Do I have to pay the Client's 5% marketplace fee?

[44aec249]

#Need help

A Client of mine(fixed price with milestones) charged 5% marketplace fee for each of the milestones he made to me for the fixed price project.

As a freelancer I am already paying my 10% service fee from my every earnings, do I have to pay the Client's 5% marketplace fee?

If not, how to solve it?

Note: When I asked my client why am I being charged for the 5% marketplace fee, he said it was the way he does.

[tlsanders]

This is no different from if you had agreed on a price and the client had randomly decided to pay you less. It's your call how important this contract is to you, but I wouldn't consider continuing to work with a dishonest client like this.

[44aec249]

Thanks,  Tiffany S.

I had only discussed the rate because I never needed to discuss the client marketplace fee, as my other clients never charged me the additional 5%.

[ladyelexia]

It is probably time to let that client go. Both sides have to pay a fee for using the platform. Both sides can also submit that fee as a business expense on their yearly taxes. Ethically he should not be making you pay HIS business expenses. I am unsure if there is anything in the TOS regarding this, its worth checking out. As a freelancer chances are you build your platform fees into your pricing, there is no way to build a client fee into that pricing (and you never should), 

[lysis10]

I'm confused. How did the client charge you? There's no way for him to charge you as a freelancer, so how did that work?

[6cf79172]

Is it compulsory to do that?