Elements of the law of commercial transactions

Obligations of the seller

The seller’s duties are three: he must deliver the goods, transfer ownership in them, and warrant their conformity to the specifications of the contract.

Delivery of the goods sold to the buyer must be at the time and place and in the manner agreed upon by the parties. Nondelivery is sanctioned by the various legal systems in three different ways. Anglo-American law does not, in general, permit the buyer to sue for delivery of the merchandise but requires him to buy elsewhere and to demand damages from the original seller. The buyer is entitled to a decree for delivery (specific performance) only if damages are an inadequate remedy because the buyer cannot obtain substitute goods in the market. On the European continent, by contrast, a buyer may always demand delivery. Merchants do not usually go to the trouble of suing for delivery, however, but act voluntarily as their English and American counterparts are by law enjoined to act: they buy the same or similar goods in the market and then sue the nonperforming seller for damages. The measure of damages is usually the difference (if there is any) between the original contract price and the market price at the time of the substituted purchase. This covers the loss arising directly from the seller’s nondelivery. Additional loss, such as expense arising from the substituted purchase or a loss on the intended resale of the goods, may also be claimed as damages from the seller in most cases.

From the point of view of the buyer, delayed delivery is connected with nondelivery in two ways. After the time for delivery has passed, the buyer may not know whether the seller is failing to deliver at all or whether delivery has merely been delayed. Further, the delay in delivery may be as harmful to the buyer’s interests as outright nondelivery. This latter situation is particularly likely to arise if the agreed time for delivery was of the essence of the contract (that is, if it constituted so vital a stipulation that without compliance the contract could not be fulfilled). Even if the parties did not agree expressly that prompt delivery was crucial, such a condition may have been implicit because of the nature of the goods sold (for example, in a contract for the sale of raw materials subject to marked fluctuations in market price or for the sale of perishable or seasonal goods).

Countries differ considerably in the treatment of delayed delivery. Most legal systems require a more or less formal request for delivery or information by the buyer from the seller if a precise delivery date had not been agreed upon. If a precise time had been fixed but was not essential, such a request for information is usually unnecessary, except in France and some other Latin countries. But even if the buyer is not obligated to make inquiries of the seller, additional steps may be necessary in order to obtain remedies for nondelivery. In France and some other Latin countries, the buyer must bring suit for dissolution of the contract, and the judge may grant days of grace to the seller for performance. In Germany, the buyer must grant the seller a reasonable period of time and declare unambiguously that he will refuse acceptance thereafter. Neither Anglo-American nor Scandinavian law protects the seller with such a period of grace. If the time element was crucial, the buyer’s remedies in these countries are the same as for nondelivery. If, however, the seller did in fact deliver, although at a later date than the one set in the contract, the buyer may claim general damages for the loss arising from the delay.

Under certain circumstances the seller may be excused from his obligation to deliver on time. This is generally the case if prompt delivery becomes impracticable because of an unforeseeable and unavoidable obstacle. But if the seller owes a quantity of a certain kind of product and has not by the time delivery is due to the buyer appropriated specific pieces for the purpose of delivery, he generally is not excused. In major contracts the parties usually make specific provisions concerning the conditions under which the seller is to be exempted from liability for late delivery.

Delivery must be accompanied by transfer of ownership to enable the buyer to enjoy full legal rights over the objects sold. The method of transferring ownership varies in two main ways. In most countries, ownership in a specific object is transferred with the conclusion of the contract of sale unless the parties agree otherwise. Such a transaction in Anglo-American law is called a “sale,” as distinct from a mere “contract to sell.” In the case of generic goods (any goods within a class rather than specifically designated goods; for example, 10 tons of coal), ownership cannot pass to the buyer until the seller has specified those goods which he intends to deliver (by transferring 10 tons of coal to a carrier for transportation to the buyer). But the parties may delay the transfer of ownership, perhaps until delivery to the buyer or until payment of the purchase price. If nothing has been agreed, the seller, although no longer the owner, may refuse to deliver or stop the goods en route to the buyer if the latter’s solvency has become doubtful after conclusion of the contract. If the seller resells the same goods to a second buyer, the first buyer’s claim to the goods prevails unless the second buyer has received the goods.

Although it would appear to be logical that a buyer cannot become the full owner unless the seller had unrestricted ownership, the demands of commercial expediency have carved out important exceptions in favour of a purchaser in good faith. Details vary considerably from country to country. At least between merchants, the acquisition of goods from one in possession of them who can in good conscience be regarded by the other as their owner, or at least as being entitled to their disposition, usually confers ownership on the buyer, even if the seller was not in fact the owner.

The sanctions available to the buyer who does not obtain unrestricted ownership vary from country to country. Some countries impose upon the seller the outright obligation to procure ownership in the goods sold to the buyer. A violation of this duty is a breach of contract and opens the same remedies as those for nondelivery, including a suit for transfer of ownership. But in most countries the seller’s obligation is limited to warranting “quiet possession”—that is, guaranteeing enjoyment of the goods undisturbed by claims of third parties. In some countries the warranty of quiet possession entitles the buyer who is sued by a third party to call the seller into the proceedings or even to turn the proceedings over to the seller so that the latter may defend the action. Everywhere the buyer may claim damages from the seller, covering not only the difference between the contract and the market price of the goods but also the expenses of defense against the claims of the third party. The buyer’s rights are usually excluded if he knew of the seller’s defective title at the time of contracting or if he became aware of it at some later time but nevertheless accepted the goods.

Goods sold must conform to the specifications of the contract as to their physical qualities, kind, and quantity. The rules on the delivery of goods of defective quality have a long history. Roman as well as English law originally denied the buyer the right of any claims as to quality under the doctrine of caveat emptor (“let the buyer beware”). This general rule did not apply, however, if the buyer had received express guarantees from the seller. Gradually the law developed various “implied warranties,” the breach of which gave rise to certain special rights. As a result, the quality of goods is generally considered defective if they are unfit for the ordinary purposes for which such goods are used or unfit for the buyer’s special purpose, provided the latter was known to the seller. As soon as possible after delivery, the buyer must examine the goods for defects and must notify the seller if any are found. The buyer may then accept the goods but make a deduction from the purchase price for the defect. In most legal systems the buyer may alternatively reject the goods and dissolve the contract of sale. The buyer may also claim damages from the seller but usually only under special conditions. A third remedy open to the buyer is to demand delivery of conforming goods, but this right is usually limited to generic goods. The buyer’s rights are vitiated if he knew of the defect at the time of contracting or if he failed to avail himself of his rights immediately on delivery or within a limited time thereafter. Remedies for defective goods are often widely modified by contractual agreement between the parties.