TEXT OF ARTICLE 87
A party who is bound to take steps to preserve the goods may deposit them in a warehouse of a third person at the expense of the other party provided that the expense incurred is not unreasonable.
OUTLINE OF ISSUES
Reproduced with permission of UNCITRAL
87A Preservation of goods (arts. 85 & 86) by deposit in warehouse 87A1 Provided expenses are reasonable DESCRIPTORS
Storage of goods
CASE ANNOTATIONS: UNCITRAL DIGEST CASES PLUS ADDED CASES
English texts and full-text English translations of cases are provided as indicated. In most instances researchers can also access UNCITRAL abstracts and link to Unilex abstracts and full-text original-language case texts sourced from Internet websites and other data on the cases. Netherlands 29 July 2009 Rechtbank [District Court] Arnhem (___ v. Omnibus Trading B.V.)
China October 2007 CIETAC Arbitration Award [CISG 2007/03] (CD-R and DVD-R production line systems case) 87A1 [translation available]
Germany 5 December 2006 Landgericht [District Court] Köln (Plastic faceplates for mobile telephones case) 87A [translation available]
Netherlands 21 March 2006 Gerechtshof [Appellate Court] Arnhem (Toys case) Spain 11 March 2002 Audiencia Provincial [Appellate Court] Barcelona (Chip protection label case) 87A [translation available]
China 20 July 1999 Supreme Court of the PRC (Zheng Hong Li Ltd. Hong Kong v. Jill Bert Ltd. Swiss) [translation available]
* Germany 29 December 1998 Hamburg Arbitration award [translation available]
China 12 July 1996 CIETAC Arbitration Award [CISG/1996/28] (Chrome-plating machines production-line equipment) 87A [translation available]
* United States 6 December 1995 Federal Appellate Court [2nd Circuit] (Delchi Carrier v. Rotorex) 87A
* Russia 25 April 1995 Arbitration award 142/1994 87A [translation available]
China December 1994 Fujian Higher People's Court [Appellate Court] [translation available]
* United States 9 September 1994 Federal District Court [Northern Dist. NY] (Delchi Carrier v. Rotorex) 87A
* Switzerland 17 May 1994 Tribunal Cantonal [Appellate Court] Vaud 87A [translation available]
* ICC 1994 International Court of Arbitration, Case 7531 87A [English text]
* ICC 1992 International Court of Arbitration, Case 7197
CASE DIGEST AND ANALYSIS
The UNCITRAL Digest of case law on the United
A/CN.9/SER.C/DIGEST/CISG/87 [8 June 2004]. Reproduced with the permission of UNCITRAL.
A party who is bound to take steps to preserve the goods may deposit them in a warehouse of a third person at the expense of the other party provided that the expense incurred is not unreasonable. DIGEST OF ARTICLE 87 CASE LAW
Overview and applications 1. In certain circumstances, the CISG imposes upon sellers (article 85) and buyers (article
86) an obligation to take reasonable steps to preserve goods that are within the party's
possession or control, along with a right to retain the goods until the party is reimbursed its
expenses of preservation. Article 87 specifies one means by which a party can fulfill its
obligation to preserve goods: it can store the goods in a third party's warehouse "at the
expense of the other party provided that the expense incurred is not unreasonable". 2. Only a small number of decisions, generally involving a party's claim for reimbursement
of the costs of storing goods in a warehouse, have involved article 87. Thus where a buyer
refused to take delivery of trucks and the seller deposited them in a warehouse (before
eventually reselling them to another buyer), an arbitral tribunal found that the seller's actions
were justified under Articles 85 and 87 and, after determining that the warehousing costs were
reasonable, it awarded seller compensation for those expenses.[1] Similarly, article 87 has been
cited as part of the basis for a buyer's recovery of the cost of storing delivered goods in a
warehouse after the buyer justifiably avoided the contract.[2] In another decision, an arbitral
tribunal held a breaching buyer liable for the seller's costs of storing the goods in a warehouse,
but the tribunal denied the seller's claim for damage to the goods resulting from prolonged
storage because risk of loss had not passed to the buyer under applicable rules.[3] Where the
buyer properly avoided the contract, it was found that the prerequisites for the seller to claim,
under articles 85 and 87, reimbursement for its expenses of warehousing the goods were not
met because the buyer did not breach its obligations; the seller's claim was therefore denied.[4]
An avoiding buyer's costs of warehousing rejected air conditioner compressors have also been
treated as damages recoverable under article 74 without citation of article 87.[5] And where a
buyer sought interim relief to prevent re-sale of a key component of industrial machinery that
the seller had retained after the buyer failed to make full payment, the court held that the seller
could move the component to a warehouse but, because the proceeding involved interim
remedies, the seller could not rely on article 87 and would itself have to advance the expenses
of depositing the component in the warehouse.[6] FOOTNOTES
* The present text was prepared using the full text of the decisions cited in the Case Law on UNCITRAL Texts (CLOUT) abstracts and other citations listed in the footnotes. The abstracts are intended to serve only as summaries of the underlying decisions and may not reflect all the points made in the digest. Readers are advised to consult the full texts of the listed court and arbitral decisions rather than relying solely on the CLOUT abstracts.
[Citations to cisgw3 case presentations have been substituted [in brackets] for the case citations provided in the UNCITRAL Digest. This substitution has been made to facilitate online access to CLOUT abstracts, original texts of court and arbitral decisions, and full text English translations of these texts (available in most but not all cases). For citations UNCITRAL had used, go to <http://www.uncitral.org/english/clout/digest_cisg_e.htm>.] 1. [RUSSIA Arbitration Award case No. 200/1994 of 25 April 1995; available online at <http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cases/950425r1.html>].
2. CLOUT case No. 304
[ICC Court of Arbitration, case No. 7531 of 1994, available online at <http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cases/947531i1.html>] (see full
text of the decision).
3. CLOUT case No. 104
[ICC Court of Arbitration, case No. 7197 of 1992, available online at <http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cases/927197i1.html>] (see full
text of the decision).
4. CLOUT case No. 293 [GERMANY Hamburg Arbitration award of 29 December 1998 available online at <http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cases/981229g1.html>] (see full text of the decision).
5. CLOUT case No. 85
[UNITED STATES Delchi Carrier v. Rotorex Federal District Court [New York] 9 September 1994 available online at <http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cases/940909u1.html>] (characterizing recovery of preservation costs as "consequential damages" recoverable under article 74) (see full text of the decision), affirmed in relevant part in
CLOUT case No. 138 [UNITED STATES Delchi Carrier v. Rotorex, Federal Appellate Court [2nd Circuit] 6 December 1995, available online at <http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cases/951206u1.html>] (characterizing recovery of preservation costs as "incidental damages") (see full text of the decision).
6. CLOUT case No. 96 and No. 200 [SWITZERLAND Tribunal [Appellate Court] Vaud 17 May 1994, available online at <http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cases/940517s1.html>] (both abstracts dealing with the same case) (see full text of the decision).
Reprinted by special permission of Northwestern University School of Law. 34 Northwestern Journal of International Law and Business (Winter 2004) 299-440.[*] excerpt from Larry A. DiMatteo, Lucien Dhooge, Stephanie Greene,
[...] 5. Preservation of Goods: Articles 87 and 88 This section addresses the requirement for the preservation of goods dictated under Articles 87 and
88. The general rule is that a party who is [page 427] bound to take steps to preserve the goods may
deposit them in a warehouse of a third person at the expense of the other party provided that the
expense incurred is not unreasonable.[811] Articles 87 and 88 provide for the preservation of
goods when there is some instance of delay.[812] Failure to appropriately store or to sell goods
can affect the amount of damages a party will be awarded.[813] For example, a buyer was held
not liable for the full amount of goods after the seller, who was storing the goods, gave some of the
goods to charity and the remainder were spoiled.[814] In general, the requirement in Article 87
that a party who is under an obligation to preserve the goods by depositing them in the warehouse
of a third party is intended to be interpreted broadly to mean any appropriate place for the storage
of the type of goods in question.[815] A party who is bound to preserve the goods in accordance with Article 85 or 86 may sell them by
"any appropriate means" if there is an unreasonable delay in the other party re-taking possession of
the goods, or in paying the price, as long as reasonable notice of the intention to sell is given to the
other party.[816] If, however, the goods are subject to rapid deterioration or their preservation
would involve unreasonable expense, a party who is bound to preserve them must take reasonable
measures to sell them.[817] The party selling the goods has the right to retain from the proceeds
of sale an amount equal to the reasonable expenses incurred to preserve and sell the goods.[818] Under Article 88, the sale of goods may be by "any appropriate means" if there has been an
unreasonable delay by the other party in taking possession.[819] Unfortunately, the CISG does
not specify what constitutes "appropriate means." Appropriate means can vary depending on the
[page 428] conditions in the country. As a result, reference should be made to the means required
for sales in similar circumstances under the law of the country where the sale occurs.[820] The
resale of goods is especially important when the goods are subject to rapid deterioration.[821]
Moreover, the concept of loss is not limited to the physical deterioration of the goods.[822] It
also includes situations in which the goods threaten to decline rapidly in value due to market changes.
[823] [...] FOOTNOTES * For a subsequent text on this subject by these authors, see Larry A. DiMatteo, Lucien Dhooge, Stephanie Greene, Virginia Maurer & Marisa Pagnattaro, "International Sales Law: A Critical Analysis of CISG Jurisprudence", Cambridge University Press (2005) 241 p. [...] 811. CISG, supra note 4, at art. 87. 812. Id. at arts. 87 and 88. See generally ICC Arbitration 7531, supra note 647 (the tribunal,
without elaboration, allowed such damage costs, expenses, and losses related to the buyer's
reasonable expenses for the preservation of goods). 813. See, e.g., Schiedsgericht Hamburger Freundschaftliche Arbitage [Arbitral Tribunal], Dec.
29, 1998 (F.R.G.), CLOUT Case No. 293, available at
<http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cases/981229g1.html> [English translation by Todd Fox, translation edited by Dr. Loukas Mistelis] (seller failed to meet the prerequisites for damages
by not fulfilling its obligations under Article 87 to store the goods and/or engaging in a self-help sale). 814. ICA Arbitral Tribunal, Feb. 10, 2000 (Russ.), available at
<http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cases/000210r1.html> [English translation by Mykhaylo Danylko]. 815. Secretariat Commentary to Art. 87, available at
<http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cisg/text/secomm/secomm-87.html>. 816. CISG, supra note 4, at art. 88(1). 817. Id. at art. 88(2). To the extent possible, he is also required to give notice to the other party
of his intention to sell. 818. Id. at art. 88(3). 819. Id. at art. 88(1). See [Canton Appellate Court] [TR-C], 01 93 1308, May 17, 1994
(Switz.), available at <http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cases/940517s1.html> [English translation by Annabel Teiling] (seller sought to sell a base of
a product immediately in accordance with Article 88(1)). 820. Secretariat Commentary to Art. 88, Right to Reimbursement, para. 93 [sic], available at
<http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cisg/text/secomm/secomm-88.html> (party selling the goods has the right
to retain an amount equal to the reasonable expenses of preserving the goods and of selling them, but
he must account to the other party for the remainder of the balance). See, e.g., OLG Hamburg 1 U
31/99, Nov. 26, 1999, supra note 710. 821. See, e.g., China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission [CIETAC]
Shenzhen Commission, Jun. 6, 1991 (China), available at
<http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cases/910606c1.html> [English translation by Wei Huo, translation edited by Li Huini] (deterioration of chemicals). 822. Secretariat Commentary to Art. 88, Right to Reimbursement, P 2. 823. Id. [...] Go to complete text of Analysis of Fifteen Years of CISG Jurisprudence
Francesco G. Mazzotta [1]
May 2004 1. Preservation of the goods under the CISG As a general rule, Section VI of Chapter V of the CISG requires that the party left in
possession of, or otherwise in control of the disposition of the goods has the duty to protect
and preserve the goods. This duty, which applies to any party to the transaction, "is an
expression of the general obligation to cooperate, as it can be deduced from this provision
[CISG Article 85] or that provision of the CISG as one of the Convention's underlying
principles." [2]
- Seller's duty to preserve the goods (Article 85)[3]
The scope of the provision comprises two situations: first, where the buyer is in delay in taking the goods [4] and, second, where the buyer fails to pay the price when payment is to be
made concurrently with delivery.[5] In these cases, the seller is obligated to take measures to preserve the goods.
The standard to be applied is that the seller is required to take any reasonable step under the
circumstances to preserve the goods, which will often be decided based on usage.[6] Failure to fulfill this duty may give rise to stringent consequences especially in those cases where the risk
of loss has already passed to the buyer although the seller still has control over the disposition of the goods.[7] In fact, a seller's failure to preserve the goods releases the buyer from liability
arising from loss even though the risk has already passed to the buyer,[8] "regardless of whether or not the property in the goods has passed"[9] to the buyer. This is the "substance" of the
obligation to preserve the goods.[10] If, however, the risk of loss has not passed to the buyer, even though found liable for preservation costs, the seller is not entitled to damages to the
good for prolonged storage.[11]
Moreover, it must be noted that "reasonable circumstances and reasonable expenses are
common law notions which provide standards according to which a judge or arbitrator can
evaluate the necessary steps and expenses."[12]
The CISG does not state the length of the obligation to preserve the goods. However, "[i]t
follows from Article 88(1) that the seller is quite entitled to limit the period of preservation
and that upon certain conditions [Article 88], he may at any time proceed to sell the goods,
provided that he has previously informed the buyer of that intention."[13] The seller may also
be freed from the obligation to preserve the goods when he avoids the contract under Article 64.[14] In addition, it must be noted that the seller's obligation to preserve the goods does not
end if the seller brings an action to require the buyer to pay the price.[15]
The seller is responsible for the costs arising from reasonable measures to be taken to
preserve the goods;[16] however, the seller can sell the goods and retain from the proceeds an
amount equal to the reasonable expenses incurred in preserving the goods and seller also has
the right to retain the goods until those expenses are paid.[17] However, according to many authors,[18] "the buyer will have to be allowed a right to satisfy the right of retention by
providing reasonable security."[19]
The Article 85-88 provisions on the preservation of the goods may be easily overcome by means of interim relief procedural tools, which are governed by domestic law.[20]
Courts often regard damages arising from preserving the goods pursuant to Article 85 as damages recoverable under CISG Article 74.[21]
- Buyer's duty to preserve the goods (Article 86)[22]
The buyer, similar to the seller, is bound to preserve the goods when (i) after receiving
them, (ii) he intends to exercise the right to reject them. If both requirements are met, the
buyer must take such reasonable[23] measures as the case may be. The buyer is, however, entitled to retain the goods until the seller reimburses the buyer for the reasonable expenses incurred in preserving the goods.[24] Failure to take reasonable measures regarding the goods may result in denial of a claim for warehouse expenses (Article 86(1)).[25]
The rejection may be exercised from the time the right to reject[26] arises until it expires.[27] While the period to decide whether to reject the goods is running, the buyer still has a duty
to preserve the goods,[28] which continues until the duty has been discharged pursuant to Articles 87 and 88.[29]
If the goods have been dispatched to the buyer and placed at his disposal without having
physical possession of them, the buyer, in order to be able to reject the goods, must take
them into custody on behalf of the seller as long as it can be done without the payment of
the price and without unreasonable inconveniences or unreasonable expenses (Article
86(2)). Of course, this rule does not apply if the seller or a person authorized by the seller
to take charge of the goods is present at the place of destination of the goods. Articles 85 and 86 establish the duty to preserve the goods. As already mentioned, a party may discharge his duty by (i) depositing the goods in a warehouse and/or (ii) selling the
goods. - Deposit in Warehouse (Article 87)
The deposit of the goods in a warehouse[30] (of a third person, if necessary) will be at the expense of the other party. However, unless otherwise provided, the party who deposits the goods is primarily liable to the warehouse although he may seek reimbursement from the other party to the sale contract.[31] To be recoverable, depositing expenses must be reasonable.[32] It should be noted that unreasonable expenses only affect the depositing party's right to obtain full reimbursement. The right of reimbursement exists only in regards to those expenses that are proportionate.[33] Moreover, "[t]he incurring of unreasonable expense does not lead to the risk of storage in a warehouse
being transferred to the other party."[34]
Two issues may give rise to some uncertainty as they are not regulated by the CISG: (i)
the relationship between the parties to the storage contract and the parties to the sale of
goods contract, which, as it has been suggested, should be "governed by the domestic law
applicable in each particular case"[35] and (ii) the legal consequences to the sale contract of
the deposit of the goods in a warehouse: whether the deposit in a third person's
warehouse is to be qualified as a substitute for the original obligation. It should not be
deemed to constitute an exemption from the original obligation [36] unless the property
involved is money.
- Sale of the Goods (Article 88)
Article 88(1) allows the party who is bound to preserve the goods to sell them if the other
party fails to take action in a reasonable time (also known as self-help sale). It is an option
(not an obligation).[37] There are only two requirements the selling party must comply with to exercise such an option: (i) unreasonable delay by the other party in taking the property,[38] and (ii) reasonable notice to the other party of the intention to sell the goods.[39] This notice does
not need to be in a specific form: it needs only to be appropriate under the circumstances.
Article 88(2) requires the party who is bound to preserve the goods to sell them when the
"goods are perishable or their preservation would involve unreasonable expenses" (also
known as emergency sale). In this case, selling the goods is a duty. Failure to sell the goods
in an emergency situation may give rise to a right to the other party to seek damages.[40]
Two issues arise in connection with Article 88(1) and 88(2) not dealt with by the CISG: (i) legal consequences of failure to give notice and, (ii) whether the other party may object. As to the first, however, it has been suggested that "a party who performs a self-help sale, without giving notice of his intention to do so, breaches an ancillary contractual obligation and will be under an obligation to compensate the other party for any resultant damage."[41] On the other hand, in an emergency sale situation, a claim for lack of notice may be difficult to bring it successfully. As to the second issue, some authors believe that the sale can be made regardless of any objection made by the other party,[42] although the other party may bring an action for breach of an obligation to proceed based on reasonableness standard.
- Article 88(3)
Whether it has been a self-help or emergency sale, the party may retain from the proceeds
of the sale the reasonable expenses incurred in preserving and selling the goods and require
the other party to pay the balance. There is no reference in the CISG regarding (i) how any
objections in connection with the reasonable expenses standard may be raised, (ii) whether
the party who sold the goods may retain damages from the proceeds, as some authors have
suggested and (iii) how the balance should be returned to the other party. However, based
on the general principles behind the rules on the preservation of goods, as well as the other
principles on which the CISG is based, it may be possible to assume that: (i) Claims regarding
the proper application of the reasonableness standard may be brought as damages for breach
of a secondary obligation; (ii) As the provision clearly states that the party may retain the
costs to preserve the goods and the costs to sell the same, there should not be any doubt that
the balance must be accounted for by the other party.[43] This does not mean, however, that the
party may not bring an action for damages setting off his claim from the proceeds;[44] and (iii)
the balance should be paid at the other's party place of business. If the party still refuses to
take the money back, it may be useful to resort to a solution similar to PECL Article 7:111
(depositing the money to the order of the other party in accordance with the law where the
payment is due).
2. Preservation of the goods under PECL (Articles 7:110- 7:112)[45]
PECL Article 7:110 considers mainly three cases: (i) buyer refuses to take deliver of
goods; (ii) the buyer rejects the goods and seller refuses to take them back; and (iii) the
contract has been terminated and the goods must be returned to the other party who
refuses to take them back. Article 7:110 may be helpful, as the issue is not dealt with by
the CISG. The substance of PECL Article 7:110 [46] is, therefore, very similar to CISG Articles 85-88.
Thus, what it has been said about the CISG also applies under the PECL with the following
distinctions. First, the main difference between the two sets of rules concerns the structure:
PECL Article 7:110 comprises both the seller's and buyer's duty to preserve the goods in
only one provision, whereas the CISG considers both parties' duties separately. The other
difference concerns the wording: PECL outlines more simply than the CISG regarding how
the party left in possession of the goods may discharge its duty.
- Situations where PECL Article 7:110 may be helpful in construing the
meaning of the counterpart provisions of the CISG (1) Preservation of money. PECL specifically deals with the case where the property to be
protected and preserved is money (Article 7:111), a case not specifically dealt with by the
CISG and, therefore, it may be of help when applying the CISG in such instances.
Specifically, the provision applies where the debtor attempts to perform a primary (e.g.
payment of the goods) or secondary (e.g., repayment of money received or payment of
damages under Chapter 9 Section 5) duty to pay.[47]
Pursuant to Article 7:111, the debtor
discharges its duty to pay by "depositing the money to the order to the first party [creditor]
in accordance with the law of the place where payment is due,"[48] after giving the creditor a
reasonable notice. By dong so, the debtor may also prevent claims by the creditor concerning
interest on the sum to be held on behalf of the creditor.
(2) Avoidance and preservation of goods. Reading Articles 81 and 86 CISG, with the
guidance of PECL, one should draw the conclusion that, where the contract has been
avoided, the buyer must arrange the restitution of them to the seller as the former cannot keep
those goods nor can he destroy or let them being destroyed. While the party is in possession
of goods to be taken by the other party, the very same party must also arrange a way to
preserve them pursuant to Articles 87-88.[49]
As to the seller, if (i) the seller still has possession of, or control of, the goods, and (ii) the contract has been avoided, the seller cannot claim expenses for preserving the goods from the buyer. The PECL, contrary to CISG, does clearly deal with the case just mentioned, which makes Article 7:110 useful when dealing with restitution and preservation of the goods when the contract has been avoided. 3. Conclusions PECL's language is very similar to CISG. However, one feature makes PECL Articles 7:110 and 7:111 very useful when dealing with preservation of money, and preservation of goods as result of the avoidance of the contract, as these situations are not directly dealt with by the CISG. As a general rule, for all of the other general legal issues herein mentioned not directly solved
by the CISG, it may be appropriate to first resort to the general principles of the CISG, unless
the matter is clearly outside the scope of the CISG (e.g., storage agreement). The otherwise
applicable domestic law, however, should control all of the more technical and detailed
questions of substantive and, of course, procedural law. FOOTNOTES 1. The author is an Associate of the Institute of International Commercial Law of the Pace University
School of Law (New York).
2.
See Fritz Enderlein & Dietrich Maskow, INTERNATIONAL SALES LAW, UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION ON CONTRACTS FOR THE INTERNATIONAL SALE OF GOODS - CONVENTION ON THE LIMITATION PERIOD IN THE INTERNATIONAL SALE OF GOODS, Oceana Publications 351 (1992). Available at
<http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cisg/biblio/enderlein.html>.
3. For literature specifically relevant to the provisions of Article 85, see
4. See Hans E. Eberstein, Annotations 1-18 on Article 85, in COMMENTARY ON THE UN CONVENTION ON THE INTERNATIONAL SALE OF GOODS (CISG) 663, 667 (Peter Schlechtriem, ed. 1998) [hereinafter
Annotations 85]; Herbert Bernstein & Joseph Lookofky, UNDERSTANDING THE CISG IN EUROPE 103
(2003) [hereinafter CISG in Europe]; Flechtner, UNCITRAL DIGEST, supra note 3. But see ICC Arbitration Case No. 7197 of 1992 available at <http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cases/927197i1.html> [the preservation costs were awarded as result of failure of opening a letter of credit].
5. This language is also explained in a colloquy at the 1980 Vienna Diplomatic Conference available at <http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cisg/text/link85.html>. Official Records of United Nations Conference on
Contracts for the International Sale of Goods, Vienna, March 10 - April 11, 1980, A/CONF. 97/19
(hereinafter Official Records). See also Jorge Barrera Graf, in COMMENTARY ON THE INTERNATIONAL SALES LAW 614, 613-619 (Massimo C. Bianca and M. Joachim Bonell eds., 1987); Eberstein, Annotations
85, supra note 4, at 667; Bernstein & Lookofky, CISG in Europe, supra note 4 at 103; Flechtner,
UNCITRAL DIGEST, supra note 4. See also Hamburg Arbitration proceeding, Germany, December 29,
1998, available at <http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cases/981229g1.html>.
6. Eberstein, Annotations 85, supra note 4, at 664 and 668.
7. See Peter Schlechtriem, UNIFORM SALES LAW - THE UN CONVENTION ON CONTRACTS FOR THE INTERNATIONAL SALE OF GOODS, Manz: Vienna 108 (1986). Available at <http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cisg/biblio/schlechtriem.html>.
8. See the Secretariat Commentary on Article 74 of the 1978 Draft [draft counterpart of CISG article 85]
reprinted in Official Records, supra note 5, at 62, available at <http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cisg/text/secomm/secomm-85.html>; see Schlechtriem, supra note 7; John O. Honnold, UNIFORM LAW FOR INTERNATIONAL SALES UNDER THE 1980 UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION, 3d ed., 519 (1999); Harry M. Flechtner, Remedies Under the New International Sales Convention: The Perspective from Article 2 of the U.C.C., 8 JL&C 53,
104 (1988) [available at < http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cisg/biblio/flecht.html>] [hereinafter "Remedies"]; and Jelena Vilus, Provisions Common to the Obligations of the Seller and the Buyer, in INTERNATIONAL SALES OF GOODS: DUBROVNIK LECTURES, Oceana Publications 259, 237-264 (Petar Sarcevic & Paul Volken eds., 1986) [available at < http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cisg/biblio/vilus.html>].
9. Eberstein, Annotations 85, supra note 4, at 665.
10. See Enderlein & Maskow, supra note 2, at 352.
11. ICC Arbitration case, No. 7197 of 1992, available at <http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cases/927197i1.html>.
12. See Vilus, supra note 8; see also Enderlein & Maskow, supra note 2, at 352, "[w]hat is to be considered
as steps that are reasonable in the circumstances will have to be determined using the measure which the
CISG applies to flesh out such vague descriptions. It amounts to taking such steps that they would be
taken by a reasonable person in the same circumstances;" Carlo Scognamiglio, NUOVE LEGGI CIVILI COMMENTATE 326, 325-342 (Massimo C. Bianca ed., 1989). For the definition of reasonableness under
the CISG and PECL and references to reasonableness in continental and common law domestic rules, doctrine and case law, visit <http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cisg/text/reason.html#overv>. As to case law, see
Oberlandesgericht Braunschweig, Germany, October 28, 1999, available at
<http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cases/991028g1.html>; Tribunal of International Commercial Arbitration at
the Russian Federation Chamber of Commerce and Industry, April 25, 1995, case 142/1994, available at <http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cases/950425r2.html>.
13. Eberstein, Annotations 85, supra note 4, at 668.
14. Eberstein, Annotations 85, supra note 4, at 669. If a contract has been avoided, the seller may not claim
reimbursement of expenses incurred in preserving the goods: Hamburg Arbitration proceeding, Germany,
December 29, 1998, available at <http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cases/981229g1.html>.
15. Honnold, supra note 8, at 520.
16. Eberstein, Annotations 85, supra note 4, at 669.
17. See Oberlandesgericht Braunschweig, Germany, October 28, 1999, available at <http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cases/991028g1.html>; Tribunal Cantonal Vaud, Switzerland, 17 May 1994, available at <http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cases/940517s1.html>.
18.
Eberstein, Annotations 85, supra note 4, at 669; Enderlein & Maskow, supra note 2, at 353.
19.
Eberstein, Annotations 85, supra note 4, at 669.
20. See Tribunal Cantonal Vaud, Switzerland, May 17, 1994, available at <http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cases/940517s1.html> where the court states: "[t]he Vienna Convention ...
rules only on substantive issues. Therefore it does not exclude that a different solution may be given in the frame of provisional measures."
21. See, e.g., Oberlandesgericht Braunschweig, Germany, October 28, 1999, available at <http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cases/991028g1.html>, where the court also stated "[w]hen applying the
CISG, the duty to pay damages is based on Article 74, in part also on Article 85"; Delchi v. Rotorex,
Federal Appellate Court 2nd Circuit, USA, December 6, 1995, available at
<http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cases/951206u1.html> Federal District Court, New York, USA, September 9,
1994, available at <http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cases/940909u1.html>; ICC Arbitration case, No. 7531 of
1994, available at <http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cases/947531i1.html>; ICC Arbitration Case No. 7197 of
1992 available at <http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cases/927197i1.html>.
22. For selected texts specifically relevant to the provisions of Article 86, visit
<http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cisg/text/mono86.html>. See also Bernstein & Lookofsky, CISG in Europe,
supra note 4; Flechtner, UNCITRAL DIGEST, supra note 3, at 864.
23. See supra note 12.
24. See Cour de Cassation, France, January 4, 1995, case 92-16.993, available at <http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cases/950104f1.html>; ICC Arbitration Case No. 7531 of 1994 available at <http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cases/947531i1.html>.
25.
China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission [CIETAC] - Shenzhen Commission,
(June 6, 1991, arbitration proceeding 164/1996, available at <http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cases/910606c1.html>): the court stated that warehouse expenses, which
almost amounted the price of the contract, were unreasonable. The court also noted that the extend deposit
caused the goods to decompose.
26.
See, e.g., Articles 46(1), 46(2), 49(1)(a), 49(1)(b) and maybe a right to reject exist under Articles 52 and
71. See Hans E. Eberstein, Annotations 1-26 on Article 86, in COMMENTARY ON THE UN CONVENTION ON THE INTERNATIONAL SALE OF GOODS (CISG) 671 (Peter Schlechtriem, ed., 1998) [hereinafter Annotations 86].
27. It can be exercised even at a later time after receiving the goods - e.g., non-conforming goods must be
rejected within a reasonable time after the buyer discovers or should have discovered the defects.
28. See Honnold, supra note 8, at 524; See also Eberstein, Annotations 86, supra note 26, at 671; Fritz Enderlein, Dietrich Maskow and Heinz Strohbach, INTERNATIONALES KAUFRECHT, Article 86, note 3.2 (1991).
29.
It has been suggested that the buyer has no duty to take the goods in possession when he rejected them
at earlier stage (see Secretariat Commentary on Article 75 of the 1978 Draft [draft counterpart of CISG
article 86] reprinted in Official Records, supra note 5, at 62, available at <http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cisg/text/secomm/secomm-86.html>; Rolf Herber and Beate Czerwenka, INTERNATIONALES KAUFRECHT, Article 86, paragraph 6 (1991). However, the provisions do not support such view as once the
goods are the buyer's disposal whether he rejects them or only intends to reject them, he is still bound to
preserve the goods pursuant to Articles 87 and 88. See also Eberstein, Annotations 86, supra note 26, at
675; Enderlein/Maskow/Strohbach, supra note 28, at Art. 8, note 7.
30.
The term "warehouse" means "any place appropriate for the storage of goods of the type in question."
Secretariat Commentary on Article 76 of the 1978 Draft [draft counterpart of CISG article 87], reprinted
in Official Records, supra note 5, available at <http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cisg/text/secomm/secomm-87.html>.
31. Honnold, supra note 8, at 525. As to case law, see ICC Arbitration Case No. 7531 of 1994, available at
<http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cases/947531i1.html>; cf. Tribunal Cantonal Vaud, Switzerland, May 17,
1994, available at <http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cases/940517s1.html> [in the context of interim relief].
32. Tribunal of International Commercial Arbitration at the Russian Federation Chamber of Commerce and
Industry, April 25, 1995, case 142/1994, available at <http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cases/950425r2.html>.
33. Id.
34. See Hans E. Eberstein, Annotations 1-12 on Article 87, in COMMENTARY ON THE UN CONVENTION ON THE INTERNATIONAL SALE OF GOODS (CISG) 677 (Peter Schlechtriem, ed., 1998) [hereinafter Annotations 87] [footnote omitted].
35. Id. at 678. See also Enderlein & Maskow, supra note 2, at 357.
36. See Herber/Czerwenka, supra note 29, at Art. 87, paragraph 5; Eberstein, Annotations 87, supra note
34, at 678. But see Enderlein/Maskow/Strohbach, see supra note 28, at Art. 87, note 1.2.
37. See Honnold, supra note 8, at 526.
38. See Tribunal of International Commercial Arbitration at the Russian Federation Chamber of Commerce
and Industry, April 25, 1995, case 142/1994, available at <http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cases/950425r2.html>; ICC Arbitration Case No. 7531 of 1994,
available at <http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cases/947531i1.html>.
39. Oberlandesgericht Braunschweig, Germany, October 28, 1999, available at <http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cases/991028g1.html>.
40. See Hans E. Eberstein, Annotations 1-32 on Article 88, in COMMENTARY ON THE UN CONVENTION ON THE INTERNATIONAL SALE OF GOODS (CISG) 683 (Peter Schlechtriem, ed., 1998) [hereinafter Annotations 88].
41. Id. at 682 [footnote omitted]; Scognamiglio, supra note 12, at 340.
42. Id.
43. See Ebersten, Annotations 88, supra note 40, at 684; Flechtner, Remedies, supra note 8, at 80; but see Scognamiglio, supra note 12, at 341; (as to ULIS) H.J. Mertens and E. Rehbinder, INTERNATIONALES KAUFRECHT, Articles 94 and 95, note 8 (1975).
44. See Secretariat Commentary on Article 77 of the 1978 [draft counterpart of CISG Article 88], reprinted
in Official Records, supra note 5, at 63, available at <http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cisg/text/secomm/secomm-88.html>.
See also Flechtner, Remedies, supra note 8, at 81; Ebersten, Annotations 88, supra note 40, at 684 citing
also Herber/Czerwenka, supra note 29, Art. 88, paragraph 8; Enderlein/Maskow/Strohbach, supra note 28, Art. 88, note 9.
45. For the full text of the Principles of European Contract Law, visit
<http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cisg/text/textef.html>.
46. For the text of PECL Article 7:110, visit <http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cisg/text/textef.html#a7110>.
47. See Comment and Notes on Article 7:111 in PRINCIPLES OF EUROPEAN CONTRACT LAW: PARTS I AND II 352-357 (Ole Lando & Hugh Beale eds., 2000) available at <http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cisg/text/peclcomp85.html>.
48. See Oberster Gerichtsof, Austria, June 29, 1999, available at <http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cases/990629a3.html>, where the court dealing with the issues of
determining the place of restitution as result of the avoidance of the sale contract (CISG Article 81), found
that "[t]he CISG does not contain any provisions pertaining to the place of performance for restitution.
Nevertheless, the gaps arising from the absence of relevant agreements within the framework of Art 7(2)
CISG can be bridged without recourse to national provisions (Leser, op. cit., Art. 81 Annotation 17;
Weber, op. cit., Art. 81 Annotation 21). The place of performance for the obligations concerning
restitution should mirror the place of performance for the primary contractual obligations (Posch, in
Schwimann, 2d ed., CISG Art. 81, Annotation 9)." I expect, however, that other courts may refer this issue to the law otherwise applicable to the contract.
49. ICC Arbitration Case No. 7531 of 1994, available at <http://cisgw3.law.pace.edu/cases/947531i1.html>.
- UNCITRAL's case law digest; and
- An analysis of CISG jurisprudence
Nations Convention on the International Sale of Goods [*]
ARTICLE 87
ANALYSIS OF CISG CASE LAW
The Interpretive Turn in International Sales Law:
An Analysis of Fifteen Years of CISG Jurisprudence
Virginia Maurer and Marisa Pagnattaro
ANNOTATED COMPARATIVES
counterpart provisions of the Principles of European Contract Law
- Seller's duty to preserve the goods (Art. 85)
- Buyer's duty to preserve the goods (Art. 86)
- Provisions common to both parties: Deposit in Warehouse
(Art. 87) and Sale of Goods (Art. 88)
2. Preservation of the goods under PECL (Arts. 7:110 - 7:112)
- Situations where PECL Article 7:110 may be helpful in construing
the meaning of the counterpart provisions of the CISG
3. Conclusion
Pace Law School
Institute of International Commercial Law - Last updated September 2, 2009
Go to Database Directory || Go to Information on other available case data
Comments/Contributions