Potential Stolen Bike Seller, what to do?

ulinbac

Hey,

So was looking for a cheap commuter bike for London over the last few weeks an was looking at a popular advertising website.

Have come across a person selling a different bike every few days. Standard advertising is "Selling bike, ring me on 012345687910, RRP £x but selling at 20% of actual price caus second hand". Eg In the latets one, the bike is £250 RRP but he selling for £50.

I did ring once and he claimed it was his bike but couldnt tell me about specs and couldnt wait 3 days to meet up to buy. Also, the odd bike tends to come with a slightly bent front wheel.

Is this an over-reaction on my part or should I contact the police as people may be getting their bikes stolen and this person may have it?

Wishbone Ash

Does he want to meet at a neutral venue? If a seller refuses to allow you to view the bike at his home/residence, I'd walk away.

Bloch

I'd say let the police know. There might be one of them who recognises the location of the seller or something to identify the seller.
Chances are the seller is already known to the police.

A phone call of enquiry from the police might be enough to dent the seller's business (if it is dodgy).

ulinbac

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Does he want to meet at a neutral venue? If a seller refuses to allow you to view the bike at his home/residence, I'd walk away.

Wants to meet at tube station. Location has changed once, but its walking distance from original

MB Lacey

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Does he want to meet at a neutral venue? If a seller refuses to allow you to view the bike at his home/residence, I'd walk away.

Not necessarily - as someone who has sold online, I'd never have someone come round to my house, I have to protect my security too.
So where it may be an indication, it's not an absolute decider the seller is dodgey.

Lumen

MB Lacey wrote: »

Not necessarily - as someone who has sold online, I'd never have someone come round to my house, I have to protect my security too.

What exact outcome are you protecting yourself against?

Darkglasses

MB Lacey wrote: »

Not necessarily - as someone who has sold online, I'd never have someone come round to my house, I have to protect my security too.
So where it may be an indication, it's not an absolute decider the seller is dodgey.

Same here, having complete strangers in my house doesn't appeal to me.

average_runner

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

Does he want to meet at a neutral venue? If a seller refuses to allow you to view the bike at his home/residence, I'd walk away.

Should always meet at neutral venue, i sell stuff online but i would never let the buyers near my house.

Wishbone Ash

Darkglasses wrote: »

Same here, having complete strangers in my house doesn't appeal to me.

It wouldn't appeal to me either but I'd expect to have to do it if selling privately. I also believe it gives more confidence to a potential buyer and therefore promoting a quicker sale.

(PS-they don't have to be actually 'in' your house).

Darkglasses

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

It wouldn't appeal to me either but I'd expect to have to do it if selling privately. I also believe it gives more confidence to a potential buyer and therefore promoting a quicker sale.

(PS-they don't have to be actually 'in' your house).

I've never sold a bike online, just bike gear and videogame stuff. I think living out in the country means meeting at someone's house is much more inconvenient than at a town or on a main road anyway.

hardCopy

Lumen wrote: »

What exact outcome are you protecting yourself against?

I know of one lad personally who had a moped stolen from his front garden 20 minutes after showing it to someone.

Why invite somebody around to case your house?

ulinbac

just reported to police.

There is a CycleTaskForce. Only contactable by e-mail.

Got automated reply saying that they will get back in due course

Lumen

hardCopy wrote: »

I know of one lad personally who had a moped stolen from his front garden 20 minutes after showing it to someone.

Why invite somebody around to case your house?

You don't have to let them inside.

I wouldn't buy anything expensive and nickable off the street. If you're not going to let me visit your house to view expensive and nickable things, there's going to be a bit of a stalemate.

If someone wants to find people with money they can just drive around Donnybrook and knock on random doors.

Wishbone Ash

hardCopy wrote: »

I know of one lad personally who had a moped stolen from his front garden 20 minutes after showing it to someone.

Why invite somebody around to case your house?

...and what's to stop it from being stolen from the seller in a possible strange location that the potential 'buyer' may have chosen. I'd prefer to have something stolen from me in familiar territory than in a strange location.

It reminds me of that rule used by some in the Motoring Forum where reg plates must be covered on the basis that someone could have false plates made up matching the make/model/colour of the vehicle. They could find similar info anyway by visiting any car park on standing at a busy junction.

Squidgy Black

I've often sold stuff on adverts or on here and met people at my own house, mainly because it tended to be stuff like guitar amps etc that needed to be tried out before they were bought, and vice versa I've had to collect stuff from various people's houses.

Never once had a problem. If anything I've had more problems meeting people in town where it turns out the stuff has problems etc when you get home.

Maybe it's just because there's nothing worth stealing in our house....

OldBean

I'd never meet at my house. Invitation to treat for thieves IMO.

kip d

call the police, they might be looking for a cheep bike

hardCopy

Wishbone Ash wrote: »

...and what's to stop it from being stolen from the seller in a possible strange location that the potential 'buyer' may have chosen. I'd prefer to have something stolen from me in familiar territory than in a strange location.

It reminds me of that rule used by some in the Motoring Forum where reg plates must be covered on the basis that someone could have false plates made up matching the make/model/colour of the vehicle. They could find similar info anyway by visiting any car park on standing at a busy junction.

Theft and robbery are two different things. If the guy is willing to rob me he could produce a knife no matter where I meet him. If he's just a thief and I meet him in a public place he can't come back half an hour later and steal my unattended bike.

Even if he is the robbing kind he may be less brazen if we meet on Grafton Street or under a petrol station CCTV camera.

Sure there's a chance I could be broken into any night but why give the guy any extra information to make my house a target?