Bill of Sale

Outlining the details of a transaction both before and after it’s made are crucial. It’s important to know whether there’s room for negotiation and the final agreed-upon price between the two parties. This is why things like receipts exist, so you have evidence that a transaction took place the way that it did.

Bills of sales are crucial documents when it comes to outlining the details of a transaction, and we’re going to take a close look at what you need to know about them.

We’ll start off by taking a detailed look at what a bill of sale is in the first place.

What is a Bill of Sale?

In the simplest possible terms, a bill of sale is a legal document that explains the details of a transaction between two parties. In legal terms, a bill of sale is evidence that a transaction has taken place and that the other party has legally taken ownership of the item in question through the transaction.

The complexity of a bill of sale will depend on the item that is being sold. For example, if you’re making a purchase that’s below $100, then the bill of sale likely won’t be all that complex. On the other hand, if you’re drawing up a bill of sale for a car, then it will be a lot more detailed.

The simplest type of bill of sale that you’ll see in your day-to-day life is a receipt from a store. This counts as a bill of sale because it goes over how much money you paid for the products that you’ve taken out of the store and it also proves that you are now the owner of the things you’ve purchased.

In the case of a transaction involving something more expensive like a vehicle, you will need to include additional details in the bill of sale. Typically, this means including info about the vehicle to be sold as well as the signatures of both the buyer and seller, attesting that the transaction took place.

To ensure that the signatures are valid, most bills of sale for big-ticket items will be signed in front of a notary public. This is a public officer that will be able to attest to the fact that the signatures of the buyer and the seller are valid and that they were penned in by the individuals themselves.

Whether or not a bill of sale is legally required depends on the item that you’re selling or buying as well as the jurisdiction that you live in. In some places, you can exchange a vehicle without needing a bill of sale for the car, while this is outright illegal in other places, so always be sure to research your local laws in advance.

Another thing to keep in mind is that a bill of sale and a sales agreement are two different things. A sales agreement will outline the details of the sale but will not act like a proof of purchase, as is the case with a bill of sale.