Receiving Payment

[Hiwayman]

Guys
How do you manage payment for work done....do you insist on payment before handing over images, after the client has seen them, are you happy submitting an invoice hoping not to have to chase payment later...does it depend on the client?....all thoughts appreciated.

 

[R.Perry]

Personally for me it depends on the client. People I know are well established and I know I'll bill them. Others I ask for a partial payment up front.

 

[Fred Garvin]

Everything I produce is in digital format. I upload the Client's deliverables to my business DropBox and send them a share link to the folder. They can look over the images/video and approve. Then I send an invoice and a Digital Rights License for the images/videos. Since I retain ownership of everything I create, the license allows them to use the deliverables. The DRL specifically states that it becomes valid after payment is received by me. Meaning, they can't use the deliverables until they've paid for them. If they don't pay me and use the images/videos anyway, it's a Copyright Infringement and theft of digital asset property. I bulk register images/videos I create through the US Copyright Office. This cost is part of my "Image Processing" line item.

It's one thing to have the standard Copyright you get by default, being the creator, but once you register it, you now have some serious teeth for Infringement actions. I've never had any issues with being paid. Most mail me a check. Some use PayPal (I have a business account) and I can also process credit cards. 95% of my clients mail me a check within a week.

 

[Hiwayman]

Everything I produce is in digital format. I upload the Client's deliverables to my business DropBox and send them a share link to the folder. They can look over the images/video and approve. Then I send an invoice and a Digital Rights License for the images/videos. Since I retain ownership of everything I create, the license allows them to use the deliverables. The DRL specifically states that it becomes valid after payment is received by me. Meaning, they can't use the deliverables until they've paid for them. If they don't pay me and use the images/videos anyway, it's a Copyright Infringement and theft of digital asset property. I bulk register images/videos I create through the US Copyright Office. This cost is part of my "Image Processing" line item.

It's one thing to have the standard Copyright you get by default, being the creator, but once you register it, you now have some serious teeth for Infringement actions. I've never had any issues with being paid. Most mail me a check. Some use PayPal (I have a business account) and I can also process credit cards. 95% of my clients mail me a check within a week.

Thank you Fred...that has set me thinking about an additional clause in my terms that all clients sign up to.

 

[skiptv]

A new client pays on delivery. A regular client that pays gets an invoice, a client that was a regular client that didn't pay is no longer a client. My invoices state that in the case of non-payment all rights to the images, pics, vids, data are retained by me, any use is copy right infringement, and then I list the Fed Code that protects copyright

 

[Kristina Fowler]

Guys
How do you manage payment for work done....do you insist on payment before handing over images, after the client has seen them, are you happy submitting an invoice hoping not to have to chase payment later...does it depend on the client?....all thoughts appreciated.

I send a watermarked PDF "Contact Sheet" - either 6 or 9 images per page. This lets the client pick and choose which images they want. Otherwise, the images are useless (too small) to the client who might have bright ideas about using them for marketing - and not pay you for them.