Estate agent takes deposit from buyers?

Hi all,

I’m selling my house and the estate agent I’m considering uses a buyer reservation deposit once an offer is accepted. The idea is that the buyer pays a deposit to show commitment and the property is taken off the market, I believe it's about £2k.

From what I’ve been told, it is refundable in certain situations, for example if the seller changes their mind/withdraws, if the survey comes back with adverse findings, or if there’s another valid issue outside the buyer’s control. So it doesn’t seem to be completely non-refundable.

My concern is more about perception. Even with those get-out clauses, is this kind of deposit likely to put genuine buyers off, especially first-time buyers or anyone relying on a mortgage and survey?

Has anyone come across this when buying or selling? Did it help weed out timewasters, or did it make buyers suspicious / less likely to proceed?

Estate agent has great reviews and the service has been good so far but am getting confused about the above.

Thanks 😀