Sent about ten cents as a deposit (8)
I believe the answer is:
sediment
'a deposit' is the definition.
('sediment' can be a synonym of 'deposit')
'sent about ten cents' is the wordplay.
'about' indicates putting letters inside.
'ten cents' becomes 'dime' (I've seen this before).
'sent' enclosing 'dime' is 'SEDIMENT'.
'as' is the link.
(Other definitions for sediment that I've seen before include "Grounds - debris" , "Lees" , "Matter settling out in liquid" , "Matter settling out in fluids" , "Deposit at the bottom of a liquid" .)