Purchase Agreement ?

D

Dixieblade57

Joined
Jun 20, 2007
Messages
1,361
I have a question on my part, that has arisen from the sale of some merchandise, I had for sale over the internet!

Let’s say you have a knife up for sale to the general public. When someone contacts you with an inquiry to you have a standard sales contract that use to cover the purchase.
That way you would just change the pertinent information each time and you don't forget to cover all the bases.

I am talking of something like the following:

Craft Custom Knives


Interested parties name, __________

Thank you for your interest in my knife. The details on the knife are as follows: materials, type of steel, blade length, OA length, heat treatment, etc., etc.__________

Price_________


If you are pleased with the details and wish to proceed with the purchase of this knife, I accept the following methods of payment.

Method of payment options:

1. I will take a money order however; you must be willing to let the money order clear my bank before I will ship merchandise. In the past I have encountered problems with money orders so they must be verified by the bank, this usually takes 3-7 days.
If you choose this option, make funds payable to.

(My name and address)

Upon my receiving your M.O., I will notify you I have received it. I will deposit and upon bank clearance will ship out and notify you of shipment to your address.
Please email me to let me know funds are on their way, that way I don’t worry about them being lost in the mail!


2. I will take Paypal credit card purchases.
My email address is as follows: (email address)

3. I will take Paypal instant payments. If unfamiliar on how to do such a transaction, use the following steps in red.
My email address is as follows: (email address)

Paypal Instant payment transaction steps
1. Log in to your PayPal account.
2. Click the My Account tab.
3. Click the Send Money tab.
4. Enter the required information and click Continue.
5. Review the information and click Send Money to complete your transaction.

If you choose to make payment by Paypal, please notify me by email, so I can watch for it to be posted to my account.
Once transaction has been verified, I will notify you and shipment will be made. An email will be sent out to notify you shipment has been made and name of carrier, as well as estimated time of delivery.

Each purchased knife is accompanied by a letter from the maker with all pertinent information as well as a copy of my guarantee of satisfaction.
My Guarantee of satisfaction: You will have seven days from receipt of the knife for you to examine the knife and if not happy for any reason it may be returned in good condition for full money back refund. Upon my receiving and examining the knife for any damage or misuse and determining it is in the same condition that I sent it out to you, you will the receive a full refund!
If your knife is a custom ordered piece the same refund policy applies, as to workmanship and quality of materials, with the exception that the refund will be based on what I feel I will be able to sell this particular piece to another individual. After all it was a custom order to your specifications! After seven days all sales are final!


Clifton Craft

Craft Custom Knives

The reason I am thinking of this is I answer basically these same questions every time I sale something, whether it is a knife or just some tools for knife making! So I am considering sort of a standard contract for my knives!
What do you all think about something like this?
How would you feel if you were the client and the seller sent you this?
Too forward?
Need other information?
To me it would save lots of time typing back and forth to a prospective client and it lays it all out there no surprises on either end!
Let me know what you all think of such a document.
 
I dont see a problem with it. looks like a typical order form similar to what Randall Knives uses to me.
 
Thanks Jason, maybe I am just lazy about typing but I get tired answering the same questions over and over. Also I like to be totally up front and above board with a customer.
I just wasn't sure how folks felt about something like the contract I was working up.
Anyone else got any imput on this?
 
Dixie go to Randalls website, Jay Fischer has one too I think. The point is there are many makers who use them and to me it does look more professional and established then not having one
 
Seems like a good idea tha might head off any misunderstandings or disagreements.
 
Thanks for thumbs up!

I really would like some of you seasoned veterans to weigh in on this subject.

Do any of you, use something similar?

What do you think of this idea?
 
When I do an order for someone I take down the variables as I understand them and email the pertinent information to the customer. I ask for a confirmation of what I understand to be their desired knife. I retain these emails until they receive their knife and affirm it's what they want. I keep all these emails filed away.

For example:
Steve emails me he wants an EDK with a burl handle and SS pins and tubing.

"Steve, just to confirm, you want the standard EDK with a RARWERQWER burl handle, stainless Pins (not mosaic) and stainless tubing and the standard pocket sheath and a fob."

No, I'd like mosaic pins.

So confirming stainless pins and tubing, RRQRQWERW burl and standard pocket sheath and fob.

I'll rinse and repeat until I understand what they want and they understand what I think they want.
 
I'm not a veteran, and the only time I'm "seasoned" is when I spill some salt or pepper on myself. :D

It's a bit wordy, and sounds a bit like "legalese", but I understand that. You're just trying to be straight-forward and cover your butt. There's nothing in there that I would object to, if I were your customer. It's certainly fair to wait for payment to clear before shipping an item, whether it's PayPal, check, MO, CC or whatever.

My only constructive comment/question would be, how do you determine the 7-day rule? Does the 7-days start based on when the shipping entity says the item was delivered? If so, I have no problem with it. Your agreement seems reasonable to me.
 
James_Terrio said:
I'm not a veteran, and the only time I'm "seasoned" is when I spill some salt or pepper on myself. :D

It's a bit wordy, and sounds a bit like "legalese", but I understand that. You're just trying to be straight-forward and cover your butt. There's nothing in there that I would object to, if I were your customer. It's certainly fair to wait for payment to clear before shipping an item, whether it's PayPal, check, MO, CC or whatever.

My only constructive comment/question would be, how do you determine the 7-day rule? Does the 7-days start based on when the shipping entity says the item was delivered? If so, I have no problem with it. Your agreement seems reasonable to me.
Click to expand...

You were talking about it sounding a little "legalese", maybe that is so. Like you said I am trying to cover my butt. I am also trying to address the same questions I seem to get everytime. They may not be in the first email or the second or the third but I usally end up answering them. Now don't get me wrong I don't mind answering any question that I can for a perspective buyer but, I figure with this maybe I could head off some of the inevitable same questions folks ask! After all you get all the other questions out of the way and there is nothing left to talk about but the knife and I love to talk about my knives.

The seven day period starts from the date of delivery confirmtion. I need to specify that. Thanks for pointing that out.
I want a customer to be happy. Ed Caffery addressed this very issue of the warranty/guarantee in past threads on that subject. I had similar ideas but was unsure as to how to voice it and how long to give a buyer. So this is montage of some of his ideas he uses and my own thoughts.

I never send something out that I don't at least do delivery confirmation and insurance. It is usually less than five bucks for both and I figure it protects me as well as my buyer.
It is realativley inexpensive way to keep some one from coming back later and saying I never got it. You can do a delivery confirmation by UPS or USPS and you can also request a signed delivery confirmation.

This is exactly the kind of feedback I have been looking for! Anyone else got any thoughts on this subject?
 
Dixie, I don't bother with a lot of paper work in my sales, but I see nothing wrong in what you propose to do, with one exception. I would allow the customer 30 days from an estimated day of delivery. Give them plenty of time to be sure they are satisfied. There is no better customer than a happy customer who may order more, or tell his friends about you, but no worse customer than one dissatisfied and feeling he has no recourse other than to bad mouth you or your work. And, never take deposits, except in extreme cases. Even then I would be prepared refund it if something went sour.
 
Thanks LRB, I will take your thoughts under consideration. I certainly see what you are saying. I too, come from the generation when the customer was king, and I have always bent over backwords to make a customer happy!
 
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