Balance Deposits for art commissions on Shopify
Commissions run on trust in both directions. A deposit at checkout and a balance you trigger when the work is done makes the money part predictable, so you can spend your time on the piece rather than chasing invoices.
In short: most artists take a 50% deposit when a commission is ordered and the balance when the piece is finished, before it ships or the file is delivered. On Shopify, sell each commission type as a product with a deposit option, set the balance to 'when the order is ready', and press mark ready when you finish: the balance is charged from the client's saved card and nothing is released until it clears.
Why commissions need a deposit
A commission is made for one person. Once you have sketched the composition, bought the canvas or spent a weekend on the line work, the piece is worth nothing to anyone else if the client disappears. A deposit pays for that commitment up front. It also filters out the enquiries that were never going to go ahead, and it tells a serious client that you work to a process, which makes the rest of the commission easier for both of you.
Taking the whole fee up front solves the same problem, but it asks a lot of a client who has not seen any work yet, especially for larger pieces. A deposit with the balance on completion is the usual middle ground: the client pays half to start and the rest when they can see the finished piece.
The usual plan
Set the deposit at 50% and the balance rule to 'when the order is ready', with an outer limit a few weeks beyond your usual turnaround. The client pays the deposit in Shopify's checkout and Shopify saves their card. When the piece is finished, press mark ready on the order: the balance is charged within minutes, the client gets a receipt, and the fulfilment hold keeps the order from being shipped or delivered until it clears.
Example: £850 painted portrait, 50% deposit, balance on completion. £425 at checkout, £425 the day you mark it ready, shipping held until it clears.
How much deposit to take
The right deposit covers what you commit before the client sees the finished piece: your time on sketches and the materials you buy. These are common starting points:
| Commission | Typical deposit | Balance taken |
|---|---|---|
| Digital illustration or character art | 50% | When the final file is ready to deliver |
| Painted or drawn portrait | 50% | When the piece is finished, before it ships |
| Large canvas, sculpture or mixed media | 30% to 50% | On completion, or staged on Shopify Plus |
| Small quick pieces | Often paid in full | Up front, before work starts |
For very large pieces, a three-stage schedule of deposit, midway payment and completion is an instalment plan, which Shopify only allows on Plus stores. On other plans, take a larger deposit and a single balance on completion.
Setting up commission deposits on Shopify
- Create a product for each commission type. Make one product per type of commission, such as a painted pet portrait, a digital character illustration or a family portrait, with size, number of subjects and background as variants.
- Collect references with the order. Add line item properties to the product page for the client's name, notes and a link to reference photos, so the brief arrives on the order.
- Attach a deposit plan. In Balance Due, create a plan with a 50% deposit and the balance due when the order is ready, with an outer limit a few weeks past your usual turnaround, and attach it to your commission products.
- Add the deposit choice to the product page. In Online Store, Themes, Customize, add the Balance Due deposit block to the product template so clients can choose the deposit or pay in full.
- Put your terms on the product page. State the deposit, when the balance is taken, how many revisions are included and what happens if the client cancels, so they agree before they pay.
- Place a test order. Order your own commission on a development store or at a low price, mark it ready, and check the reminder, the balance charge and the fulfilment hold.
The full walkthrough, including the payment settings to check first, is in how to take deposits on Shopify.
Limiting commission slots
Most artists can only take a few commissions at a time. Use the product's inventory as your slot count: set it to the number of open slots, and Shopify marks the product sold out when they are taken. When you finish a piece and want to open another slot, raise the inventory by one. It is a simple way to run a waitlist without an extra app.
Sketches, revisions and sign-off
Decide in your terms when the balance is due, and set the plan to match. Most artists charge the balance when the finished piece is approved, which is what 'when the order is ready' does. If you prefer to charge after the sketch is approved instead, mark the order ready at that point.
Revisions are where commissions drift. Say how many rounds are included, and charge for extras: edit the Shopify order to add a revision fee, and Balance Due adds the difference to the balance so the final charge covers it. The client can see the updated total on their payment page.
Digital delivery
For digital commissions the fulfilment hold still applies to the Shopify order, so the order stays open until the balance clears. Send the full-resolution file or download link once it has: the morning digest tells you which commissions were paid overnight, so you know which files to send.
Your commission terms
Clear terms prevent most disputes. Put these on the product page, where the client sees them before paying:
- The deposit amount and that it starts the work.
- When the balance is taken: on completion, on sketch approval, or on a date.
- How many revisions are included, and what extra ones cost.
- Your usual turnaround, and what happens if it slips.
- What happens to the deposit if the client cancels after work has started.
- How the finished piece or file is delivered, and any usage rights.
In the UK, work made to the client's own specification is generally outside the 14-day right to cancel that applies to online purchases, so a clearly stated deposit policy usually holds for commissions. This is general information, not legal advice.
When a client goes quiet
If a client stops replying, the reminders carry on without you: a notice three days before the balance is due, retries after 1, 3 and 7 days with a pay link each time, then an overdue notice every three days and an alert to you. If they cancel, cancel the plan and keep or refund the deposit according to your terms. More on this in when a balance payment fails.
Art commission deposit questions
Should I take a deposit for art commissions?
Yes, for anything that takes more than a few hours. A deposit pays for your time and materials before you start, filters out clients who are only browsing, and gives both sides a clear commitment. Most artists take 50% before starting and the rest on completion.
How much deposit should I take for an art commission?
50% is the most common for commissions, because the work cannot be resold to anyone else. Large pieces with expensive materials often take 30% to 50%, and small quick pieces are sometimes paid in full before work starts.
Can I take the balance before I start rather than on completion?
Yes. Use a number of days after the order instead of 'when the order is ready'. Some artists take 100% on a fixed date before starting; that is a plan with a short balance window.
Can I charge for extra revisions?
Yes. Edit the Shopify order to add a revision fee and Balance Due adds the difference to the balance, so the final charge covers it.
What if the client never approves the sketch?
Set an outer limit on the plan. If the order has not been marked ready by then, the balance falls due on that date, with a reminder three days before, and your terms decide what happens to the work.
Can a client pay the balance early?
Yes, from the pay now button on their payment page.
Do I need Shopify Payments?
For automatic charges, Shopify Payments or PayPal Express. On other providers the client gets a pay link on the due date instead.
Not on the list?
If your customers commit before the work is done, Balance Due fits. Tell us what you sell and we will suggest a plan.