing is on Pro and above in Nigeria, and Growth and Scale in the US and Canada.
See finances in Sentralbee and pricing. Not sure what your deposit should be? Book a free Clarity Review and we'll cost one of your products with you in 30 minutes.
Questions
How much deposit should I take for a custom order?
At least enough to cover the materials, so you never pay for a customer's order out of your own pocket. Many makers ask for 50% to 70%. Work out your materials cost for each order and set the deposit above it.
Should a deposit be refundable?
Decide your rule and write it down before the customer pays. A common approach: the deposit is refundable until you buy materials or start work, and not after. Whatever you choose, say it clearly on the invoice.
When should I ask for the balance?
Before the item leaves your hands. Ask when the piece is ready, and release it on delivery or collection once the balance is paid. Chasing money after delivery is much harder.
What do I do if a customer never collects their order?
Send a reminder with the balance and a clear date. Your terms should say how long you will hold a finished piece. Keep a list of everything finished but unpaid so nothing slips.
Can Sentralbee bill deposits and balances?
Yes. Deposit and balance billing, which we call milestone billing, is on Enterprise plans in Nigeria and the Scale plan in the US and Canada. Invoices, payment links and the delivered-but-unpaid list are available more widely.