If you order a service....?

Question

If you order a service such as personalized ad copy, website content, sales letters, etc that is delivered by email would you rather pay up front (through an order form) or would you prefer to be billed for services rendered at the time of delivery (payable through PayPal or other form of payment)?

Note: The terms of the contract are handled before the work is started.

Answer 1

Billed at the time of delivery. If you pay up front, and they don't deliver, then you have to work to get your money back.

Answer 2

Paying up-front would not necessarily be a bad idea, if you know and trust the other party, but it will be harder to recover any losses if the other party ends up in breach of contract.

I say you should pay whatever is necessary to cover expenses, then pay the rest after the final design meets approval. Given there's no guarantee you'll ever recoup your losses, should any occur, it's safer practice.

Answer 3

I do some of this myself.

I always ask the customer I'm working for to pay half upfront and the rest on completion.

This always covers the cost of my time etc.

This way I'm not out of pocket if the customer refuses to pay.

Hope that helps you some