How a leather commission works
Brief the piece, choose a leatherworker, and keep the payment protected until it's in your hands. Leatherworkers see the brief and the budget before they bid.
From hide to finished piece
- Brief the pieceWhat it is, sizes (card count, waist size, wrist size, blade length), leather type and colour, thread colour, hand or machine stitching, any monogram, stamping or engraving, your deadline, your address and a budget range.
- Compare leatherworkersLeatherworkers reply with a price and a timeline. Look through their past pieces and reviews, and ask about the leather they'd use, the edge finish and the hardware.
- Accept a bid and payCard payment goes through Stripe. The Spool List holds it, and the leatherworker isn't paid until you've confirmed delivery.
- Receive it and confirmFollow progress photos in the app: the pattern, the cut and dyed pieces, the stitching, the burnished edges. Once the piece arrives and you confirm delivery, the leatherworker receives the payment.
Made to your size, stitched by hand, built to last.
Your sizes, your leather, your initials. Post one brief, compare bids from verified leatherworkers, and keep your payment protected until the piece is in your hands. Make leather goods yourself? List your work and bid on commissions with no listing fee.
Post your piece →What selling leatherwork costs in fees
Etsy figures from Checkout Page's 2026 Etsy fee guide (July 2026, Etsy's published US rates as of June 2026); The Spool List free maker plan (October 2026).
Why commission or sell leatherwork here instead of in a DM
Paid when the piece arrives
Buyers pay when they accept a bid. The platform holds that money and releases it to the leatherworker once the buyer confirms the piece arrived.
Briefs with sizes and budgets
Buyers write down what they want, the sizes and the budget before anyone bids, so leatherworkers quote on real jobs instead of vague DMs.
No buyer fee, no listing fee
Buyers pay the leatherworker's quoted price with no fee on top. Leatherworkers list their work free; the free plan takes 10% per completed order.
Reviews from finished orders
A maker's reviews are tied to completed orders, so every rating comes from someone who actually bought from them.
Scope in writing
Leather, sizes, stitching, personalisation and deadline are agreed in the job before the first cut.
A dispute path, not an unanswered inbox
If a piece stalls or doesn't match the agreed scope, raise a dispute from the app. The Spool List reviews any that the two of you can't settle.
Every commission on The Spool List is a job with a written scope, so 'bifold, 6 card slots, 4–5 oz veg-tan in dark brown, white saddle stitching, initials blind-stamped inside' means the same thing to both of you before money moves.
For leatherworkers the same scope protects your time: the size, leather, finish and deadline are agreed before you cut, and the buyer's payment is already held by the platform when you start. You're paid when the buyer confirms delivery.
If a piece stalls or arrives different from the agreed scope, the dispute process looks at the brief, the progress photos and your messages. That's the part a DM thread can't give you.