Credit sale agreement
Customer takes the merchandise and pays in installments. A signed agreement with payment schedule, late fees, warranty terms, and what happens on default.
Solution by industry, retailers & distributors
Get paid for what you sell,
even on credit.
Credit sales, warranties, distribution agreements, and delivery receipts signed with verified identity. An evidentiary audit trail to back your collections. Free to start, Pro at $9/month.
Four points of friction that cost you money
What an unsigned contract cost you last year.
Customer credit with no signed agreement
You extend credit on equipment or merchandise on a verbal understanding. When payment stops, there is no signed record to build a collection case on.
Warranty claims are hard to prove
A customer claims warranty coverage past the stated term, or says the terms were never explained. Without a signed document, it comes down to your word against theirs.
Distributor terms settled over text
Exclusivity, margins, and payment terms negotiated in a chat thread. When a distributor breaks the agreement or switches brands, there is no contract to enforce.
Disputed deliveries
The customer says the product arrived damaged; you say it left your warehouse in good condition. Without a signed delivery receipt, you absorb the loss.
Document types
Real use cases for U.S. retailers & distributors.
Commercial documents signed under the ESIGN Act and UETA, with Level B KYC for customers buying on credit. The legal content of each document remains the responsibility of the merchant or their counsel.
IOU / credit acknowledgment
A signed acknowledgment of a customer's debt for a fixed amount. A formal, negotiable promissory note is a different instrument — see the note below before using one for financing you intend to sell or transfer.
Extended warranty terms
Coverage, term, exclusions, and the conditions for making a claim. The customer signs at the time of purchase as confirmation they received and understood the terms.
Distribution agreement
Your agreement with a distributor or sales rep — territory, exclusivity, margins, payment terms, monthly targets, and termination conditions.
Delivery / goods-received confirmation
Customer or distributor signs confirming the product arrived in good condition. Closes off later disputes about damage in transit.
Exclusivity / vendor agreement
Your distributor agrees not to carry a competing product in a territory for a set term, with penalty clauses for a breach.
A few things to check before you rely on it
The core framework is federal. A few retail documents need extra care.
The ESIGN Act plus UETA (or ESRA in New York) cover the private contracts on this page nationwide, but a few document types in retail carry their own rules on top. Check these with your attorney before assuming every document can be handled the same way electronically.
Negotiable instruments are treated differently
The ESIGN Act's coverage of the Uniform Commercial Code is limited to Article 2 (sales) and Article 2A (leases) — it does not extend to negotiable instruments under UCC Article 3. A simple written credit acknowledgment between you and a customer is not the same as a formal, negotiable promissory note meant to be endorsed or sold to a third party, such as a bank or a factor. If you plan to transfer a note to a third party, confirm with your attorney whether it needs a handwritten signature to stay negotiable.
Consumer credit disclosures vary by state
Sales on credit to individual consumers can trigger federal Truth in Lending Act disclosures and state retail-installment-sales requirements — specific language, formatting, and timing rules that exist separately from how the document gets signed. Confirm your credit agreement's content with counsel before using it at scale.
Warranty disclosure rules are separate from the signature
Written warranties on consumer products can be subject to federal and state warranty-disclosure requirements. An electronic signature confirms the customer received and accepted the document — it does not determine whether the warranty's content meets those requirements, which stays your call.
Differentiators for retailers
Built for stores and distribution.
Evidentiary backing for your collections
A document signed with Level B KYC and a cryptographic audit trail gives your collections effort a documented record — the customer verified their identity, read the terms, and signed.
Signed in under 2 minutes at checkout
The customer signs from their phone while you finish the transaction. No printing, no scanning, no filing paper — the deal closes with a signed record in hand.
Billed simply, in USD
One flat monthly subscription, billed automatically. Upgrade, downgrade, or cancel anytime — no annual contract required.
Distributors sign from anywhere
A distribution, exclusivity, or representation agreement signed by your business partner across the country. No travel, no courier with physical documents.
Reusable templates
Credit agreement, warranty terms, delivery receipt, and distribution agreement built once. Every new customer or distributor reuses the template in a couple of clicks.
Works for a single store or a chain
An individual retailer starts on Pro at $9/month. A chain with multiple stores and reps moves to Teams at $8/seat/month with a centralized audit log, an API, and corporate branding.
Recommended plan for retailers
Pro for an individual store. Teams for a chain.
For an individual store
Pro
An independent retailer selling on credit or managing warranties.
$9per month USD
- Unlimited documents per month
- 2 free Level B KYC verifications a month
- Custom templates (credit, warranty, delivery)
- 20 AI credits a month
- Full cryptographic audit trail
For a chain of stores
Teams
Multiple stores, reps with their own login, and a centralized audit log.
$8per seat/month, from 3 seats
- Multiple users under one organization
- Templates shared across stores
- REST API and webhooks for your POS or ERP
- Centralized audit log with CSV export
- Corporate branding on documents
- Additional Level B KYC packages
How it works
From a closed sale to a signed agreement in 3 steps.
- 1
At checkout or the warehouse
Load the document template
Credit agreement, credit acknowledgment, or warranty. Fill in the customer's details, amount, term, and send the link by email or text.
- 2
Customer verifies identity
Level B KYC with ID and a selfie
Customer opens the link from their phone, uploads a photo of their ID, and takes a selfie. Signs the document with verified identity.
- 3
Deal closed
Hand over the merchandise and file
You get the signed PDF with its audit trail. Hand over the product with confidence — if payment lapses, your attorney has a documented record to work with.
Frequently asked questions from retailers & distributors.
Is a credit sale agreement signed electronically legally valid in the United States?
Yes, for the private agreement itself. The ESIGN Act (15 U.S.C. §7001) and UETA — adopted by 49 states, with New York using its own equivalent statute, ESRA — give an electronic signature the same legal effect as a handwritten one, as long as the signer's identity and the document's integrity can be established. A signed credit sale agreement carries that same evidentiary weight in a collections matter. One exception applies to a formal negotiable instrument — see the next question.
Can I use an electronically signed promissory note to collect a debt?
For a private credit acknowledgment between you and your customer, generally yes — that is an ordinary contract under the ESIGN Act. Where it gets more specific: the ESIGN Act's UCC coverage stops at Articles 2 and 2A, and does not extend to negotiable instruments under Article 3. If you intend to create a formal negotiable note, one you might sell or transfer to a bank or a factor, talk to your attorney about whether that particular instrument needs a handwritten signature to remain negotiable.
How do I verify a customer’s identity before extending credit?
With Level B KYC verification — a government-issued ID (driver’s license or passport) matched against a live photo. The Pro plan includes 2 free Level B verifications a month; Teams plans can add packages sized to your credit volume.
What does Kligrafia cost for my store?
The Free plan covers 3 documents a month at no cost. Pro is $9/month with unlimited documents, up to 10 signers, 2 free Level B KYC verifications, and 20 AI credits. A chain with multiple stores and reps starts on Teams at $8/seat/month, with a 3-seat minimum. Billing runs as a single monthly subscription in USD.
Does this work for a distributor in a different state?
Yes. Your distributor anywhere in the country signs the agreement from their phone without traveling to your location. Upload the distribution agreement template, add their email, and they read and sign. The document carries an evidentiary audit trail that backs your position if the agreement is later breached.
How do I handle a delivery receipt when I ship to a customer's home?
Send the signature link by text or email at the time of delivery. The customer signs the goods-received confirmation in under a minute from their phone. If they later claim damage, the signed document shows they confirmed receiving it in good condition.
Can I automate this from my point-of-sale system?
Teams includes a REST API and webhooks. Your POS or ERP creates the credit agreement or warranty record when the sale closes, Kligrafia routes it for signature, and a webhook updates your system once it is signed. Documentation is at kligrafia.com/docs/api.
What if a customer disputes having signed?
Every completed document generates an evidence report PDF with a SHA-256 hash of the document before and after signing, a timestamp for every action, IP address, user-agent, device, and the KYC level reached. Anyone, including a court, can verify the record’s integrity at kligrafia.com/verify, no account needed.
Your next credit sale goes out signed.
Create your free account, upload your first credit agreement or warranty template, and send the link to your customer. The deal closes with a documented, evidentiary record.