The quote expires, or the client decides when
By the end, every quote you send has a written deadline, and you know how many days to give based on what's at stake in each type of job.
By Yodai · Published September 6, 2026 · Updated October 12, 2026
An estimate shouldn't just say what the job costs and what the deposit is; it also has to say how long that price holds. You send an estimate on Monday. The client doesn't answer. Thursday they write back: "we're interested, is that price still good?". And there you are, stuck: if you say yes, you don't know if the materials you quoted still cost the same, or if the slot you reserved in your head is still open. If you say no, it looks like you're making up an extra charge on the spot.
The problem isn't that the client takes their time. It's that the quote doesn't say how long it's good for. Without a date, the client decides when the offer ends, not you, and they usually decide late, right when it no longer works in your favor.
Why the date protects you, without scaring off the client
The deposit protects what you front to start a custom job. The expiration date protects the other half of the same problem: how long that number stays the number.
Setting an expiration date isn't about pressuring anyone. It's about being clear. A quote with no date sounds like a promise forever; one with a date sounds like what it really is: today's terms, at today's prices and availability.
It also saves you from the awkward follow-up. You don't have to text "hey, are we still on?" a few weeks later, the document already says it for you. When it expires, it expires on its own, and if the client comes back, the conversation starts clean: that price was good through such-and-such date, and you'll be happy to draw up a new one with today's terms.
How many days to give, based on what you sell
The timeframe isn't the same for every trade. It depends on which part of your price could shift without leaving you room to absorb it.
If your quote includes materials you order specially, wood, fabric, specific parts, give it just a few days: a week is reasonable, since your supplier could raise prices on you in that window too.
If what you're selling is just your work, renovation hours, a session, a consultation, the margin is yours, so you can afford to give more: two weeks, even four.
If the quote is tied to a specific date, a wedding, an event, a delivery with a fixed day, that slot sets the deadline: while you're holding it for one client, another client could ask for the same day. In that case, give it very few days, about three, because as soon as another client could claim the slot, the quote stops making sense as written.
What you do on the day it expires
You don't have to write anything. The quote itself, with its date already on it, said it from day one. If the client shows up later, you don't start from scratch or apologize for the change: you just repeat the terms that were already written and draw up a new one, with today's price and today's availability.
The expiration date turns an awkward conversation, "this isn't the same price anymore", into a neutral fact that was already agreed on beforehand. You haven't changed your mind: the date has changed.
- Every quote you send has an expiration date written on it, not a price that's open forever.
- You know how many days to give based on what can shift: a week for custom-order materials, several weeks if you're only selling your own work, or just a few days if you're holding a date another client could ask for.
- When the client comes back late, the answer is already in the document: you don't argue, you just draw up a new one.
- Next up: how long to wait before you follow up yourself.
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NextTwo follow-ups, not three: when to send them and when to let it go