Should a Person Sell His Chometz

Rav Ariel Ovadia

Question: 

Is it appropriate to sell your chometz before Pesach?

Answer:

There are those who are machmir not to sell chometz; however, the consensus amongst the Poskim is that a person may sell his chometz, and this is the minhag of Klal Yisroel.

In fact, Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach writes that it is preferable for a person to sell chometz in order to avoid any concern of owning chometz inadvertently on Pesach; therefore, even for those who are stringent not to sell chometz gamur, it is still advisable to conduct a mechiras chometz to sell items that have a chashash chometz, such as vitamins and perfumes, in order to avoid any shailos.