The Chainlink

Getting a good deal vs. buying a stolen bike---Tips for buying used bikes?

This afternoon I saw a bike on Craigslist that sounded like a really good deal, however, it seemed too good to be realistic.  I searched on the Stolen Bike Registry and didn't see anything to match it.  I also Googled for "stolena bike make Chicago" and nothing similar came up.

 

When I looked back later, the poster had deleted the ad.

 

So, I like to get a good deal and am on the lookout for several people who are looking for bikes.  Any advice to keep a person from inadvertently purchasing stolen property?

 

Thanks!

 

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by igz on June 29, 2010 at 9:11am
does their back yard look like this?

Permalink Reply by igz on June 29, 2010 at 9:14am
At the Swap O Rama, the identified problem van/group had bolt cutters visible in the back...

buddaa38 said:
Yeah, like they'll have them laying around.

iggi said:
When you go to see the bike...look for angle grinders laying around...
Permalink Reply by Alan Lloyd on June 29, 2010 at 9:22am
Hilarious, where did that picture come from?

iggi said:
does their back yard look like this?

Permalink Reply by Alan Lloyd on June 29, 2010 at 9:23am
It is actually 24th Place & Western, at 2434 S. Western Ave.
Open Wednesdays noon-7pm & Saturdays 10am-5pm, come early!

rik said:
Try WorkingBikes at 25th and Western.
All their used bikes are from donations and less likely to be stolen.
The have bikes from $100 - $200

http://workingbikes.org/image/tid/3061
Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on June 29, 2010 at 9:34am
Someone on another forum I frequent noted the same thing-- it's hard to give stuff away on craigslist . . . so they list things at a nominal price, and then when the people show up to get it they don't accept any money from them :-)

Tony Adams said:
heather stratton said:
I think your instincts were right. The main thing is that when it seems too good to be true, it is. The rightful owner of a $1,000 bike is not going to sell it for $200. A thief who wants to unload it soon would do so. The proper owner will wait and get what they think the bike is worth.

Probably. But as bikes age their value drops off a cliff (until they are old enough to be cool again as is the case with vintage steel.) It is not uncommon to see bikes at garage sales or thrift stores for sale at 10% of their original sale price. Those bikes are not stolen, they are just not worth anything to the people who find themselves stuck with them.

The little housing collective I live in is moving this summer and we are in the process of getting rid of a lot of stuff. Oddly enough, giving away stuff on Craigslist is harder than selling it. Something about $30 futon/couch makes for a much less flake-prone transaction than a free futon/couch. The same thing could be happening with any given too good to be true bike deal on Craigslist. Sure, the bike may be stolen, but just because it seems too cheap to us does not necessarily mean that the bike is stolen. It may just be something that someone feels stuck with. $100 and sold today with one interaction is worth a lot more to some people than a week of dickering and a hundred emails back and forth and $200.

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for swift and brutal corporal punishment of actual bike thieves, but we don't have enough evidence to convict someone solely on the basis of a price that seems too good to be true on Craigslist. Craigslist for lots of people is just an ongoing garage sale and sometimes the prices reflect that.
Permalink Reply by Tony Adams on June 29, 2010 at 9:46am
Alan Lloyd said:
It is actually 24th Place & Western, at 2434 S. Western Ave.
Open Wednesdays noon-7pm & Saturdays 10am-5pm, come early! rik said:
Try WorkingBikes at 25th and Western.
All their used bikes are from donations and less likely to be stolen.
The have bikes from $100 - $200 http://workingbikes.org/image/tid/3061

And sometimes the bikes exceed $200. There was a sweet red tall frame 80's Trek eLance there for $300 a few weeks ago. I think the "official" price range is $50 to $300 but there are exceptions at both ends of the range.
Permalink Reply by Arrak Thumrs on June 29, 2010 at 11:35am
On a somewhat OT note, I wonder how much luck you would find posting a WTB on Chainlink? I know I have a frame I wouldn't mind selling. I am sure others on this list have the "neglected" other bike as well ;) What can I say? Bike folk often collect bikes, and you can only ride one at a time! ahaha.
Permalink Reply by jennifer james on June 29, 2010 at 11:11pm
If they have the little booklet / brochure that often comes taped onto a new bike (or the receipt!) they probably didn't steal it.

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