Section 11. Stipulations As To Time.
Unless a different intention appears from the terms of the contract, stipulations as to time of payment are not deemed to be of the essence of a contract of sale. Whether any other stipulation as to time is of the essence of the contract or not depends on the terms of the contract.
Section 12. Condition And Warranty.
(1) A stipulation in a contract of sale with reference to goods which are the subject thereof may, be a condition or a warranty.
(2) A condition is a stipulation essential to the main purpose of the contract, the breach of which gives rise to a right to treat the contract as repudiated.
(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 to a right to reject the goods and treat the contract as repudiated.
(4) Whether a stipulation in a contract of sale is a condition or a warranty depends in each case on the construction of the contract.
The stipulation may be a condition, though called a warranty in the contract.
Section 13. When Condition To Be Treated As Warranty.
(1) Where a contract of sale is subject to any condition to be fulfilled by the seller the buyer may waive the condition or elect to treat the breach of the condition as a breach of warranty and not as a ground for treating the contract as repudiated.
(2) Where a contract of sale is not severable and the buyer has accepted the goods or part thereof, or where the contract is for specific goods the property in which has passed to the buyer, the breach of any condition to be fulfilled by the seller can only be treated as a breach of warranty, and not as a ground for rejecting the goods and treating the contract as repudiated, unless there is a term of the contract express or implied to that effect.
(3) Nothing in this section shall affect the case of any condition or warranty the fulfilment of which is excused by law by reason of impossibility or otherwise.
Section 14. Implied Undertaking As To Title, Etc.
In a contract of sale, unless the circumstances of the contract are such as to show a different intention, there is-
(a) an implied condition on the part of the seller, that, in the case of a sale, he has a right to sell the goods, and that, in the case of an agreement to sell, he will have a right to sell the goods at the time when the property is to pass;
(b)an implied warranty that the buyer shall have and enjoy quiet possession of the goods;
(c) an implied warranty that the goods shall be free from any charge or encumbrance in favour of any third party not declared or known to the buyer before or at the time when the contract is made.
Section 15. Sale By Description.
Where there is a contract for the sale of goods by description there is an implied condition that the goods shall correspond with the description; and, if the sale is by sample as well as by description, it is not sufficient that the bulk of the goods corresponds with the sample if the goods do not also correspond with the description.
Section 16. Implied Condition As To Quality Or Fitness.
(1) Subject to this Act and of any other law for the time being in force, there is no implied warranty or condition as to the quality or fitness for any particular purpose of goods supplied under a contract of sale, except as follows –
(a) Where the buyer, expressly or by implication makes known to the seller the particular purpose for which the goods are required, so as to show that the buyer relies on the seller’s skill or judgment, and the goods are of a description which it is in the course of the seller’s business to supply (whether he is the manufacturer or producer or not) there is an implied condition that the goods shall be reasonably fit for such purpose:
Provided that, in the case of a contract for the sale of a specified article under its patent or other trade name there is no implied condition as to its fitness for any particular purpose.
(b) Where goods are bought by description from a seller who deals in goods of that description (whether he is the manufacturer or producer or not) there is an implied condition that the goods shall be of merchantable quality:
Provided that if the buyer has examined the goods, there shall be no implied condition as regards defects which such examined ought to have revealed.
(2) An implied warranty or condition as to quality or fitness for a particulars purpose may be annexed by the usage of trade.
(3) An express warranty or condition does not negative a warranty or condition implied by this Act unless inconsistent therewith.
Section 17. Sale By Sample.
(1) A contract of sale is a contract for sale by sample where there is a term in the contract express or implied to that effect.
(2) In the case of a contract for sale by sample there is an implied condition –
(a) that the bulk shall correspond with the sample in quality;
(b) that the buyer shall have a reasonable opportunity of comparing the bulk with the sample;
(c) that the goods shall be free from any defect rendering them unmerchantable which would not be apparent on reasonable examination of the sample.
Updated 16 March 2026
This article reproduces provisions from the Sale of Goods Act 1893 (as it originally stood or in its early amended form), not the current law governing sale of goods in the United Kingdom. The 1893 Act was repealed and replaced by the Sale of Goods Act 1979, which itself has been substantially amended. Readers should be aware of the following material points:
Sections 11–13 (Conditions, Warranties, and Treatment of Conditions as Warranties): The Sale of Goods Act 1979 contains equivalent provisions at ss.11–13, but with important differences. In particular, s.15A of the 1979 Act (inserted by the Sale and Supply of Goods Act 1994) introduced a significant qualification: where the buyer does not deal as a consumer, a breach of the implied terms as to description, quality, fitness, or sample is not a ground for rejection if the breach is so slight that it would be unreasonable to reject. This restriction does not appear in the article and is important.
Section 14 (Title): The equivalent provision in the 1979 Act is s.12, which is broadly similar, but the implied terms are now described as conditions and warranties in terms consistent with the 1979 Act’s structure.
Section 15 (Sale by Description): Now s.13 of the 1979 Act. The substance is broadly similar, but subject to the s.15A qualification noted above for non-consumer sales.
Section 16 (Quality and Fitness): This section uses the now-obsolete standard of merchantable quality. The Sale and Supply of Goods Act 1994 replaced this with the satisfactory quality standard, now found at s.14 of the 1979 Act. The proviso excluding implied fitness conditions for goods sold under a patent or trade name no longer appears in the current legislation. The current s.14 also contains more detailed provisions on what satisfactory quality means.
Section 17 (Sale by Sample): Now s.15 of the 1979 Act. The reference to goods being free from defects rendering them unmerchantable has been replaced by a reference to satisfactory quality.
Consumer sales: For contracts made on or after 1 October 2015 where the buyer is a consumer, the relevant legislation is the Consumer Rights Act 2015, not the Sale of Goods Act 1979 at all. The 2015 Act creates its own regime of statutory rights, including the right to reject, the right to repair or replacement, and price reduction, with different rules from those described in this article.
In summary, this article reflects historical Sale of Goods law and does not represent current UK law. Students should consult the Sale of Goods Act 1979 (as amended) for business-to-business sales, and the Consumer Rights Act 2015 for consumer sales.
