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A bill of sale is a document that transfers ownership of goods from one person to another. It is used in situations where the former owner transfers possession of the goods to a new owner. Bills of sale may be used in a wide variety of transactions: to sell goods, exchange, give, or mortgage objects. They can be used only to transfer ownership of goods that people already own or to transfer ownership of moveable tangible goods and only by individuals and unincorporated businesses.
Bills of sale exist in common law quite independently of any legislation. In England and Wales, they are regulated by two Victorian pieces of legislation: the Bills of Sale Act 1878 (41 & 42 Vict. c. 31) and the Bills of Sale Act (1878) Amendment Act 1882 (45 & 46 Vict. c. 43). This area of the law was subject to review by the Law Commission, which published a proposal for change in 2017.[1]