A deposit, or down payment, is a portion of an order’s total that a buyer pays upfront before the seller begins fulfillment. The remaining balance comes due later, usually on a schedule tied to milestones like production, shipment, or delivery. Deposits are standard for large, custom, or made-to-order B2B purchases where the seller commits materials or labor before the full amount is collected.
How it works
The seller and buyer agree on a deposit amount, often a percentage of the order total (25 to 50 percent is common), and the terms for the balance. The buyer pays the deposit to confirm the order. The seller then fulfills, and the balance is invoiced according to the agreed terms, whether that is net 30 from shipment, on delivery, or split across milestones.
Why it matters
A deposit protects the seller’s cash flow and signals genuine buyer commitment, which reduces the risk of a cancelled order after production has started. For the buyer, paying a deposit rather than the full amount upfront preserves working capital until goods are received. It is a middle ground between full prepayment and open credit terms.
Deposits in Shopify B2B quoting
Native Shopify checkout collects payment in full at the moment of purchase, so a true partial deposit with a later balance is not something standard checkout handles on its own. Merchants usually work around this by structuring the deposit as its own line or a separate transaction, then invoicing the balance afterward. When you convert a quote into a Shopify draft order, you can set the negotiated total and payment expectations there before sending it to the buyer. If deposits are core to how you sell, confirm your setup and any app or plan requirements against the pricing and payment tools you already use.
Example
A merchant quotes 500 units of a custom-branded product at 12,000 dollars. They collect a 40 percent deposit (4,800 dollars) to start production, then invoice the 7,200 dollar balance net 15 from shipment.