what if you buy a stolen bike?
Thread started by
KiMS1 at 07.8.10 - 11:00 am
let's say you're on craigslist looking for a new bike,
you find a decent road bike that is being sold at a reasonable price. its not over priced nor is it underpriced.
you buy it, enjoy it, ride for awhile, and then someone tells you, "hey that's my bike. it was stolen from me a year ago."
what do you do?
do you return it?
do you return it for some cash?
do you say, sorry man, i bought it fair and square, im sorry it was stolen from you but i spent my hard earned cash for it.
and keep in mind that you can't direct him to the guythat sold it to you because you didnt really suspect anything and didn't save any of his contact info.
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Legal verus Moral
Legal
Send an email to the J. Paul Getty Trust about this, maybe they have some legal insight.
Moral
Finders-Keepers
md207.8.10 - 11:14 am
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Legally and morally, if you have a stolen bike that belongs to someone else, you ought to return it to the rightful owner.
If you've upgraded the bike, it's not out of line to ask for reimbursement for the upgrades, but you don't get to ask for cash just because you shelled out for stolen property.
Receiving/possession of stolen goods is also a crime, so be careful.
JB07.8.10 - 11:32 am
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are you flirting with me?
md2 responding to a
comment by _iJunes
07.8.10 - 11:34 am
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awwwe....
Just for that I have a Di2 group I came across from some dude behind some bike shop to sell you for $36.00 USD.
But will you buy it?
huh, huh???
md2 responding to a
comment by _iJunes
07.8.10 - 11:46 am
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If you're paying more than you can afford to lose for the bike (for me probably $250), then you should ask the seller to see his CA ID and have him write you a bill of sale with his ID# included as well as the bike serial #. After you purchase it (and before you upgrade anything) you take it to the CHP office to see if it's been reported stolen.
If it hasn't been reported stolen, then it's yours regardless if someone comes up crying that it's theirs. If they didn't write down their serial # beforehand and therefore couldn't report it stolen, fuck 'em. You've done everything in your power to do the right thing.
Keep in mind that if it has been reported stolen, the rightful owner can have it taken from you and keep your upgrades as well.
If you're paranoid, keep a copy of the bill of sale rolled up in the handlebars so you can show that you didn't steal it on the spot.
petr0lb0mb07.8.10 - 12:38 pm
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1st make them prove it, just because they say it's there's does not make it fact.
your bike could look identical to the one stolen but may not be it.
serial # s match ? if they do not have the serial # tuff luck.
if the #s match give it back. tuff luck for you.
Dedicated81807.8.10 - 2:03 pm
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This is a very good question. I always find it pretty ridiculous when someone posts a stolen bike and says if you see this bike hit the person with a ulock and call me. that brings up another question, what do you consider worse, stealing a bike or committing a violent act unto a person that you are not positive committed any crime?
buckchin07.8.10 - 2:21 pm
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Exactly, my point. If they were negligent to keep the serial # in a safe place, then they can suck it. That "I know it's mine because I recognize that scratch on the chainstay" BS doesn't fly.
However, in the case of Larsen's friend's bike, it's a little different. I mean, that thing is definitely one of a kind so I could understand if someone recovered it for him in lieu of a serial #.
petr0lb0mb responding to a
comment by Dedicated818
07.8.10 - 3:00 pm
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