{"id":11294,"date":"2026-11-12T02:33:53","date_gmt":"2026-11-12T02:33:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lawayala.com\/resources\/florida-contract-disputes-guide-tampa-area-businesses\/written-contract-sell-goods-over-500-florida\/"},"modified":"2026-11-12T02:53:54","modified_gmt":"2026-11-12T02:53:54","slug":"written-contract-sell-goods-over-500-florida","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.lawayala.com\/resources\/florida-contract-disputes-guide-tampa-area-businesses\/written-contract-sell-goods-over-500-florida\/","title":{"rendered":"Written Contract for Sale of Goods Over $500 in Florida"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Business Litigation | Tampa Bay and Hillsborough County<\/p>

Put Your Goods Sale in Writing Before a Dispute Starts<\/h1>

A handshake can feel enough on a large sale, until the buyer, price, or delivery date is disputed. Clear written terms help protect your business from the start.<\/p>

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By Eduardo A. Maura \u00b7 Published November 11, 2026<\/p>\n\n

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You agreed to buy a batch of equipment by phone, and now the seller is backing out. Can a court enforce a deal that was never written down?<\/p>\n

Usually not, if the goods cost $500 or more. Florida’s sales-of-goods law generally makes a contract for goods priced at $500 or more unenforceable in court unless a signed record shows that a sale was made, or an exception applies \u00a7 672.201<\/a>. Here is what counts as a record and where the exceptions come in.<\/p>\n

When Does the $500 Writing Requirement Apply?<\/h2>\n

The writing rule applies to a contract for the sale of goods priced at $500 or more.<\/p>\n

A mixed deal, like a product sold with installation, is governed by the goods rules when the sale of goods is the main part of it, though other law may still apply to its non-goods aspects; otherwise only the goods provisions that relate primarily to the sale of goods apply \u00a7 672.102<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ten units at $60 each make a $600 contract.<\/p>\n

An oral deal isn’t automatically void. It is still a contract, and it must meet ordinary contract rules, such as offer, acceptance, consideration, and clear essential terms (St. Joe Corp. v. McIver<\/a>). The writing rule limits whether a court will enforce it.<\/p>\n\n

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What Must a Writing Show to Be Enforceable?<\/h2>\n

A writing counts only if it shows that a contract for sale was made. It must be signed by the party you want to hold to the deal, or by that party’s authorized agent or broker \u00a7 672.201<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The record doesn’t need every term of the deal. A missing or wrong term doesn’t erase the record. But the contract can be enforced only up to the quantity the record shows. If a purchase order says 40 units and the deal was for 60, the record covers only the 40.<\/p>\n

Electronic signatures can count. Under Florida law, an electronic signature generally has the same force as a written signature unless another law says otherwise \u00a7 668.004<\/a>. The electronic transactions law applies only when both parties agreed to deal electronically. That agreement is judged from the context and the parties’ conduct \u00a7 668.50<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Whether a given email qualifies depends on the facts.<\/p>\n

Which Exceptions Can Make an Oral Deal Enforceable?<\/h2>\n

Under Fla. Stat. \u00a7 672.201<\/a>, a contract that does not meet the signed-record requirement but is valid in other respects is enforceable in certain listed situations, including specially manufactured goods, an admission in court that a contract was made, and goods that have been paid for and accepted, within the limits the statute sets.<\/p>\n

Custom goods.<\/strong> A seller can enforce an oral deal for goods made specially for the buyer. The goods must not be suitable for sale to others in the seller’s ordinary business. The seller must have made a substantial start on them, or committed to buy materials, before getting notice of repudiation \u00a7 672.201<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Admission in court.<\/strong> If the other side admits in a pleading, in testimony, or otherwise in court that a contract was made, the deal can be enforced. It is enforceable only for the quantity admitted.<\/p>\n

Accepting part of a commercial unit counts as accepting the whole unit \u00a7 672.606<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A merchant deals in goods of that kind, or by occupation holds himself or herself out as having knowledge or skill peculiar to the practices or goods involved, or is someone to whom such knowledge or skill may be attributed by employing an agent or broker or other intermediary who by occupation holds himself or herself out as having such knowledge or skill \u00a7 672.104<\/a>. Between merchants, a written confirmation of the contract that arrives within a reasonable time, is sufficient against the sender, and is received by a party who has reason to know its contents can satisfy the writing requirement against that party under \u00a7 672.201(2)<\/a>, unless that party gives notice in a record of objection to its contents within 10 days after receiving it. If they don’t, and the conditions above are met, the confirmation can count against them \u00a7 672.201<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Does the Cooling-Off Rule Apply to Business Sales?<\/h2>\n

Chapter 672 doesn’t repeal or impair statutes that regulate sales to consumers, farmers, or other specified classes of buyers \u00a7 672.102<\/a>. Consumer protections are a separate track.<\/p>\n

Don’t assume you can walk away from a business deal because it was made by phone or at a trade show. How a deal was made still matters as evidence, even when no cancellation right applies.<\/p>\n

What Problems Show Up in Verbal Product Deals?<\/h2>\n

The most common problem is a dispute over what was agreed, especially quantity and price. Other problems tend to come up in the same kinds of deals:<\/p>\n