# My stolen bike is on Gumtree for sale!



## midliferider (27 Dec 2017)

My bike was stolen few months ago. Today I found it advertised on Gumtree. I am absolutely certain that it is my bike as it has very distinct features from my attempts at repairing it.
What should I do?
Call the Police?
Contact Gumtree?


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## classic33 (27 Dec 2017)

midliferider said:


> My bike was stolen few months ago. Today I found it advertised on Gumtree. I am absolutely certain that it is my bike as it has very distinct features from my attempts at repairing it.
> What should I do?
> Call the Police?
> Contact Gumtree?


Have someone contact the seller for you, and ask about it.


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## midliferider (27 Dec 2017)

I send a message to ask about frame size.


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## biggs682 (27 Dec 2017)

midliferider said:


> My bike was stolen few months ago. Today I found it advertised on Gumtree. I am absolutely certain that it is my bike as it has very distinct features from my attempts at repairing it.
> What should I do?
> Call the Police?
> Contact Gumtree?



Let me know the advert and i will contact the seller and ask a few questions . if you have proof and positive then contact the police and watch nothing happen


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## Adam4868 (27 Dec 2017)

Id be tempted to go and view it with a heavy lock in my bag !


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## midliferider (27 Dec 2017)

biggs682 said:


> Let me know the advert and i will contact the seller and ask a few questions . if you have proof and positive then contact the police and watch nothing happen



I just send it.


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## Drago (27 Dec 2017)

Call the Feds would be the correct answer, but it'll likely be sold before any meaningful response occurs. 

I'd go see it with a large associate or two, and then if its yours I'd call the police while bike and seller are both still present

PS, do you have a link to the ad? PM me with it if you'd rather.


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## biggs682 (27 Dec 2017)

midliferider said:


> I just send it.


got it


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## DCLane (27 Dec 2017)

Drago said:


> Call the Feds would be the correct answer, but it'll likely be sold before any meaningful response occurs.
> 
> I'd go see it with a large associate or two, and then if its yours I'd call the police while bike and seller are both still present
> 
> PS, do you have a link to the ad? PM me with it if you'd rather.



Ditto this. Unfortunately if it was local to me West Yorks Police wouldn't be bothered helping.

Go get it back ...


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## Specialeyes (27 Dec 2017)

My Brompton was nicked in Bow, East London where I reported it straight away. It popped up on Gumtree in Cambridge about a month later and The Met actually went and felt the collar of the aunt/fence of the scrote who nicked it and retrieved it. I had to go and reclaim it, with nothing but a couple of photos and a description of a scratch on the BB shell as proof of ownership. Oddly, the station I had to go collect it from was on Buckingham Palace Road, completely the other side of London - couldn't fault the service though


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## biggs682 (28 Dec 2017)

Specialeyes said:


> My Brompton was nicked in Bow, East London where I reported it straight away. It popped up on Gumtree in Cambridge about a month later and The Met actually went and felt the collar of the aunt/fence of the scrote who nicked it and retrieved it. I had to go and reclaim it, with nothing but a couple of photos and a description of a scratch on the BB shell as proof of ownership. Oddly, the station I had to go collect it from was on Buckingham Palace Road, completely the other side of London - couldn't fault the service though



They deserve a pat on the back for sure


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## midliferider (28 Dec 2017)

I called the police this morning. Standard advice.
Never try to get it from the seller or go and meet the seller.
They will get back to me later.


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## steveindenmark (3 Jan 2018)

Do bear in mind that the person selling it may well have bought it off Gumtree himself and has no idea it is stolen.

If I can help. I am in Denmark and the seller is not likely to suspect that I have any connection to the bike. I can always suggest I get a "Friend" to call round and view the bike for me.


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## Saluki (3 Jan 2018)

Can you not do what that lady did a while back. Ask for a test ride and just ride your bike away?


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## steveindenmark (3 Jan 2018)

Saluki said:


> Can you not do what that lady did a while back. Ask for a test ride and just ride your bike away?


But then you can be accused of stealing your own bike

I could live with that.


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## ozboz (3 Jan 2018)

My GF saw her bike on gumtree , gumtree we're not to helpful , and the police said there wasn't enough evidence to prosecute the person who placed it on
gumtree , many years ago a friend of mine had his DVD robbed , he found it being sold at a second hand stall on Oldham market , the police were involved and could not do anything , 
It's a legal flaw , 
in Australia , as I remember it , if you could prove the item was yours and been stolen , you got it back , 
which in itself was a deterrent to thieves and buyers of dodgy goods


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## Grolsche11976 (27 Feb 2018)

did you get your bike back?


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## ozboz (27 Feb 2018)

Grolsche11976 said:


> did you get your bike back?



no , cops said not enough evidence, shame it was a nice Cube , was my GF 's 
, incidentally , I had my Surly knocked off last year and a stroke of luck I got it back some months later , no cops involved ,


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## chriscross1966 (10 Mar 2018)

steveindenmark said:


> But then you can be accused of stealing your own bike
> 
> I could live with that.


From memory, if you retrieve your stolen goods without violence then they're yours...


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## steveindenmark (10 Mar 2018)

You can be accused Chris but you are correct you can only steal "Property belonging to another".


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## mickle (10 Mar 2018)

The argument for recording your frame number, changing it enough to make it identifiably yours and taking photographs of it.


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## robrinay (29 Mar 2018)

I had a Dahon folder stolen in Nottingham a few years ago I immediately reported it to the Police and then drove around the Cities second hand shops. I saw the thief on the bike riding towards one of them, overtook him leapt out and grabbed the handlebars growling “My bike!” He nearly wet himself with fear , said he’d found it then legged it. I rang the Police with his description and the location as there were video cameras. With the exact science of hindsight I realised I might have been attacked or stabbed/slashed as he was obviously a fairly desperate druggie on his way to make enough cash for a ‘hit’ but at the time I didn’t think much beyond the adrenalin rush and consequent anger at seeing him on my bike.


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## MahatmaAndhi (17 May 2019)

About two weeks ago my mate had two bikes stolen from his garage (they were both locked up to a metal shelving unit which they sheared through). I saw one of them on Gumtree and Facebook, a bright orange Specialized hybrid with a few distinctive changes to the saddle and pedals and a very suspicious dent on the frame.
He called the police and they said that he would have to arrange to meet the guy and declare in person that the bike was his and stolen. Then "the guy will either run or wait for the police to protest his innocence."
My mate decided against the citizen's arrest as there was a hidden third option of potentially being stabbed. 

It's shocking that the police would even suggest that he go and approach the thief/fence himself and put himself in such a volatile situation. I really dislike how the police are managed and funded. I have nothing against police officers generally, but Cambs Constabulary is stretched so thin that crime can only go one way because there appears to be no consequences.


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## ozboz (17 May 2019)

MahatmaAndhi said:


> About two weeks ago my mate had two bikes stolen from his garage (they were both locked up to a metal shelving unit which they sheared through). I saw one of them on Gumtree and Facebook, a bright orange Specialized hybrid with a few distinctive changes to the saddle and pedals and a very suspicious dent on the frame.
> He called the police and they said that he would have to arrange to meet the guy and declare in person that the bike was his and stolen. Then "the guy will either run or wait for the police to protest his innocence."
> My mate decided against the citizen's arrest as there was a hidden third option of potentially being stabbed.
> 
> It's shocking that the police would even suggest that he go and approach the thief/fence himself and put himself in such a volatile situation. I really dislike how the police are managed and funded. I have nothing against police officers generally, but Cambs Constabulary is stretched so thin that crime can only go one way because there appears to be no consequences.



The police are not to interested in stolen bikes , but I am surprised they advocated putting him in harms way doing their job ,


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## Adam4868 (17 May 2019)

Test ride ?


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## Spoked Wheels (17 May 2019)

ozboz said:


> The police are not to interested in stolen bikes , but I am surprised they advocated putting him in harms way doing their job ,




What are they interested in btw?


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## ozboz (17 May 2019)

Spoked Wheels said:


> What are they interested in btw?



Cups of tea and cake and chocky biccy’s and ..........


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## alicat (17 May 2019)

chriscross1966 said:


> From memory, if you retrieve your stolen goods without violence then they're yours...



Yes, the bike is still yours so go view it and claim it back. That may involve being quite assertive so it could be good to take a friend. There was a thread on here a while ago where somebody successfully got their bike back.


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## mjr (17 May 2019)

Spoked Wheels said:


> What are they interested in btw?


They seem quite interested in getting dashcam footage around here. Easier than flooding the area with traffic cars, I guess.


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## I like Skol (30 May 2019)

alicat said:


> Yes, the bike is still yours so go view it and claim it back. That may involve being quite assertive so it could be good to take a friend. There was a thread on here a while ago where somebody successfully got their bike back.


Me? https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/sons-school-run-hack-bike-stolen-recovered-mix-matched.190444/


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## alicat (30 May 2019)

I like Skol said:


> Me? https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/sons-school-run-hack-bike-stolen-recovered-mix-matched.190444/



No, not your thread Skolly. A fair bit more recent, although I like your style and I sympathise that your son's bike was plundered for the good bits.


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## djneal (21 Jun 2019)

Found this thread for the same reason. My cheapo Boardman was stolen in under an hour. I have seen two ads on Gumtree that could be it. Neither of the advertisers had a profile, and they didn't respond to my messages or texts at all. The police have been very nice but useless.

Two months later I'm still livid. This is not just about super rich people with massively expensive bikes, mine was the bottom of the range, £370 Boardman that I bought in the sale and those a*holes took my only means of transport. It just happened to have a label that sells. I wasn't insured. Noone agrees to a £200 excess for a cheap bike. You just buy another cheap bike (probably stolen).

I also just found a thread here from *2011* suggesting Gumtree put in a verification process. 8 years later and it is still ridiculously easy to shift stolen bikes there.

How hard could it be to force Gumtree to verify each new user? Or to introduce an official, national frame number register? Or pet microchips for bikes? 

Are there better ideas other than making your bike ugly?


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## classic33 (21 Jun 2019)

The chips are there, just not every police station have the readers and a property officer to use them. 

Gumtree has been owned by by ebay since 2005.


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## vickster (22 Jun 2019)

djneal said:


> Found this thread for the same reason. My cheapo Boardman was stolen in under an hour. I have seen two ads on Gumtree that could be it. Neither of the advertisers had a profile, and they didn't respond to my messages or texts at all. The police have been very nice but useless.
> 
> Two months later I'm still livid. This is not just about super rich people with massively expensive bikes, mine was the bottom of the range, £370 Boardman that I bought in the sale and those a*holes took my only means of transport. It just happened to have a label that sells. I wasn't insured. Noone agrees to a £200 excess for a cheap bike. You just buy another cheap bike (probably stolen).
> 
> ...


Big D locks, x2. Take the saddle and seat post if leaving in a high risk areas. You can get bike specific insurance with no excess from Bikmo or similar.


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