stolen Bromptons on eBay and Gumtree

StolenBikes
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Joined: 11 May 2012, 10:18am
Location: Leicester
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Re: Stolen bikes on Gumtree!

Post by StolenBikes »

Gumtree should be asking for the framenumbers... They don't even have to check it...

Someone spots there bike on Gumtree, tells police, police ask Gumtree for frame number, frame number doesn't match but joe bloggs insists it is there bike..

Police go round to the guys house, oh he provided an incorrect frame number to Gumtree, he is now in deep as the only reason to lie is because you know your handling stolen goods.
John @ Stolen-Bikes.co.uk, FindThatBike.co.uk and RegisterThatBike.co.uk
Vladimir
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Joined: 3 Apr 2010, 11:50pm
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Re: Stolen bikes on Gumtree!

Post by Vladimir »

StolenBikes wrote:Gumtree should be asking for the framenumbers... They don't even have to check it...

Someone spots there bike on Gumtree, tells police, police ask Gumtree for frame number, frame number doesn't match but joe bloggs insists it is there bike..

Police go round to the guys house, oh he provided an incorrect frame number to Gumtree, he is now in deep as the only reason to lie is because you know your handling stolen goods.


yes, agreed; BUT

the police don't give a hoot about this sort of thing, to put it mildly. Yes, there are cycle task forces, but how well staffed are they?
johnsouthwales
Posts: 51
Joined: 28 Oct 2012, 2:06pm

Re: Stolen bikes on Gumtree!

Post by johnsouthwales »

i find gumtree and co a nuisance when someone advertises a bike under the listing as Bike, mountain bike, bicycle. surely the first thing they should be doing is listing the make and model. most makes models are displayed in the subheading.

i saw one the other day, quite vague description so i sent a text. i asked what make and model is the bike?.. the reply came back - ring me and find out.

when someone is selling a car on ebay for example, the registration number is visible. what's the difference between that and giving the frame number to gumtree and displaying it? I'd be tempted to ask a seller for a photo of the frame number if i was pushed, but i like to treat sellers as genuine but....

funny how i see lately a lot especially on twitter that police are acive in warning people that it's more of an offence to handling stolen goods.. of that's the case, of they are not doing anything about people on gumtree giving false frame numbers etc and are not following it up, all i could say then is that they are lying and giving a false impression that they are combating it..

the only option i can think of is making a complaint via MP. then again, what will an MP do if he sees the police aren't doing their job?
joannnnnne
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Joined: 3 Mar 2013, 2:02pm

stolen Bromptons on eBay and Gumtree

Post by joannnnnne »

I just bought a second-hand Brompton in London, and in the process came across several very suspicious ads on eBay and Gumtree -- likely people selling stolen bikes.

Gumtree, in particular, had several ads that raise red flags.

Check out 'Jamie's' ads, for example -
http://www.gumtree.com/sellerads/1010675493

'Jamie' is selling several bikes, and for each one he has some excuse, e.g., 'ive got a brand new brompton fold up bike for sale brand new only drove it acouple time i bought a hybrid bike cuz i like the drive better soo i want tjis bike gone out my hands soo call me.' Yeah right.

And here's one on eBay that got my attention -

brompton M3L
http://www.ebay.com/itm/281069855946?ss ... 1423.l2649

The seller says he's 'selling the bike for a friend.' Two weeks ago, he sold another Brompton 'for his dad' -

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Bormpton-M3R-Fo ... 1059370951

Anyone who's lost a Brompton to theft recently might want to check out these ads, though the difficulty is that the photos are (purposely, I think) blurry, and the ads give no details about the bikes.

More importantly, the bike community should put pressure on eBay and Gumtree to require sellers to post the serial and/or frame numbers of the bikes that they sell. There is a petition on this question that all bike owners should think about signing: http://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/e ... n-listings.
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gaz
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Re: stolen Bromptons on eBay and Gumtree

Post by gaz »

Welcome to the forum.


The petition has been discussed elsewhere.
High on a cocktail of flossy teacakes and marmalade
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