From $50 To $500: Why The Deposit Keeps Going Up

Most artists explain their deposit policy defensively. Ivo Angelov of Cherno Ink in Huntsville just tells you exactly how it got where it is — and why he expects it to keep moving.

Start with the basics. What is the deposit and what does it buy?

It's $500, it's non-refundable, and it goes toward the price of the tattoo. So a full day is $1,700, and on the day of your appointment you owe $1,200 — the deposit isn't an extra fee on top. All of the day rates are on the pricing page.

You're not paying me for the design. You're not paying a separate creative fee. You're paying toward the tattoo, early.

Then what's it actually for?

Honestly? It makes you look serious in front of someone who is about to reserve a piece of their life for you. That's it. And I don't like working with people who are flaky.

It hasn't always been $500.

No. Five years ago I started at $50. Then I moved to $300. Recently I went to $500 — and I'm going to keep pushing that number until I find where it actually starts to hurt.

That's blunt. Why keep raising it?

Because at $300, most people would still just not call me. They'd book, then vanish, and I'd sit there having lost the day. And that day wasn't only mine to lose — somebody else genuinely wanted that appointment. They could have contacted me, they could have gotten the tattoo, and now nobody got one.

Every no-show costs two people, not one. Raising the deposit is the only lever I've found that changes behavior.

What's the guarantee on the other side? What does the client get?

Let me be very precise about this, because I'm adamant on it: the deposit does not guarantee you anything except one thing. It guarantees that I will show up on the day you and I agreed on.

I've never missed a day.

And if something happens on your client's end?

Everybody gets one push. I call it the freebie day — one reschedule, no argument, no lost deposit. Life happens and I'd rather work with you than not.

But only once. My schedule is full enough that people jumping around on it starts eating into time with my family, and I'm not doing that. After the first reschedule, a new date needs a new deposit.

How much notice do you need?

Seventy-two hours. That's more than enough. You should be able to know three days out whether you're coming.

What I won't take is a message twenty-four hours before. At that point I tell people no — you have to be true to your word. It's common courtesy to tell somebody whether you're going to show up, and three days is not a hard standard to meet.

You make people sign something. Isn't that a bit much for a tattoo?

It sounds like a lot until you've been burned. I make every client read a document stating that the deposit is non-refundable and that they're entitled to one reschedule — and I hand them a copy. You don't have to rush and sign it, and I want you to actually read it.

I'd rather be uncomfortable and clear now than have a confused, unhappy conversation later.

What if you're the one who has to cancel?

Then I owe you that money. If I have to reschedule and you don't want a new date, you get the deposit back. It's not a one-way policy.

Last one. Any advice for someone about to put down a deposit?

Just don't do it on a whim. What I do isn't a casual Tuesday trip to Walmart for socks. It's a piece you plan and prepare for. If you're not sure yet, don't put money down — come in, talk to me, look at the work, and put the deposit down when you actually mean it.

And once you do, mark the date. You'll have plenty of notice.

Book a free consultation at Cherno Ink, Huntsville — Thursday through Sunday, 12:00–5:30. No deposit required to talk.