I switched to a model where the client sees a preview of the project but files only unlock after payment clears. Eliminated the problem entirely - the clients who were going to pay don't mind, and the ones who push back were never going to pay anyway.
Curious what approaches others here use. Deposits? Escrow? Something else?
The first client had a structure they'd used previously that I just inherited -- I believe it was agreed amount / 4, each paid for delivering 1) full spec, 2) wireframes/ux, 3) MVP and QA, 4) Beta that addressed major issues identified from 3. After each stage I did the presentation and invoiced.
I borrowed their same structure for the next gig. It worked well in both projects.
However, it was very clear going in that both of these companies were going to pay me.
colesantiago•1h ago
razingeden•1h ago
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47483211
51% of freelancers experience non-payment – payment-gated delivery as a solution (proposallock.vercel.app) 2 points by launchstack_dev 12