Buyer's Duty to Inspect and Notify in Commercial Sales Between Merchants

Plain-language explanation

This article sets a special rule for sales transactions between merchants (i.e., business-to-business commercial sales), which is stricter than the general Civil Code rules. When a buyer receives goods, it must inspect them "without delay." If the buyer discovers that the goods don't match the contract in type, quality, or quantity, it must immediately notify the seller of the problem. Failing to give this prompt notice means the buyer permanently loses the right to demand repair/replacement, price reduction, damages, or contract termination based on that defect.

For defects that aren't immediately obvious (like hidden manufacturing flaws), the buyer still has protection if it discovers the problem and notifies the seller within 6 months of receiving the goods. Miss that window, and the claim is lost regardless of how legitimate it is. This reflects commercial law's emphasis on speed and certainty in B2B dealings — sellers shouldn't be left in limbo indefinitely wondering if a completed sale will be challenged.

There's an important exception: if the seller knew about the defect at the time of sale (acted in bad faith), none of these strict time limits apply. So a seller who knowingly shipped defective goods can't hide behind the buyer's failure to inspect or notify quickly. For businesses, this article makes rigorous incoming inspection procedures and prompt defect reporting essential — delays can wipe out otherwise valid legal claims against a supplier.

日本語での解説

Common scenarios

• ▸メーカーから仕入れた部品に不良品が混入していたが、検収時に見落とし、3か月後に発見して通知した場合の権利の有無
• ▸卸業者間の大量取引で納品数量が契約より少なかったことが判明したケースでの代金減額請求の可否
• ▸OEM製品に隠れた品質不適合があり、半年経過後に発見された場合の損害賠償請求の可否
• ▸売主が製品の欠陥を出荷前から認識していたにもかかわらず出荷した場合、買主の通知遅延が権利行使に影響するか
• ▸国際取引における商社間の売買契約で、検収プロセスと通知期限を契約書にどう明記すべきか