Most commission agreements are the actual conversation the maker had with the client, half-remembered, spread across DMs and texts. Writing one down fixes that, but only if it covers the specific things that actually go wrong.
I already wrote about the two ways a commission relationship goes sideways: scope creep and status anxiety. An agreement fixes scope creep directly. It doesn’t need to be long. It needs six pieces of information, in writing, before any money changes hands.
The piece
Describe exactly what you’re making. Materials, size, colors, any reference photos attached and dated. If the client sends a reference photo after you agree on the price, that photo isn’t part of the agreement unless you both re-sign.
Price and what’s included
State the total price and what it covers. Then state what it doesn’t cover, specifically. For beadwork or leatherwork, this usually means: base design as described, one round of a specific finish, standard shipping. Hand-tooling, rush delivery, and extra embellishment beyond the reference are separate line items you price now, before the client asks.
Deposit and balance
A deposit due at signing, non-refundable once work starts, is standard. State the deposit amount as a fixed number so nobody has to calculate a percentage later. State when the balance is due: on completion, before shipping, whichever you actually enforce.
Timeline
Give a single delivery date. A range leaves the client assuming the earliest end while you’re planning around the latest one. If you want buffer time, fold it into that single date instead of handing over a range to interpret. State what happens if the date slips on your end, a discount or a revised date, whatever you’d actually offer. State what happens if it slips because the client went quiet on approvals.
Changes after signing
Name the process for a change request. The client asks, you quote the added cost and time, both sides confirm in writing before you start. This is the line that ends the hand-tooling conversation before it starts, since the agreement already told them how to ask.
Cancellation
State what’s refundable and when. Materials already bought and hours already worked are reasonable to keep from the deposit. Say so up front instead of working it out mid-argument.
That’s the whole thing. Six sections, plain language, specific numbers instead of ranges. Print it, fill in the blanks, have the client sign before the first stitch.
Sign up free and you don’t have to print anything. Pending Magic sends this as a signed step in the client’s tracking link, so the agreement lives with the commission instead of in a drawer.