Basics
51 articles in this category
What Is Title Jumping and Why It Can Get You Fined
Title jumping sounds like jargon, but it is one of the most common and most dangerous shortcuts in private car sales. It happens the moment someone sells a car without putting the title in their own name first, and the penalties are far steeper than most people selling a car ever realize.
Does a Trailer Need a Bill of Sale? What to Know Before You Sell
Trailers sit in an awkward gap. Some are titled like cars, some are only registered, and some need nothing at all depending on weight and state. That patchwork is exactly why a bill of sale matters more on a trailer than people think, especially when there is no title to fall back on.
Do You Need a Bill of Sale to Register a Car at the DMV?
Whether the DMV will hand you a registration without a bill of sale depends entirely on where you live and how you got the car. In some states it is required, in others it is merely smart, and in a few situations you cannot register without one. Here is how to know before you go.
Bill of Sale for a Gifted Vehicle: What to Put When the Price Is $0
Giving a car to a family member feels simple until you sit down with the paperwork and the price line stares back at you. Do you write zero? Make up a number? Does the recipient still owe tax? A gift follows almost the same path as a sale, with a few differences worth getting right.
Why Do I Need a Bill of Sale?
The title transfers ownership. The registration proves the car is legal to drive. The insurance covers accidents. So what exactly is the bill of sale for? Most private sellers either don't know the answer or think it's just a formality. It's neither. A bill of sale does specific things that no other document in a private sale does, and the situations where you'll wish you had one are more common than most sellers expect...
How to Create a Bill of Sale Online (And Make Sure It Holds Up)
You can create a bill of sale online in a few minutes, and it is just as valid as one filled out by hand. The difference between a bill of sale that protects you and one the DMV rejects comes down to what's on it and whether it meets your state's rules. Here's how to get it right.
Is a Handwritten Bill of Sale Legit?
Someone tells you to just write it out on a piece of paper. Or you're closing a deal on the spot and you don't have anything printed. Or you found a handwritten example online and you're wondering if it holds up the same way as a typed document. The short answer is yes, a handwritten bill of sale can be legally valid. The longer answer involves several ways it can fall apart that a typed, state-specific document doesn't.
Bill of Sale for a Car With 200,000 Miles: What to Disclose
Selling a high-mileage car privately is a different negotiation than selling a newer vehicle, but the documentation requirements are the same. What changes at 200,000 miles is the disclosure picture. More miles means more wear, more history, and more known issues that a seller has a legal and practical obligation to handle correctly. Getting the disclosures right on a high-mileage sale protects you from the post-sale dispute that becomes more likely when the buyer paid less money for a car they know is closer to the end of its life...
Do I Need a Bill of Sale to Sell a Trailer?
Trailers get sold constantly with nothing more than a handshake and a verbal agreement. Utility trailers, enclosed cargo trailers, flatbeds, landscape trailers. The seller unhooks it, the buyer hooks it to their truck, money changes hands, and everyone drives away. It feels simple enough that paperwork seems unnecessary. That feeling is exactly where the problems start...
What Is an As-Is Clause on a Bill of Sale and Why Does It Matter?
Three words show up in nearly every private vehicle sale: sold as-is. Most sellers include them without thinking much about what they mean. Most buyers gloss over them without thinking much either. That's a mistake on both sides, because the as-is clause is one of the most practically important pieces of language in any private sale transaction and it only works the way people expect it to when it's written correctly and signed by the right people...
Can You Email a Signed Bill of Sale or Does It Need to Be Physical?
Someone asks you to email the signed bill of sale after the transaction. Or the buyer is out of state and wants a digital copy before the physical document arrives. Or you're wondering whether a PDF signature holds up the same way a wet signature does. These questions come up constantly in private sales and the answers are more nuanced than most people expect.
What to Do If the Buyer Refuses to Sign the Bill of Sale
You've agreed on a price, the buyer has the cash, and you pull out the bill of sale. The buyer waves it off. Says they don't need it, don't want it, or that the title is enough. Maybe they're in a hurry. Maybe they're trying to avoid a paper trail for their own reasons. Whatever the explanation, a buyer who won't sign a bill of sale is a situation worth pausing on before you hand over anything...