A generic bill of sale represents a type of legal paper that is, in its essence, a receipt for any property exchanged for money. Such a juridical document confirms the transfer of the ownership rights from one person to another–that is, from the seller to the buyer. A general bill can be applied when someone is buying or selling a movable or transferable asset or item (a car, TV, motorhome, etc.), as well as in some other cases. The need for such a sale form varies from state to state.
A bill of sale is more profitable and necessary for the buyer in case they ever should be required to prove their property rights or confirm the identity of the person who sold them a particular item. A sales contract is considered a valid legal and binding document after each of the two parties involved has signed it and the transaction has been cleared. The buyer has to realize that with the use of a general bill of sale form, they acquire the property in the “as-is” state.
Such a widely-used bill of sale form works as proof that contains all the details of the private trade between the seller and buyer. It serves as evidence of proprietary rights and holds both parties responsible for the agreed terms and conditions indicated in the bill of sale.
This legal document will include everything from the buyer’s and seller’s information, a description of the item put up for sale, the date of the transaction, any other conditions or guarantees, and finally signatures from both sides of the trade as well as any witnesses.
Document Name | Generic Bill of Sale Form |
Other Names | Generic Auto Bill of Sale, Personal Bill of Sale |
Avg. Time to Fill Out | 10 minutes |
# of Fillable Fields | 54 |
Available Formats | Adobe PDF; Microsoft Word |
Due to the fact that a general bill of sale form is juridical documentation, it may appear to be too complicated and intricate for the seller without a corresponding law degree to write it on their own. For this reason, we provide every person planning to sell some of their property with free bills of sale forms that are fast and easy to download at our website and create your own bill of sale form for any item.
A downloadable version of our general bill of sale form can boast high quality. When using our template for sale for any asset, you can include your own specific terms and conditions without being bewildered by the cryptic legal language. Printable bill of sale templates for buying or selling any assets are available in the formats supported by Microsoft Word (.docx) and any PDF-reader (.pdf). You can easily add any relevant information into our bill of sale form, complete all of the necessary fields, and print out the final version of this legal paper.
We also offer you to try out our stage-by-stage builder to create highly personalized forms of bills of sale of any other documents you might need.
You can always order a proper consultation from competent attorneys with experience in the preparation of such legal papers. However, you will understandably have to pay for it and legal advice proves to be much more expensive than just using a top-quality general bill of sale form from us.
It is now abundantly clear that, in some states, to perform the sale of a property, you will have to write a bill transferring the title from one person to another. But what to do if you have no idea where to start such a venture? Feel free to use our short step-by-step algorithm.
Step 1. Describe What You Are Selling
Whatever property you intend to sell, make sure to provide its full and comprehensive specifications. For instance, if you plan to become the seller of a vehicle, do not forget to mention its model, manufacturer, year of production, state, etc. These more detailed characteristics might be useful to a prospective buyer.
Step 2. Set the Price
If you cannot come up with an appropriate price for your item, conduct online research looking for similar products/means of transportation/animals and compare the prices. Try not to overcharge people for your property, but you also shouldn’t sell it for too cheap.
Step 3. Put Advertisements Everywhere You Can
Take advantage of online and offline newspapers, magazines, bulletin boards, and other platforms and places where you can place an ad. As the seller of the item, prepare to answer a lot of questions from every potential buyer regarding what you are trying to sell.
Step 4. Negotiate and Attend the Closing of the Deal
Once you have provided all interested purchasers with all essential information involving your model of equipment/manufacture home/boat, etc., and you have found your buyer, negotiate the purchase price and closing date. When everything is agreed, set a closing date for the transaction. As the product owner, make sure to bring along every crucial document that will help you transfer the title to the customer, which includes the bill of sale form.
Step 5. Fill Out a Bill Of Sale Form
General bills of sale can be used for the transaction of various goods and properties. Such a juridical document traditionally contains the following information:
Step 6. Notify the Government of Your Purchase and Register It
After everything is said and done in writing and all crucial documentation is signed, the new owner might have to go to the notary public to confirm that the deal is officially closed. They might also want to visit the Department of Motor Vehicles (in case of the acquisition of a means of conveyance) and register the newly-bought vehicle in their name. In most states, the purchaser will have to provide the bill of sale form.
The guidelines listed here are based on our custom general bill of sale form. Nonetheless, it is advisable to opt for the official document in case it is provided by the local authorities.
Step 1: Indicate the bill of sale creation date.
Step 2: Type in the details of both parties (seller and buyer):
Step 3: Fill in the detailed information concerning the item that you are selling:(some of many examples)
Step 4: At this point, you will need to indicate the way in which you are going to be given money for the offer.
This step also requires providing the exact date of the transaction and the entire amount decided upon by each party of the deal. Next, decide on one sale method:
The next step is deciding on the type of payment:
The final thing to do in this part is to determine whether or not all applicable taxes are included in the final cost.
Step 5: Read the miscellaneous terms.
This part includes mentioning that the seller is the lawful owner and can sell the item. It should also state that the seller is listing everything to the best of their knowledge and is accurate in the Bill of Sale
This part typically has the “as-is” passage that indicates the item is sold without a warranties.
Step 6: Put your signature(s) in the corresponding areas.
In most states, the signature of the purchaser is not mandatory. But, it is recommended to have the form signed by each party. Just to be on the safe side, the buyer and seller may choose a person who can attest the deal and sign the document too.
Step 7: Use the assistance of a notary public
Although notarization is rarely mandatory, it acts as an additional way to guard against legal problems.
If selling a vehicle of any kind the original bill of sale copy has to be presented to the buyer since they will need it to obtain a title to their new vehicle. There are two ways here: you must either prepare and sign two identical bills of sale or get a copy for the seller to keep.