The email comes in on a Thursday afternoon.
“We need it by Monday. Can you make it work?”
Most 3D freelancers say yes before they’ve even opened the brief.
Same rate as always.
Sometimes less, because the client called it a quick one.
I get why.
A rush feels like a favour you’re doing them, and favours feel like they should be cheap.
And being the one who can always make it work feels like good service.
But look at what a rush actually costs you.
Your weekend.
The other project that now slips by two days.
And the client’s idea of how long good 3D takes.
That last one is the expensive part.
If a four-day job gets done in two at the same price, the client doesn’t think you worked twice as hard.
They think it was always a two-day job.
So the next brief comes in with a tighter deadline.
And the one after that.
Nobody decided that on purpose.
Your Thursday yes just became their new normal.
A rush is the one moment a client openly tells you that time matters more to them than money.
So price the time.
Add 50% to any quote that has to land in half the normal time.
Say your project is 2.400€ over four days.
Delivered in two, it’s 3.600€.
Clients with a real deadline expect that.
The ones who push back usually didn’t have a real deadline.
Either way, you find out who you’re dealing with before you give up your weekend.
– Moritz
Tiny tactical tip:
Write down your rule for rush jobs before the next one arrives. Put one line in your terms: “Delivery in under 5 working days adds 50% to the fee.” It’s a lot easier to point at a rule than to make one up on a Thursday afternoon.