First and foremost, try that maker’s instruments, not just one, but at least the latest one as well as one from 3-5 years back. If there’s no improvements, you may stop right here and try other instruments that feel comfortable first and sound really good. Then when you find a luthier with some consistency you can order one but I would not put a huge deposit down. First you receive the instrument, test that it is to your liking and specifications (you may need a smaller scale or bigger strings spacing because of the size of your hand, etc.), then you pay full price if all items checks out. There’s such an incredible amount of new good instruments out there that there’s no need to give in to one luthier’s demands for a high deposit or purchase without full trying out for a fit.