Last updated December 6, 2022
Written by
Zack Dean Zack Dean, BComm
Zack Dean is a professional writer, editor, and communications specialist with six years of experience. He graduated from Canada’s MacEwan University with a Bachelor of Communication St...
Reviewed by
Sarah Ure Sarah Ure, BA, JD
Sarah Ure is a Legal Writer at LawDepot. Sarah has undergraduate degrees in English and Psychology from the University of Calgary, as well as a Law degree from the University of Victori...
|
Fact checked by
Rebecca Koehn Rebecca Koehn, BSc, MFA
Rebecca Koehn has been working in content creation and editing for over ten years and search engine optimization for over five years. Koehn is the Content Marketing Manager for LawDepot...
What is a Sales Agreement?
A Sales Agreement is a legally binding contract between a buyer and a seller to outline the terms of a transaction. Either the buyer or seller can create a Sales Agreement to document the transaction.
A Sales Agreement outlines:
- Details about each party
- The exchange of goods or services
- Price and payment details
- Delivery details
- Liability and warranty
A Sales Agreement is also known as a sales contract or sale of goods contract.
Why is a Sales Agreement important?
A Sales Agreement is crucial because it contains all the most vital details about a transaction. The contract gives the buyer and seller something to reference if they're ever unsure about the terms of their agreement.
Having these details spelled out helps prevent miscommunication between the buyer and seller. It's particularly important if a business is dealing with a regular customer. The business wouldn't want to damage that relationship.
More formal Sales Agreements will also have dispute resolutions that outline whether a conflict will go to mediation or arbitration. LawDepot's Sales Agreement gives you this option.
Finally, the document provides the buyer and seller with legal protection. If the buyer doesn’t pay for the goods or services or the seller doesn’t uphold their end of the agreement, the Sales Agreement is evidence that can help the wronged party in court.
When can I use a Sales Agreement?
You can use a Sales Agreement when you’re selling or purchasing:
- Goods: physical items or possessions (e.g., animals, exercise equipment, household appliances, vehicles, etc.).
- Services: duties performed for compensation (e.g., painting a house). We recommend using LawDepot's Service Agreement if services are the only thing being provided.
- Goods and Services: the purchase of a physical item and supplying aid (e.g., a dishwasher and installing the dishwasher).
Use the Sales Agreement to specify the number of items or services being exchanged in the transaction and clearly describe the items or tasks the seller is performing.
If you’re looking to sell or purchase real estate, a Real Estate Purchase Agreement should be used instead. Similarly, if you are buying or selling a business, you should use a Purchase of Business Agreement.
What's the difference between a Bill of Sale and a Sales Agreement?
While a Bill of Sale and a Sales Agreement provide many of the same details about a transaction, they serve very different purposes.
The parties create a Sales Agreement before completing a transaction. It outlines the terms that both parties need to meet for the transaction to go through, such as details about payment plans and warranties.
A Bill of Sale is created after the parties reach an agreement. It’s a receipt that acts as evidence that an item’s ownership has transferred from one party to another. A Bill of Sale is often one part of the Sales Agreement.
How do I write a Sales Agreement?
You can easily create a Sales Agreement by filling out LawDepot's questionnaire. Using our template will ensure you complete the necessary steps:
1. Specify your location
Start your Sales Agreement by specifying in which state the transaction is taking place. States may have different laws; LawDepot will ensure your agreement is valid in your location.
Include the buyer's and seller's full names and addresses (e.g., street, city, and ZIP code).
3. Describe the goods and services
Provide a detailed description of the goods and services the seller is providing.
For example, if they’re selling a vehicle, provide the make, model, year, color, and VIN. If they’re providing a service, give a breakdown of every duty they’re performing.
4. State the price and deposit details (if applicable)
Be sure to include the price of the goods and services in your Sales Agreement. If a deposit is also part of the agreement, state how much it is, when the buyer will pay it, and whether they’ll get the deposit back if the transaction isn’t completed.
A deposit is a sum of money that a seller receives from a buyer as security that they'll follow through with the Sales Agreement's terms. If the buyer purchases an item, the deposit goes towards the purchase price. A deposit is either refundable or non-refundable. That means the deposit is returned to the buyer or kept by the seller if the deal does not go through.
5. Outline payment details
Outline how the buyer will pay the seller for the goods or services. The payment can either be a lump sum or made in installments.
If the buyer is paying in installments, include whether it will be a regular payment schedule or when certain milestones are hit (common when services are provided). For example, if the seller is painting the entire interior of the buyer’s house, they might require a specific sum of money after each section of the house (e.g., bedrooms, living room, and basement) is complete.
Payment can come in the form of:
- Cash
- Certified check
- Promissory note
- Bank draft
- PayPal
- Email transfer
Also, if the seller is charging the buyer a penalty for late payments, include the interest rate percentage that will act as a penalty.
6. Provide delivery terms
You can include terms regarding where the seller will deliver the goods. The delivery can be at the buyer's address, the seller's address, or another specified location. The buyer can compensate the seller after receiving the goods, the seller has shipped them, or a Bill of Sale has been drafted.
7. Include liability details
Liability addresses the goods' risk of loss or damage and determines who is responsible for the item at each point of the transaction.
Use the Sales Agreement to specify when the seller is no longer liable for lost or damaged goods. The buyer usually takes over responsibility when the seller delivers the goods to the shipping carrier or when the buyer receives the goods.
8. State if there’s a warranty on the goods
The seller can either include a warranty on the goods or transfer them to the buyer “as is.”
A warranty is a written guarantee from the seller to the buyer about the quality and condition of the goods.
Here are some of the guarantees a seller can make regarding an item:
- The goods are fit for their intended use (e.g., the dishwasher effectively washes the dishes).
- They own it (e.g., the seller purchased the car from a dealership).
- The item has no claims or loans against it (e.g., there are no outstanding liens or payments on the item).
- The item does not infringe on patents or trademarks (e.g., the seller's invention is not a replica of someone else's patented design).
An item is sold "as is" when a seller offers no warranties and the buyer agrees to take ownership of an item regardless of any known or unknown flaws. This condition only works if the seller hasn't purposely hidden any defects.
9. Provide a dispute resolution (if applicable)
The buyer and seller can include a dispute resolution in their Sales Agreement if necessary. They can either go to mediation, arbitration, or start with mediation and then go to arbitration if mediation is unsuccessful.
Mediation consists of a neutral third-party mediator who attempts to facilitate an agreement between the parties but will not decide on any issues. The results of mediation are non-binding.
However, arbitration is binding. It consists of a neutral third-party arbitrator who will resolve the dispute by making a binding decision on the parties’ behalf.
10. Sign the agreement
There is space at the bottom of the document for the buyer and seller to sign the agreement. If you know the date the Sales Agreement will be signed, include it in the contract as well. Once the document is signed, the transaction is official.