Should I charge a deposit?
Short answer
Yes. On anything material-heavy or scheduled out more than two weeks. 25 to 50 percent, non-refundable inside a window.
Why
A deposit separates buyers from window-shoppers. It covers your material outlay if they bail. It tells the customer this is a commitment, not a maybe.
How to phrase
'We collect a 30 percent deposit to schedule and order materials. Final balance is due at completion.' Said in the quote, not at the last minute. Nobody flinches when it's normal.
Ask your version of this question
This is one business owner-tested take. Your shop size, trade, and team change the answer. Ask the exact version inside Ask a Shop Owner and get a response grounded in how owners like you actually handled it.
Now run it against your numbers.
This answer is written for shops in general. Inside Ask a Shop Owner it becomes your answer: your revenue, your crew, your market, your history. Ask "Should I charge a deposit" and get the version that accounts for what you already told us.
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