Bill of Sale Template
Transfers ownership of goods from one person to another, with the price and condition recorded.
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This bill of sale records the sale of the property described below by the seller to the buyer, on the date shown, for the price shown.
| Date of sale | October 14, 2026 |
| Place | [place] |
| Price | $ [amount] |
| Paid by | cash |
| Possession passes | [date] |
Seller
[seller name] [seller address]
Buyer
[buyer name] [buyer address]
Property sold
[describe exactly what is being sold]
Condition
Sold as-is, where-is, with no warranty of any kind. The buyer has inspected the property and accepts it in its present state.
Title
The seller warrants that the property is theirs to sell, that they have good title to it, and that it is free of any loan, lien, charge or other claim.
Receipt
The seller acknowledges receiving the full price shown above and, on receipt, transfers all right, title and interest in the property to the buyer.
What is a Bill of Sale?
A bill of sale is the document that moves ownership of a thing from one person to another and records what was paid for it. It is signed by both sides, so it is not simply the seller's word about a private deal. When a dispute arises later — over what was sold, what condition it was in, or whether the seller was entitled to sell it at all — this is the piece of paper both parties are arguing from.
Private sales are where bills of sale earn their keep: a table saw, a boat, a horse, a set of restaurant equipment, a car sold between neighbours. In a shop sale the receipt and the retailer's terms do this job. Between two private individuals there is nothing else — no returns policy, no consumer guarantee in most places, and often no way to find the other party six months later. The document is the whole record.
The legal weight varies by jurisdiction and by what is being sold. Most goods pass by delivery and agreement, and the bill of sale is evidence of that rather than the thing that causes it. But some categories are registered: vehicles, boats, aircraft, firearms and, in several places, livestock. There the transfer only completes when the registry is updated, and a bill of sale alone leaves the seller still on record as the owner. A handful of places also prescribe a specific form, or require notarisation. Check what your state, province or country asks for before you print.
A bill of sale records a completed sale. It is not a contract to sell in the future, not a receipt for a deposit, and not a warranty — the words as-is are doing real work when they appear. It also does not make a seller honest: it makes them accountable, by putting their statements about title and condition in writing above their signature. That is why the title and condition clauses matter more than the description of the item.
What to put in a Bill of Sale
These are the details this template asks for. Anything left blank is marked in red on the preview so you can see what is still missing.
| Field | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| What is being sold | For example: Craftsman 10-inch table saw, model 315.228110, with stand and fence |
| Serial or identifying number optional | For example: Serial 04871-2219 |
| Seller — full name | For example: Dana R. Whitfield |
| Seller — address | For example: 1420 Kinnear Road, Columbus, OH 43212 |
| Buyer — full name | For example: Marcus T. Ellery |
| Buyer — address | For example: 88 Grandview Avenue, Columbus, OH 43215 |
| Sale price | For example: 450 |
| How it was paid | Free text |
| Date possession passes | Free text |
| Condition and warranty | Free text |
| Any loan, lien or charge on the item? | Free text |
| Details of the loan or lien optional | For example: Account 44-9182 with Kinnear Credit Union, settled 3 March 2026, release letter attached. |
| Witness name optional | For example: Leave blank if there is no witness |
| Notary block | Free text |
How to write a Bill of Sale
Describe the item so only one thing matches
Write the make, model, size, colour and any serial, chassis or registration number. 'Craftsman 10-inch table saw, model 315.228110, serial 04871-2219' identifies one machine. 'Table saw' identifies thousands. If the item has no serial number, describe a distinguishing mark — a repair, a colour, a fitting — so the object handed over can be matched to the object described.
Name both parties in full, with addresses
Full legal names, not nicknames or business trading names that are not registered anywhere. Add both addresses. If either party cannot be found later, the document is worth very little, and a first name with a mobile number is not a way of finding anybody. Where a company is buying or selling, name the company and have someone sign in a stated role.
State the price and how it was paid
Write the figure and the method — cash, bank transfer, certified check. The method matters: a bank transfer leaves an independent record that the document alone does not. If the payment is in instalments, or the buyer is paying part now and the rest on collection, say so and say what happens if the balance never arrives. Do not sign a receipt clause for money you have not yet received.
Say plainly whether anything is owed on it
This is the clause that causes real trouble. If the item is still under finance, the lender may have a claim on it even in the hands of an innocent buyer. State whether it is owned outright, whether a loan has been settled and the release obtained, or whether the buyer is knowingly taking it subject to the debt. A seller who signs a false statement here has made a written misrepresentation, which is exactly the point.
Set out the condition in the same breath as the price
As-is, where-is, with no warranty of any kind is the standard private-sale position, and it is fair only if the buyer has actually had the chance to inspect. If you gave the buyer a specific assurance — that it runs, that a part is new — put it in writing rather than leaving an as-is clause to contradict what you said out loud. Both parties should sign, and each should keep an original.
Common mistakes
- Describing the item too loosely, so a buyer who later finds a different unit in the box has nothing to point at.
- Signing the receipt clause before the money has actually cleared, particularly on a personal check that can still be returned unpaid.
- Saying nothing about outstanding finance, which leaves a buyer exposed to a lender's claim and a seller exposed to a misrepresentation claim.
- Treating the bill of sale as the whole transfer for a registered item such as a vehicle or a boat, and never notifying the registry.
- Keeping only one copy, signed by both, which the other side then holds and you do not.
Frequently asked questions
Is a bill of sale a legal document?
Yes, in the sense that it is a signed record two parties can rely on and a court can read. It is not a court form and it does not need to be filed anywhere in most cases. What it does is fix the facts — who, what, when, how much, what was said about condition and title — at the moment both parties agreed them, rather than leaving those facts to memory.
Does a bill of sale need to be notarised?
Usually not. Most private sales of ordinary goods need nothing more than two signatures. Some jurisdictions require notarisation for particular categories, most often vehicles and boats, and a few require a specific state form. Because the rule is set locally and changes, check with the registry or licensing office that will process the transfer before you sign, not after.
What does as-is mean on a bill of sale?
It means the buyer takes the item in the condition it is in, with all its faults, and the seller gives no promise about how it will perform. It is the normal position in a private sale, and it is why buyers should inspect properly. It does not protect a seller who actively lied about something, and in some places consumer-protection law overrides it where the seller is in fact trading.
Can I write a bill of sale myself?
Yes. There is no requirement that it be drafted by anyone in particular, and a clear handwritten note containing the parties, the item, the price, the date, the condition and both signatures does the job. Using a form simply makes it harder to leave out the clauses people forget — title, outstanding finance, and the date possession actually passes.
Who keeps the bill of sale, the buyer or the seller?
Both. Sign two originals, or sign one and give each party a signed copy, and do it at the moment of the sale rather than promising to send one on. The buyer needs it to prove ownership and to register the item; the seller needs it to prove they sold it, on what date, and on what terms — which matters most if the item is later used in a way that comes back to them.
This page explains general practice and is not legal advice. Requirements differ between countries and, in some cases, between states — check what applies where the document will be used.