{"id":2436,"date":"2026-08-18T15:09:59","date_gmt":"2026-08-18T07:09:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sourcingall.com\/sourcing-basics\/deposit-balance-milestone-payments-structure-order\/"},"modified":"2026-08-21T15:45:53","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T07:45:53","slug":"deposit-balance-milestone-payments-structure-order","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sourcingall.com\/es\/sourcing-basics\/deposit-balance-milestone-payments-structure-order\/","title":{"rendered":"Deposit, Balance, and Milestone Payments: Safer Ways to Structure an Order"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A payment schedule is not just a row of percentages in a proforma invoice.<\/p>\n<p>It answers a harder question: <strong>What must be true, and what evidence must exist, before either party is expected to move to the next financial commitment?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The buyer wants enough confidence that the goods and order progress match the agreement. The supplier wants enough certainty to buy materials, reserve capacity, build custom work, and deliver without carrying all of the commercial risk. Those interests pull in opposite directions. A workable structure makes the timing, evidence, and exceptions clear rather than leaving them in a chat message.<\/p>\n<p>The U.S. International Trade Administration describes international trade payment as a spectrum of buyer and seller risk: sellers prefer payment earlier, while buyers prefer to delay payment until goods are received. It advises choosing a method carefully to balance payment risk with the needs of both parties. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.trade.gov\/methods-payment\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">1<\/a><\/p>\n<p>This is general educational information for commercial sourcing. It is not legal, tax, banking, insurance, trade-finance, or transaction-specific advice. Do not copy a payment schedule from an article into a real order without reviewing the actual supplier, product, contract, destination, bank details, payment method, and professional advice appropriate to the transaction.<\/p>\n<h2>Start with the order\u2019s risk profile, not a familiar percentage<\/h2>\n<p>There is no universal \u201csafe\u201d deposit or final-balance percentage. A standard product in stock, a private-label item, a highly customized product, a long-lead tooling project, and a technical machine can each create different risks for the parties.<\/p>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Order feature<\/th>\n<th>Question that affects the payment discussion<\/th>\n<th>Why it matters<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Product type<\/td>\n<td>Is the product standard, modified, or built only for this buyer?<\/td>\n<td>A custom product may be harder for the supplier to resell; a stock product may have a different commercial risk profile<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Engineering\/tooling<\/td>\n<td>Does the order require design work, a mold, fixture, die, print setup, or trial run?<\/td>\n<td>Upfront work can create separate costs, revisions, and evidence needs<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Supplier relationship<\/td>\n<td>Is this a first order or a repeat relationship with documented performance?<\/td>\n<td>The parties may have different confidence, history, and operating records<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Order value and concentration<\/td>\n<td>Would a delay, failure, or dispute materially affect either party?<\/td>\n<td>Higher stakes can justify a more deliberate review of evidence and terms<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Product complexity<\/td>\n<td>Are there critical materials, dimensions, functions, tests, software, finishes, or packaging requirements?<\/td>\n<td>A payment event should not pretend that a simple photo proves a complex requirement<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Production duration<\/td>\n<td>Does the build have meaningful stages before shipment?<\/td>\n<td>A milestone may be relevant only if it reflects a real, measurable stage<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Logistics\/destination<\/td>\n<td>Are transport documents, export arrangements, insurance, delivery terms, or import requirements material?<\/td>\n<td>Documentary evidence may show movement or documentation, not the actual condition of goods<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Financing\/payment method<\/td>\n<td>Will the parties use advance payment, a bank\/documentary mechanism, credit terms, or another agreed method?<\/td>\n<td>Each method has different cost, documentation, timing, and limitation profiles<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>The India Portugal Chamber of Commerce notes that payment terms allocate risk differently and that no single term is right for every transaction. Its guide uses deposits, evidence, and final-payment conditions as examples of a staged approach. <a href=\"https:\/\/ipcci.in\/en\/guides\/payment-terms\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">2<\/a> Treat that as practitioner guidance, not a required structure or a rule for your specific order.<\/p>\n<h2>Define every payment event in four parts<\/h2>\n<p>A payment schedule becomes usable when each event has four answers: the trigger, the evidence, the decision owner, and the next action if the evidence does not meet the agreed condition.<\/p>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Campo<\/th>\n<th>What to define<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Payment event<\/td>\n<td>Deposit, engineering\/tooling event, sample event, materials event, production milestone, final balance, or another named stage<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Amount and currency<\/td>\n<td>Exact amount or calculation, currency, payment method, and stated fees\/charges where applicable<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Trigger<\/td>\n<td>The defined order event that makes the payment due\u2014not a vague phrase such as \u201cwhen ready\u201d<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Evidence<\/td>\n<td>Documents, samples, photos, measurement\/test\/inspection results, production record, shipping document, or other agreed evidence<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Evidence limitation<\/td>\n<td>What the evidence proves and what it does not prove<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Review\/approval route<\/td>\n<td>Who checks the evidence, who may approve\/reject\/clarify it, and the response deadline<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Exception route<\/td>\n<td>What happens when evidence is incomplete, a nonconformity is found, a schedule changes, or the order changes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Record location<\/td>\n<td>Quote\/PI\/PO\/agreement version, evidence folder\/report, decision note, and payment confirmation<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>A deposit may be tied to an accepted proforma invoice, purchase order, or other written order release. A sample milestone may be tied to an identifiable sample and a buyer-defined review outcome. A production milestone may be tied to a defined lot\/status and relevant evidence. A final event may be tied to an agreed combination of inspection result, shipment documentation, release condition, or other record. The right combination is a commercial decision for the actual order.<\/p>\n<p>The point is not to add payment events for the sake of it. The point is to stop an event from being triggered by an undocumented statement that neither side can later reconstruct.<\/p>\n<h2>Distinguish evidence of progress from evidence of conformity<\/h2>\n<p>A photo of cartons can show that cartons exist. It cannot, by itself, prove every unit meets the product specification. A bill of lading can show a transport document was issued. It does not, by itself, confirm the product performs as required. A bank or documentary process may handle documents according to stated rules. It does not inspect the goods for you.<\/p>\n<p>The ICC Academy explains that letters of credit are document-based instruments: parties deal with the required documents rather than goods. It also warns that a letter of credit does not protect an importer against inferior-quality or short goods, though an agreed inspection certificate can be one of the requested documents. <a href=\"https:\/\/academy.iccwbo.org\/trade-finance\/article\/key-trade-finance-products-definitions-and-use-cases\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">3<\/a><\/p>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Evidence type<\/th>\n<th>It can help show<\/th>\n<th>It does not automatically show<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Signed order \/ proforma invoice<\/td>\n<td>The commercial scope and payment language the parties documented<\/td>\n<td>That production has begun or goods conform<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Artwork proof \/ sample approval record<\/td>\n<td>Which visible configuration or sample decision was reviewed<\/td>\n<td>Full-order consistency unless the production control plan supports it<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Material\/component record<\/td>\n<td>Identified source\/lot or stated input information<\/td>\n<td>Finished-product function or complete assembly quality<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Production photo\/video<\/td>\n<td>A visible stage, quantity indication, or setup condition<\/td>\n<td>Measurement, hidden defects, full-lot quality, or exact timeline without supporting records<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Inspection report<\/td>\n<td>Findings for its stated scope, sample, method, date, and acceptance criteria<\/td>\n<td>A guarantee beyond that stated inspection scope<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Test result<\/td>\n<td>Result under the stated procedure\/condition<\/td>\n<td>Every product\/use condition unless the test scope supports it<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Packing list \/ invoice<\/td>\n<td>Listed items and commercial\/shipping information<\/td>\n<td>Independent confirmation that contents\/quality match the list<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Transport document<\/td>\n<td>Documentary evidence of a stated shipment event<\/td>\n<td>Goods quality, contract compliance, or delivery at final destination<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Bank\/documentary record<\/td>\n<td>Payment or documentary process under its stated terms<\/td>\n<td>Product conformity or resolution of every commercial dispute<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>For inspection and evidence design, use <a href=\"https:\/\/sourcingall.com\/es\/sourcing-basics\/pre-shipment-inspection-checklist-imported-products\/\">Pre-Shipment Inspection Checklist for Imported Products<\/a> y <a href=\"https:\/\/sourcingall.com\/es\/sourcing-basics\/photos-video-quality-control-report\/\">How to Use Photos and Video in a Quality Control Report<\/a>. Their purpose is to make the scope and limits of quality evidence visible, not to turn a report into a payment guarantee.<\/p>\n<h2>Build milestones around real production decisions<\/h2>\n<p>A payment milestone should correspond to a stage where the parties can identify what has changed, what evidence exists, and what remains at risk. Avoid labels that sound precise but have no defined operational meaning.<\/p>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Example stage<\/th>\n<th>A clearer trigger<\/th>\n<th>Evidence to define<\/th>\n<th>Question to settle before the order starts<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Order release \/ deposit<\/td>\n<td>Buyer and supplier have accepted the current order documents<\/td>\n<td>Identified PI\/PO\/quote\/specification revision and payment details verified through the agreed process<\/td>\n<td>Which documents are final enough for the supplier to start procurement or scheduling?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Tooling \/ engineering event<\/td>\n<td>Agreed technical package is released for named tooling or engineering work<\/td>\n<td>Revision record, supplier review, scope\/charge confirmation, and decision note<\/td>\n<td>What engineering\/tooling work is included, and what will need a new approval?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Sample \/ first-off event<\/td>\n<td>Identified sample or first production unit has been assessed under stated criteria<\/td>\n<td>Sample ID, reference version, check\/test\/proof results, exceptions, and approval\/disposition<\/td>\n<td>Does the evidence cover the product configuration that will go into production?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Material \/ component event<\/td>\n<td>An agreed material or critical component stage has occurred, if relevant<\/td>\n<td>Stated identification\/record and any buyer-required evidence<\/td>\n<td>Is this an appropriate objective milestone, or does it only transfer risk without useful verification?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Production progress event<\/td>\n<td>Defined proportion or stage of production is complete under a stated record<\/td>\n<td>Production status, lot\/configuration, quality checkpoint evidence, and stated limitation<\/td>\n<td>What makes the stage objectively recognizable and how are exceptions handled?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Final pre-shipment event<\/td>\n<td>Final evidence package meets the parties\u2019 defined release condition<\/td>\n<td>Inspection\/test scope and results, packing\/quantity records, document review, and open-issue disposition<\/td>\n<td>Which issues block release, which can be accepted, and who has authority to decide?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Shipment\/document event<\/td>\n<td>Required shipping\/document condition has occurred<\/td>\n<td>Agreed transport\/commercial documents, routing\/quantity data, and any release record<\/td>\n<td>What does the document release mean, and what remains outside its scope?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>You may decide that a simple order needs only a deposit and final balance. You may decide that a long or technical build needs additional, defined events. Either way, keep the schedule proportional to the product and the actual risk. A complicated schedule that nobody can administer is not a control.<\/p>\n<h2>Write a payment-and-evidence schedule before accepting the order<\/h2>\n<p>Put the schedule in one controlled record that refers to the current commercial and product documents. If a supplier has its own proforma invoice format, add an attachment or written clarification rather than assuming an email has changed the terms.<\/p>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Schedule item<\/th>\n<th>Record it clearly<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Order identity<\/td>\n<td>Buyer, seller, quote\/PI\/PO number, date, product\/packaging revision, and quantity\/variant basis<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Payment method and currency<\/td>\n<td>Agreed method\/channel, currency, amount or calculation, and stated charges\/fees responsibility<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Each payment event<\/td>\n<td>Trigger, due timing, amount, evidence required, evidence limitation, review owner, and decision record<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Bank\/account confirmation process<\/td>\n<td>Which independently verified channel\/contact\/process is used, when confirmation occurred, and how changes are handled<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Quality\/inspection connection<\/td>\n<td>Inspection\/test\/report reference, acceptance criteria\/scope, exception route, and release authority<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Production\/change control<\/td>\n<td>What happens if a material, artwork, process, quantity, packaging, delivery, or product revision changes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Shipping\/document connection<\/td>\n<td>Required commercial\/transport documents, named delivery\/handover assumptions, and document-review owner<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Dispute\/exception handling<\/td>\n<td>Pause\/escalation\/clarification route and decision owners; seek qualified advice on the applicable agreement where needed<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Version control<\/td>\n<td>Date, revision, change summary, and written acknowledgment when the schedule changes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>This schedule is neither a contract template nor a substitute for legal review. It is a checklist that helps both parties see whether a proposed payment is connected to a real, documented order event.<\/p>\n<h2>Treat bank-detail changes as a controlled exception<\/h2>\n<p>A payment schedule can be perfect and still fail if money is sent to the wrong account. Treat a bank-detail change as an exception that requires a deliberate verification process, not a routine email update.<\/p>\n<p>The IPCCI guide cautions that payment fraud can involve changed bank details or compromised email and recommends separate-channel verification of bank information. <a href=\"https:\/\/ipcci.in\/en\/guides\/payment-terms\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">2<\/a> The correct verification process depends on your company policy, the counterparty, and the transaction. Do not publish bank information in open channels or treat an email reply alone as sufficient confirmation.<\/p>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Change scenario<\/th>\n<th>Control question<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>New supplier account<\/td>\n<td>Does the legal seller identity, payment instruction, quote\/PI, and independently verified contact record align?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Last-minute change<\/td>\n<td>Has the change been verified using the separate process your organization requires, before any payment is released?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Account name mismatch<\/td>\n<td>Is there a documented, reviewed explanation consistent with the actual commercial arrangement?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Currency\/method change<\/td>\n<td>Does the revised PI\/quote\/order record show the new method, currency, amount, fees, and trigger clearly?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Payment request before agreed evidence<\/td>\n<td>Has an authorized owner reviewed the request against the controlled schedule and exception route?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Invoice or email discrepancy<\/td>\n<td>Which document is current, who issued it, and has the discrepancy been resolved in a versioned written record?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>Article 16, <a href=\"https:\/\/sourcingall.com\/es\/sourcing-basics\/supplier-bank-account-verification\/\">How to Verify a Supplier\u2019s Bank Account Before Sending Money<\/a>, provides the site\u2019s specific supplier-bank verification checklist. Use your organization\u2019s controls and obtain professional help where the transaction or discrepancy warrants it.<\/p>\n<h2>Decide in advance what a failed inspection or change does to the schedule<\/h2>\n<p>A payment structure is incomplete if it has no response to a failed inspection, a late change, a short shipment, or a production variance. The article does not tell you what commercial remedy to demand. It tells you to make the decision route explicit before the issue occurs.<\/p>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>Exception<\/th>\n<th>Write down the question before it happens<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Inspection finding<\/td>\n<td>Which result is a release blocker, what evidence is required for correction, and who can accept a deviation?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Rework \/ replacement<\/td>\n<td>Does the correction change timing, evidence, product revision, or payment event?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Quantity or mix change<\/td>\n<td>How are revised amount, price basis, packaging, and milestone evidence recalculated and acknowledged?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Product\/process change<\/td>\n<td>Which product\/tool\/artwork\/BOM revision applies, and what new proof\/sample\/check is required?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Production delay<\/td>\n<td>Which date\/trigger moves, who must be notified, and does the schedule remain valid?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Documentation gap<\/td>\n<td>Can payment proceed with a stated limitation, or must the missing document\/evidence be resolved first?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Delivery\/shipping change<\/td>\n<td>Which transport\/delivery assumptions, document requirements, and final conditions change?<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>For corrective-action structure after an inspection issue, see <a href=\"https:\/\/sourcingall.com\/es\/sourcing-basics\/corrective-action-plan-after-failed-inspection\/\">How to Build a Corrective Action Plan After a Failed Inspection<\/a>. Tie any payment-schedule change to the revised evidence and decision\u2014not to a verbal assurance that the issue is fixed.<\/p>\n<h2>Understand the limits of trade-finance terms<\/h2>\n<p>Cash-in-advance, documentary collections, letters of credit, open account, and other trade-finance structures are not interchangeable labels. They shift who takes credit, document, timing, and non-payment risk, and they can carry costs and operational requirements.<\/p>\n<table>\n<thead>\n<tr>\n<th>High-level method<\/th>\n<th>What the cited sources say<\/th>\n<th>Boundary to remember<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>Cash-in-advance<\/td>\n<td>Payment is received before ownership transfer; it is favorable to the seller\u2019s credit-risk position and less attractive to the buyer\u2019s cash flow [1]<\/td>\n<td>Payment in advance does not, by itself, prove goods will conform or ship as expected<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Letter of credit<\/td>\n<td>A bank commits to pay the seller if stated documentary conditions are met [1] [3]<\/td>\n<td>Parties deal in documents; compliant documents do not alone confirm goods quality [3]<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Documentary collection<\/td>\n<td>Banks facilitate exchange\/collection of documents under instructions [1] [3]<\/td>\n<td>Banks act as facilitators\/agents and do not provide a goods-verification process [1] [3]<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Open account<\/td>\n<td>Goods are shipped\/delivered before payment is due [1]<\/td>\n<td>It can favor buyer cash flow while increasing seller exposure to non-payment [1]<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>If you are considering a bank instrument, credit term, documentary mechanism, insurance, or other financial product for an actual order, consult your bank and qualified trade-finance, legal, tax, customs, and insurance professionals. The documents, bank rules, costs, country conditions, and contract language matter.<\/p>\n<h2>Final pre-payment check<\/h2>\n<p>Before releasing any scheduled payment, use a short, factual check:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Identify the current seller, buyer, order number, product\/packaging revision, quantity, and currency.<\/li>\n<li>Locate the payment event in the controlled schedule and confirm the amount\/calculation and stated trigger.<\/li>\n<li>Review the specific evidence required for that event and its stated limitations.<\/li>\n<li>Confirm whether any inspection finding, change, delay, open issue, or document discrepancy affects the event.<\/li>\n<li>Use the independently controlled bank-detail verification process required by your organization.<\/li>\n<li>Record the approval, evidence links, payment confirmation, and remaining open points in the transaction file.<\/li>\n<li>Escalate material legal, banking, tax, customs, compliance, insurance, or dispute questions to qualified professionals before acting.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>A staged payment structure is useful when it makes progress, evidence, and exceptions visible to both sides. It is not a magic shield against a bad product, a bad counterparty, or a poor contract. The value comes from the disciplined connection between the order, the evidence, the payment event, and the written record.<\/p>\n<h2>Referencias<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.trade.gov\/methods-payment\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">U.S. International Trade Administration, <em>Methods of Payment<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/ipcci.in\/en\/guides\/payment-terms\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">India Portugal Chamber of Commerce, <em>Payment Terms in International Trade<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/academy.iccwbo.org\/trade-finance\/article\/key-trade-finance-products-definitions-and-use-cases\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ICC Academy, <em>Key Trade Finance Products: Definitions and Use Cases<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A payment schedule is not just a row of percentages in a proforma invoice. It answers a harder question: What [&hellip;]<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_internal_links_processed":["1"],"rank_math_title":["Deposit, Balance, and Milestone Payments for Orders"],"rank_math_description":["Structure supplier deposits, milestone payments, and balances around defined evidence, written triggers, controlled bank details, and clear exception handling."],"rank_math_focus_keyword":["China supplier payment terms"],"rank_math_rich_snippet":["article"],"_rank_math_rich_snippet":["article"],"rank_math_schema_Article":["a:2:{s:5:\"@type\";s:7:\"Article\";s:8:\"headline\";s:74:\"Deposit, Balance, and Milestone Payments: Safer Ways to Structure an Order\";}"],"_rank_math_schema_Article":["a:2:{s:5:\"@type\";s:7:\"Article\";s:8:\"headline\";s:74:\"Deposit, Balance, and Milestone Payments: Safer Ways to Structure an Order\";}"],"_uag_page_assets":["a:9:{s:3:\"css\";s:263:\".uag-blocks-common-selector{z-index:var(--z-index-desktop) !important}@media (max-width: 976px){.uag-blocks-common-selector{z-index:var(--z-index-tablet) !important}}@media (max-width: 767px){.uag-blocks-common-selector{z-index:var(--z-index-mobile) !important}}\n\";s:2:\"js\";s:0:\"\";s:18:\"current_block_list\";a:15:{i:0;s:11:\"core\/search\";i:1;s:10:\"core\/group\";i:2;s:12:\"core\/heading\";i:3;s:17:\"core\/latest-posts\";i:4;s:20:\"core\/latest-comments\";i:5;s:13:\"core\/archives\";i:6;s:15:\"core\/categories\";i:8;s:25:\"greenshift-blocks\/heading\";i:9;s:22:\"greenshift-blocks\/text\";i:10;s:14:\"core\/paragraph\";i:12;s:18:\"core\/legacy-widget\";i:13;s:17:\"core\/social-links\";i:15;s:16:\"core\/social-link\";i:16;s:21:\"trp\/language-switcher\";i:17;s:9:\"core\/html\";}s:8:\"uag_flag\";b:0;s:11:\"uag_version\";s:10:\"1787368271\";s:6:\"gfonts\";a:0:{}s:10:\"gfonts_url\";s:0:\"\";s:12:\"gfonts_files\";a:0:{}s:14:\"uag_faq_layout\";b:0;}"],"_uag_css_file_name":["uag-css-2436.css"]},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2436","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sourcing-basics"],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false,"trp-custom-language-flag":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/sourcingall.com\/es\/author\/admin\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"A payment schedule is not just a row of percentages in a proforma invoice. It answers a harder question: What [&hellip;]","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sourcingall.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2436","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sourcingall.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sourcingall.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sourcingall.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sourcingall.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2436"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sourcingall.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2436\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2647,"href":"https:\/\/sourcingall.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2436\/revisions\/2647"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sourcingall.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2436"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sourcingall.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2436"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sourcingall.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2436"}],"curies":[{"name":"gracias","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}