In order to avoid buying a stolen bike there are a few steps you can take
Don’t post wanted adverts…
These are a free pass for criminals to pass off bikes onto unsuspecting buyers without the risk of publicly advertising the bike. Remember if you pick up a stolen bike, the police may take it back and you could even be charged with handling stolen goods.
Look at the History
If the ads on Gumtree, google the mobile number if the ad has one, this should give an indication of how many ads this person has posted and if they have used different names for each one.
Consider the Price
If it’s too good to be true, be extra cautious have a quick look for any stolen bike reports in the area, googling “MODEL OF BIKE stolen in AREA” should bring up any potential reports.
Consider the Seller
Do they look like the type of person to own that bike, are they able to tell you about the parts and the way it feels? If they seem to struggle to identify the bike or aftermarket parts you may not be getting the whole story of how they came to own the bike.
Check the Frame Number
This is easy to do, simply enter it into google, you shouldn’t get any results. Remember if you have your doubts about a bike the local police force can check their databases for the frame number to see if it’s stolen, it won’t take long and could stop you losing out.