THE SALES OF GOODS ACT

(1930)

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INTRODUCTION2

Before The Sales of Goods Act,transactionsrelating to sales and purchase of goods were regulated by The Indian Contract Act 1872.

The Indian Sales Of Goods Act was passed in 1930 and sections 76 to 123 were repealed from

The Indian Contract Act.

Cont.3

It came into force on 1st July 1930 and w.e.f 22nd

Sept. 1963 the word Indian was removed and now the present act is called The Sales Of Goods Act

1930.

This act extends to whole of INDIA except the state of Jammu n Kashmir.

DEFINATION4

According to Section 4(1) of The Sales of Goods Act,1930.

“contract of sales of goods is a contract whereby the seller transfer or agrees to

transfer the property in goods to the buyer for a price”

Contract of Sale is a generic term ,which includes both sales and an agreement to sell

ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF THE ACT5

BUYER AND SELLER

GOODS

TRANSFER OF PROPERTY

PRICE

ESSENTIAL ELETMENTS

OF VALID CONTRACT

A.BUYER AND SELLER6

“BUYER”

means a person who buys or agrees to buy good.[Section 2(1)]

“SELLER”

means a person who sells or agrees to sell the good.[Section 2(13)]

A person cannot be a buyer as well as a seller as a person cannot buy his own goods

B. GOODS7

“GOODS” means every type of movable property other than actionable claim n money but it can

include stock and shares,crops,lands etc.

Cont.8

ACTIONABLE CLAIM:- It means which can be enforced through the courts of Law, e.g. debt due.

MONEY:- means the legal tender i.e. the currency of the country but not old coins coins.

C. TRANSFER OF PROPERTY9

“PROPERTY” means the general property in goods, and not merely a special property.

General property in goods means ownership of the goods

Special property on the goods means possession of the goods

Cont.10

Thus, there may be either a transfer of ownership of goods or an agreement to transfer the of the goods. The ownership may transfer either immediately on

completion of sale or something in future in agreement to sell.

d. price11

For every sale or purchase their must be a price of the goods.

PRICE means the MONEY CONSIDERATION for the sale of goods.

i. When there is no consideration,it amounts to gift and not sale

ii. However , the consideration may be partly in money and partly in goods because the law does not prohibited as such.

E. ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF VALID CONTRACT

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Essential elements of a valid contract as specified under Section 10 of Indian Contract Act,1872 must also be present.

a) Offer and Acceptance

b) Delivery and Payment

c) Express or Implied

CONTRACT OF SALE13

Under Section 4(3) the Contract of Sale Includes:-

1) SALE:- Sale means where the ownership in goods is transferred.

2) AGREEMENT TO SELL :-Agreement to sell includes where the transfer of ownership in goods is to take place at a future time or subject to the fulfillment of some condition.

Distinction between sale and agreement to sell

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S.No BASIS SALE AGREEMENT TO SELL

1. Transfer of ownership

Transfer of ownership of goods takes place immediately.

Transfer of ownership of goods takes place in future times.

2. Executed or Executory

It is an executed contract.

It is an executory contract because something remains to happen.

3. Conveyance of Property

Buyer gets the right to enjoy the goods against whole of the world. It creates jus in rem(Right against property)

Buyer does not get suchright to enjoy the goods. It only creates jus in personam (Right against person)

Cont.15

4. Transfer of Risk

Transfer of risk* of loss of goods takes place immediately as the ownership is been transferred. As a result in case of destruction of goods, the loss shall be beared by the buyer.

(Risk*-Risk follows ownership)

Transfer of riskof loss of goods does not takes place because the ownership is not transferred. As a result, in case of destruction of goods the loss shall be borne by the seller.

GOODS16

U/s 2(7) GOODS MEANS

“GOODS” means every type of movable property other than actionable claim n money but it can include

stock and shares,crops,lands etc.”

ACTIONABLE CLAIM:- It means which can be enforced through the courts of Law, e.g. debt due.

MONEY:- means the legal tender i.e. the currency of the country but not old coins

IMMOVABLE PROPERTY

TYPES OF GOODS

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1.Existing goods18

EXISTING GOODS

means the goods ,which are either owned or possessed by the seller at the time of contract of sale.

Existing goods are of 3 types:

a) Specific goods

b) Ascertained goods

c) Unascertained goods

2.Future goods19

FUTURE GOODS

means goods to be manufactured or produced or acquired by the seller after the making of the

contract of sale. There is an agreement to sell only.

For Example:-X will sell the goods to Y all the crops to be grown at Haryana in his farm.

3.Contingent goods20

CONTINGENT GOODS

means those goods,acquition of which by the seller depends upon a contingency, which may or may not

happen.

For example:-X agrees to sell to y all the crops to be grown at Z’s farm in Haryana during the year 2007 season for sum of 1 lakh rupees,if Z sells the crops.

Conditions and Warranties

Representation: Statement made by the seller before entering into a contract

Stipulation: If such representation forms an integral part of the contract and other party relies upon it.

No Representation: CAVEAT EMPTOR’

i,e, Let the Buyer Beware – is applied

CONDITION : Sec.12(2)

A condition is a stipulation essential to the main purpose of the contract breach of which gives rise to a right to treat the contract as repudiated1

Warranty : Sec.12(3)

A warranty is a stipulation collateral to the main purpose of the contract the breach of which gives rise to a claim for damages but not right to reject the goods and treat the contract as repudiated2

When condition is to be treated as warranty: Sec.13(1)-13(3)

Waiver of condition

Compulsory treatment of breach of condition as breach of warranty

Express Conditions : Expressely provided in the contract

Implied conditions & warranty : which the law implies in a contract of sale

Implied condition & warranty may be negatived or varied by an express agreement or by the course of dealings b/w parties or by the usage & customs of trade.Sec.62

Sec.62 is based upon two maxims:

Expression Facit Cessare Tacitum i,e, what is expressed makes what is tacit or implied to cease

Modes et conventio vincent Legem i,e, customs & agreements overrule law(Implied condition & warranty)

Implied conditions :

Conditions as to title [Sec.14(a)]

Sale by description:

A) Goods must correspond to description (Sec.15)

B) Conditions as to Merchandibility [Sec.16(2)]

C) Conditions as to wholesomeness

D) Conditions as to fitness for a particular purpose (Sec.16)

Sale by Sample (Sec.17)

Sale by sample as well as by description (Sec.15)

Implied Warranties :

Warranty of Quiet possession-Sec.14(6)

Warranty against encumbrances-Sec.14(c)

Warranty to disclose dangerous natures of goods.

CAVEAT EMPTOR

Let the ‘Buyer Beware’

The maxim Caveat Emptor does not apply & the contract will be subject to the implied conditions under the following circumstances :

1. Sale under fitness for buyers purpose

2. Sale under merchandable quality

3. Sale under usage of trade

4. Consent by Fraud

Thank You

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Transfer of Title/Property in Goods – Sec.18-25

Property in Goods mean?

Property in goods Vs.Possession of Goods

When does the property in goods pass from the seller to buyer ?

1.If the goods are lost or damaged

2.Damage to goods by third party

3.Insolvency

When does the property pass from seller to the buyer?(Sec.18-25)

S P E C I F I C O R A S C E R T A I N E D G O O D S

Rules as regards Ascertaining Intention (Sec.20-24)

1) Specific goods in Deliverable State (Sec.20)

Goods are said to be in D/S when they are in such state that the buyer would under the contract be bound to take delivery of them

2) Specific goods not in a Deliverable state (Sec.21)

Transfer of Title/Property

Where there is a contract for the sale of specific goods in a deliverable state but the seller is bound to weigh, measure, test or to do some other thing with reference to them, for ascertaining the price , the property does not pass till such act or thing is done and the buyer has notice of it.

Unascertained or future goods (Sec.18)

Sale “On Approval” or “Sale or Return” basis

Transfer of Title/Property

When he signifies his approval or acceptance to the seller or does any other act, adopting the transaction

If he does not signify his approval or acceptance to the seller but retains the goods w/o giving notice of rejection, then, if a time has been fixed for the return of the goods, on the expiration of such time, and if no time has been fixed on the expiration of a reasonable time.

Transfer of Title by Non Owners

General rules as to transfer of title (Sec.27)

Maxim : ‘Nemo dat quod non habet’

EXCEPTIONS TO THE RULE:

Sale by mercantile agent (Sec.27)

Sale by a joint owner/coowner (Sec.28)

Sale by a person in possession under a voidable contract (Sec.29)

Sale by a seller in possession of goods after sale (Sec.30)

Sale by a buyer in possession of goods

Sale by an unpaid seller (Sec.54)

Sale by Auction (Sec.64)

A sale by auction is a public sale in which goods are offered to the highest bidder

In above case following rules apply:

1) when the goods are put up for sale in lots, each lot is deemed, prima facie, to be the subject matter of a separate contract of sale.

Sale by Auction (Sec.64)

2) At an auction, the sale is complete when the auctioneer announces its completion by the fall of the hammer or in other customary manner; until such completion any bidder may withdraw his bid. It is also the practice to say 3 times.

3) A right to bid may be reserved expressly by or on behalf of the seller & where such right is expressly so reserved, but not otherwise, the seller or any person on his behalf may bid at Auction

4) If the seller makes use of pretended bidding to raise the price, sale is voidable at the option of the buyer

DELIVERY (Sec.2[2])

‘Voluntary transfer of possession of goods from one person to another’

1) Physical or Actual Delivery: Physical possession of the good is handed over by the seller to the buyer

2) Constructive Delivery: When a third person who is in possession of the goods acknowledges that he holds the goods on behalf of the buyer

Symbolic Delivery: Delivery is made by indicating or giving a symbol e.g: Handing over the key of a godown to the buyer

Rules as to Delivery (Sec.39) :

Mode of delivery

Effect of part delivery

Buyer to apply for delivery

Place of delivery

Goods in possession of a third party

Time of delivery

Expense of delivery

Instalment delivery

Delivery to a carrier or wharfinger

Unpaid Seller (Sec.45) :

A seller is deemed to be an U/S when:

1) The whole of the price has not been paid or tendered

2) A bill of exchange or other negotiable instrument has been received as a conditional payment & the condition on which it was received has not been fulfilled by reason of dishonor of the instrument

Rights of an U/S :

1) Right against goods:

a) Lien on goods

b) A right of stoppage-in-transit

c) A right of Re-sale

A) Lien on Goods (Sec.47-49) in case:

i) the goods are not sold on credit

ii) the goods have been sold on credit, but the period of credit has expired

iii) the buyer becomes insolvent

B.Right of stoppage in transit (Sec.50-52)

The transit is end in following cases:

If the buyer obtains the possession of the goods before its arrival at the destination

If, after the arrival at their destination, the carrier acknowledges to the buyer that he holds on his behalf

If the carrier wrongfully refuses to deliver the goods to the buyer

C.Right of Re-sale (Sec.54)

Where the goods are of perishable nature

When the buyer does not pay the price

2.Rights of an U/S against the buyer personally:

Suit for price (Sec.55)

Suit for damages for Non Acceptance (Sec.56)

Suit for damages for Breach of contract

Suit for Interest (Sec.61)

Thank You

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