Legal Definitions - retallia

Retallia is a historical legal term that refers to the practice of selling goods or commodities in small quantities directly to individual consumers. It is essentially an older term for what is now commonly known as retailtrade.

Here are some examples to illustrate the concept of retallia:

• Imagine a merchant in a bustling 15th-century European town who operates a small shop, selling spices by the ounce, lengths of fabric by the yard, or individual handcrafted tools. This merchant is engaging in retallia.

  Explanation: This scenario perfectly illustrates retallia because the merchant is selling goods in small, consumer-ready quantities directly to individuals for their personal use, rather than selling in large bulk to other traders or distributors.

• Consider a colonial American general store where settlers could purchase everyday necessities such as nails by the handful, candles individually, or small bags of flour. The transactions occurring at this store would be considered retallia.

  Explanation: This example demonstrates retallia as the general store is involved in the sale of various commodities in modest amounts, directly fulfilling the daily needs of individual customers rather than supplying goods for large-scale commercial purposes.

• Picture an itinerant vendor in a 19th-century village, traveling from house to house with a cart, offering small quantities of mended pots, sharpened knives, or fresh produce from a local farm. This vendor's business model is an example of retallia.

  Explanation: This situation exemplifies retallia because the vendor is selling individual items or small batches of goods directly to households, catering to their immediate, smaller-scale consumption needs rather than wholesale distribution.