Free Consignment Contract Template
Customize a comprehensive consignment agreement in your browser — commission split, term length, payouts, unsold-item policy, optional clauses — and download the finished contract as a PDF or editable Word document. Then read everything you need to know before you sign.
What is a consignment contract?
A consignment contract is a written agreement between a store (the consignee) and an item owner (the consignor) that lets the store offer the consignor’s items for sale, take a commission when they sell, and return or otherwise dispose of items that don’t sell within an agreed-upon term. Title to the items remains with the consignor until they sell — they’re not the store’s inventory and don’t get treated as such if the store goes through bankruptcy or a UCC search.
A good consignment contract answers seven questions in writing: who, what, how long, for what split, paid how, with what risk, and how do disagreements get resolved. The template above covers all seven plus a stack of optional clauses for booth rentals, authenticity warranties, social media rights, and storage fees.
What every consignment contract should cover
The split & how it’s calculated
60/40 favoring the store and 50/50 are the two most common splits. What matters more is what the split is calculated against. The contract should make explicit that sales tax, marketplace fees, and payment-processor fees are stripped before the split — otherwise small disputes pile up every payout cycle.
Term length & what happens after
Pick a term (60–90 days is typical), then write down what happens to unsold items: return, donate, or further markdown then return. The notice window for pickup matters too — without it, you’ll inherit storage problems and angry consignors.
Pricing authority & markdowns
Decide who sets the original price (store, consignor, or mutual agreement) and disclose the store’s automatic markdown schedule up front. Surprise markdowns are the #1 complaint in consumer-advocacy reviews of consignment shops.
Risk of loss & insurance
Most stores place risk of loss on the consignor because standard commercial insurance covers store inventory at cost, not consigned items at retail. If you keep risk with the store, get a consignment-specific insurance rider — and add a per-item cap so a single antique loss doesn’t wipe out a year of commissions.
Item warranties
The consignor must warrant that they own the items, that the items aren’t stolen or counterfeit, and that authenticity claims (designer, vintage, antique) are accurate. This single paragraph is what protects the store if a “Chanel” bag turns out to be a fake.
Dispute resolution & jurisdiction
Pick the state law that governs the agreement (the state your store is in is the obvious choice) and a dispute-resolution mechanism. For most low-dollar consignment relationships, mediation followed by small-claims court is the right balance — full arbitration is overkill until you’re moving five-figure inventory per consignor.
Common consignment splits by category
Splits vary by category, geography, and the consignor’s leverage (a one-off donor vs. a high-volume vendor with a booth). The table below reflects what we see across hundreds of resale shops using ResaleOS.
| Category | Typical split (store / consignor) | Typical term |
|---|---|---|
| Women’s apparel & accessories | 50/50 to 60/40 | 60–90 days |
| Men’s apparel | 50/50 to 60/40 | 60–90 days |
| Children’s apparel & gear | 50/50 | 60 days |
| Furniture & home goods | 50/50 to 60/40 | 90 days |
| Designer / luxury (single high-value items) | 60/40 to 70/30 in favor of consignor | 60–90 days |
| Antiques & collectibles | 50/50 to 60/40 | 120+ days |
| Booth rental (vendor mall) | 90/10 plus monthly rent | Month-to-month |
| Sporting goods | 50/50 to 60/40 | 60–90 days |
Note: these are conventions, not rules. Your store and your market dictate what works. The important thing is that the split and what it’s calculated against are written into the contract before items arrive — verbal splits cause more disputes than any other single thing in consignment.
State law affects unsold-item title transfer
A handful of states (notably California, with its Fine Art and Crafts and Cultural Property statutes, and several states’ Uniform Commercial Code Article 9 filings for consignment) require formal notice or a UCC-1 filing before consigned items can be treated as the store’s own (e.g. used to satisfy a creditor or donated). If you’re regularly consigning items above $1,000, ask a local attorney about UCC consignment-notice filings before donating long-unsold items.
How to fill out the contract template above
- Enter your store details first — name, address, and a contact (an email address is fine; consignors will occasionally need to reach you about their account).
- Add the consignor’s details. If you’re creating a master template to reuse, leave consignor fields blank and fill them in with each new agreement.
- Pick a split and pricing authority. The split you set automatically updates the contract preview on the right.
- Set payout frequency, threshold, and method. Monthly payouts with a $25 minimum is the most common starting point — small enough that consignors aren’t waiting forever, big enough that you’re not cutting $3 checks.
- Choose what happens to unsold items at the end of the term. Returning is the safest, donating is the simplest, and discount-then-return is a fair middle ground.
- Toggle on the optional clauses that apply to your store: photography rights and authenticity warranty are almost always worth including; exclusivity, recurring rent, and withdrawal restrictions are situational.
- Download as PDF or Word and have both parties sign — physically, via PDF e-sign, or via the consignor portal in ResaleOS if you’re a customer.
Run consignment end-to-end with ResaleOS
The contract is step one. ResaleOS is the operating system for resale shops — built-in consignment terms, per-consignor splits and surcharges, automatic payouts, a self-serve consignor portal that shows live balances and sale history, and a one-click way to send the contract to consignors for digital signature. Your contract above can become the workspace-wide default agreement in a few clicks.
- Per-consignor splits & surcharges
- Self-serve consignor portal
- Auto end-of-term reminders
- Automatic payouts & statements
- Recurring booth rent & vendor fees
- Digital signature on agreements
Keep going on consignment
- How to set up the consignor portal — the self-serve version of this contract, balance, and sale history for each consignor.
- How to add a surcharge — model cleaning fees, restocking fees, and card-processing surcharges that automatically adjust splits.
- How to set up a recurring fee — perfect for booth rentals, vendor rent, and storage fees.
- How to set up automated pricing rules — schedule the markdowns the contract authorizes.
Frequently asked
Is this consignment contract template really free?
Is this template a legally binding document?
What commission split should I use?
What term length should I set?
Who pays sales tax?
What if a customer returns an item?
Who is responsible if an item is stolen or damaged?
Can I use this template internationally?
Related Posts
This template and the surrounding article are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute legal advice. Consignment law varies by jurisdiction. Consult a licensed attorney in your state before relying on this template for high-value consignment relationships.
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