Legal Documents Every Maker Should Have
A free checklist of the 10 legal documents a handmade business should have — bill of sale, custom-order contract, returns and shipping policies, terms of service, privacy policy, photo release, wholesale and consignment agreements, and a contractor agreement — with what each is, when you need it, and a box to check it off. It is the lite cut of the Craft Business Legal Pack and is not legal advice.
A free, ungated PDF that names the ten legal documents a handmade business should have and helps you find your gaps. For each one — bill of sale, custom-order contract, returns & refund policy, shipping policy, terms of service, privacy policy, photo & model release, wholesale agreement, consignment agreement, and independent-contractor agreement — it gives you a one- or two-line "what it is," a plain-English "you need it when," and a checkbox to mark what you already have (and whether it is current). Most makers find they are missing three or four. It is the map, not the documents themselves: the lite cut of the paid Craft Business Legal Pack, which is all ten as editable fillable-PDF and Word templates plus a 12-page guide. It is a general educational starting point, not legal advice.
- A checklist of all 10 documents a handmade business should have — bill of sale, custom-order contract, returns & refund policy, shipping policy, terms of service, privacy policy, photo & model release, wholesale agreement, consignment agreement, and independent-contractor agreement
- A plain-English "what it is" for each document, so you understand what it actually does before deciding whether you need it
- A "you need it when" line for each, mapping the document to how you sell — commissions, wholesale, consignment, hiring help, or running any store page
- A checkbox per document to mark what you already have and whether it is current, so your gaps are obvious at a glance
- A clear, prominent "not legal advice" boundary and a note that laws differ by state and change over time
- A clear upgrade path: this is the free map; the full Craft Business Legal Pack is the 10 editable documents plus a 12-page guide, on the Ardent Workshop storefront
This checklist is a general educational starting point, not legal advice and not a substitute for a lawyer. Laws differ by state and country and change over time — for anything high-stakes, have a qualified attorney in your jurisdiction review your documents before you rely on them.
The ten documents — and why each matters
The checklist covers the documents that quietly prevent the disputes makers lose most: a bill of sale and a custom-order contract for what you make and sell, returns and shipping policies and terms of service for your store page, a privacy policy for the data you collect, a photo and model release for the images you use, wholesale and consignment agreements for selling through others, and an independent-contractor agreement for the day you hire help.
Each entry explains in plain English what the document does, so you can decide whether it applies to you rather than guessing from the title.
Match the gaps to how you actually sell
You do not need all ten on day one. The ones to fix first are whatever matches how you sell today: take commissions and you need a custom-order contract with deposit terms; sell to boutiques and you need a wholesale agreement; place stock in a gift shop and you need a consignment agreement; run any kind of store page and you need policies and a privacy note.
The checkbox column makes the gaps obvious — most makers discover they are missing three or four of the ten.
A map, not legal advice
This checklist is a general educational starting point — it is not legal advice and not a substitute for a lawyer. Laws differ by state and country and change over time.
For anything high-stakes — a large commission, a significant wholesale or consignment relationship, hiring help, or any active dispute — have a qualified attorney in your jurisdiction review your documents before you rely on them.
Want the full version?
This free checklist tells you which documents you need. The Craft Business Legal Pack is the documents themselves — all 10 templates, each as a fillable PDF and an editable Word document, plus a 12-page guide covering what each document is for, the common mistakes makers make, and the "your state may differ" boundaries. Available on the Ardent Workshop storefront. Not legal advice.
Get the full 10-document Legal Pack (opens in new tab)Keep the records these documents rely on
A consignment agreement is only as good as your record of what is out on consignment; a custom-order contract needs the deposit and balance tracked. Ardent Seller keeps your vendors, customers, wholesale accounts, deposits, and order history in one place — the records that make these agreements enforceable instead of theoretical. Start free — no credit card required.
Customers & sales
Customer and order history kept together — the record a bill of sale, custom-order contract, or refund policy points back to.
Vendors & wholesale
Wholesale accounts, consignment placements, and supplier terms in one place, so your wholesale and consignment agreements have real records behind them.
Audit trail
A timestamped record of deposits, refunds, and changes — the receipts that back up a contract or policy if a transaction is ever disputed.
Frequently asked questions
Is this really free?
Yes — the checklist is a free PDF download with no email required. It names all ten documents and tells you what each is and when you need it. The paid Craft Business Legal Pack is the documents themselves: all 10 as editable fillable-PDF and Word templates plus a 12-page guide.
Does the checklist include the actual documents?
No — the free checklist is the map: it tells you which documents you need and helps you find your gaps. The editable templates (fillable PDF + Word) are in the paid Craft Business Legal Pack on the Ardent Workshop storefront.
Is this legal advice?
No. The checklist, and the templates in the paid pack, are general educational starting points — not legal advice and not a substitute for a lawyer. Laws differ by state and country and change over time. For anything high-stakes, have a qualified attorney in your jurisdiction review your documents.
Which documents do I need first?
Start with whatever matches how you sell today: a custom-order contract if you take commissions, a wholesale agreement if you sell to stockists, a consignment agreement if you place stock in shops, and store policies plus a privacy note if you run any kind of store page. The checkbox column makes your gaps easy to spot.
Related resources
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