A Bill of Sale in New York Lets You Shop Second Hand Cars with Confidence

You can buy or sell anything in New York. Being one of the most developed states with the biggest cities; you cannot miss a few scammers. This means that you cannot shout with confidence when you find someone willing to sell their car to you, even when your gut trusts the person.

A few background checks will come in handy, and at the same time, you will need the seller and even you, the buyer has to sign a legally binding document with details of the transaction, as well as proof that the ownership of that antique car or jewelry has changed hands and names from the seller to the buyer. The best and only way to assure yourself that you are getting into a legit transaction is by preparing a bill of sale.

Drawn by the seller, a bill of sale represents the legal instrument which recognizes a transaction between private individuals and confirms that the seller has handed over their ownership rights/ obligations and responsibilities for the named item to the buyer at a certain price or in exchange for another item. This bill of sale (BOS) proves that the parties named have voluntarily done so.

While you don't have to notarize every BOS created in New York, you need to ensure that both parties sign the document and you enter their full legal names. By filling out a free New York bill of sale form and populating the fields with necessary and accurate information, a seller is sure that they will not be asked to pay parking tickets for the vehicle if it is unregistered by the buyer, and the buyer can prove that they are the true owners of the asset from the date they sign the BOS.

So, How can You Use a Free Bill of Sale form in New York to Sell a Car From an Individual Confidently?

As mentioned above, it is the seller's prerogative to create the form. The next important step is to enter their details in the form, as well as the details of the buyer. These details include the full legal names of the two parties, their addresses, and even the state ID numbers or the driver's license numbers. These identification details will protect either party should a dispute ensue.

Besides the identification details, you have to enter the description and the identification details of the vehicle. For the vehicle, you need to input the serial number, registration number, the color, make, year, and the vehicle identification number.

The DMV also require entry of the odometer readings. These readings should be accurate. Using a seller's disclosure, the seller should certify that the details provided for the vehicle are accurate. At the same time, it is recommended to use to disclosure to divulge any defects the vehicle may have. By doing this, you absolve yourself, and the buyer will not sue you for giving out insufficient or incorrect information.

Other details required in the motor vehicle BOS are the details of the purchase consideration: how much is the seller getting for the vehicle? Are they trading the vehicle for another piece of personal property? Is the seller gifting the named buyer? Any other terms and conditions of the transaction must be indicated.

Since the motor vehicle BOS is required for the registration of the vehicle and the subsequent title transfer, the details should be accurate, and the dated signatures of the seller and the buyer should be notarized in front of the notary public. Other than these official reasons, the BOS gives the seller legal protection after the sale.

On top of all that, you have to enter the date the vehicle is paid for. In the state, the motor vehicle BOS form filled is tagged MV-912, and it is recognized as the record or a proper receipt issued when selling or buying a car.

Note, the BOS for motor vehicles is not the only kind of proof of sale document in New York. If you want to sell something, other than a vehicle, you have to use a bill of sale specific to the item on sale. This brings us to the general, boat and even the BOS used for the sale of branded animals like dogs or horses.

The General BOS Used to Sell Smaller But Valuable Items Like Household Goods or Jewelry

Besides documenting the sale of vehicles and the subsequent transfer of ownership, you can get a BOS to document the sale and the transfer of ownership for furniture, used television, used laptop, and jewelry, among others. Though small and perceived to be less valuable than cars, businesses or boats, you need to show that you are not the owner of that item after its sale and that the buyer is the party responsible for that item.

In the form, out down information about the item on sale: the size, model, color, shape, year, registration number, or the serial number. You may want to sign a seller's disclosure form as well. Using the disclosure, indicate the faults of the named item to prevent getting sued later. Don't forget to put down the identification information of involved parties. The addresses put down should be the mailing addresses and not the P.O Box number. Finally, both parties should sign off on the details of the document. Notarization is not a necessity

BOS for Guns

This remains one of the most sensitive subjects we have to deal with, and every gun owner needs to make sure that they keep a record of the gun (s) they own or the ones they are selling or trading.

Other than the identification details of the seller and the buyer, the transaction/ sale details, and the terms of the sale, enter the identification details of the gun.

These details include the caliber, serial number, make, model and any other details deemed necessary. If you are trading your gun for another gun, you should note that down - enter the caliber, make, model and a serial number of the traded gun.

The BOS is not needed for registration of the gun and notarization unnecessary.

If you’d like a BO today, download any of our bill of sale forms meeting your needs.