What the 30% deposit covers (and what it doesn’t).

The headline terms

Every WOW order — catalogue or custom sourcing — runs on the same payment structure:

• 30% deposit on order confirmation, paid before any material is bought or production is booked.
• 70% balance due after pre-shipment inspection, before the goods leave the factory.

No credit terms. No net-30, net-60 or open-account arrangements. The same terms apply regardless of order size or repeat-buyer history.

What the 30% deposit covers

What the timeline looks like

1. Quote accepted, invoice issued. Quote and invoice are sent in writing. The 30% deposit request goes out with bank details or a payment link.
2. Deposit received. The factory is notified, raw material purchase and line booking start, and the pre-production sample is prepared within the agreed lead time.
3. Golden sample sign-off. The pre-production sample is approved in writing. Any change at this point is captured as a revision, not a free rework.
4. Bulk production. Runs against the approved golden sample. Interim and pre-shipment inspections are scheduled as the batch nears completion.
5. Pre-shipment inspection. PSI is run, photos are shared, and the batch is held at the factory.
6. 70% balance invoice issued. The balance is paid once the PSI report has been reviewed and approved.
7. Booking and dispatch. Freight is booked on receipt of the cleared balance. Cartons are weighed, marked, photographed and loaded.
8. Documents shared. Commercial invoice, packing list and any certificates are sent alongside the dispatch photos.

Why no credit terms

This is a deliberate choice, not a limitation. Three reasons drive it:

• Small-batch economics. The order sizes WOW is built around — 50 to a few hundred pieces — don’t generate enough margin to absorb the cost of carrying buyer credit. Net-30 terms on a $4,000 order mean funding the entire production for a month on someone else’s behalf.
• Risk symmetry. A 30% deposit funds the buyer’s commitment; a 70% balance on inspection funds the seller’s. Either side holding the other’s working capital without a written instrument is where disputes start.
• Process simplicity. The same terms on every project mean no negotiation, no credit checks, no exception paperwork. The quote-to-deposit turnaround stays short — which is what small-batch buyers actually need.

What if something needs to change mid-project

Two common situations:

• The spec changes after deposit. The original 30% stays applied to the project; the revision is quoted as a separate change order and a top-up deposit is raised before the revised work begins.
• Cancellation after deposit, before production finishes. The 30% covers materials and setup the factory has already committed to. The refund amount depends on what has been spent at the point of cancellation — disclosed with receipts, not estimated.

Both situations are covered in the written project confirmation before the deposit is paid.