stolen bike on ebay - please help

tri-sexual

a few bikes stolen recently
one of them has appeared on ebay
ebay has been informed and so has the police
ebay left the auction to run its course
police is not doing anything and suggeset that they will recover the bike from the highest bidder after auction ends, the winner bidder will lose alot of money and there is no guarantee that the bike will ever be recovered
police is of little or no help and will not bid on it and attempt arrest on pick up of the bike-they say they cant do anything because they dont have address of the crooks- they also say that the bike is never kept at the agreed meeting place and the thieves will only take you to the bike once they are satisfied that it is safe.
1)other ideas include bidding on it myself (or by friends) and try to recover - but address of winner will be available to crooks after the auction.
2)start new ebay account and bid using that but there are security checks to ensure that it is not a false account
any and all suggestions welcome

-liam-

You got a link? It may be that somebody on here is bidding....might be helpful if they was told not not bother. You may also find someone is located close to the seller.

tri-sexual

-Liam- wrote:

You got a link? It may be that somebody on here is bidding....might be helpful if they was told not not bother. You may also find someone is located close to the seller.

pm sent

Weejie54

Time was when the police would have bid high enough to win the auction and catch the sods red-handed.
You don't have much choice but to follow their current course of action.

tri-sexual

Weejie54 wrote:

Time was when the police would have bid high enough to win the auction and catch the sods red-handed.
You don't have much choice but to follow their current course of action.

sounds obivious, my exact thoughts but the police say they dont have authorisation to do this, told them they got opportunity to solve a burgulary, recover stolen goods and to prevent a forthcoming crime of when they pass on stolen goods - all fallen on deaf ears, a real nightmare trying to get hold of the pc in charge of case also: off duty, out of office,doing something else

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real waste of time

tebbit

How about trading standards? I got in touch with them when I saw my old car on ebay with seventy thousand less miles on the clock, they were helpful and proactive, they might take trading in stolen goods more seriously than the police.

tri-sexual

its a weekend so no joy with trading standards
the bike on ebay is a short listing, 2 days from start to finish,
it will end this weekend
very disappointed with the general attitude of the police, shows no interest at all
did alot of the detective work for them including locating the stolen item on ebay but still will not do and still will not follow up on it
ask why they cant get personal details of the crook's personal details from ebay and they said that ebay will not pass on personal details due to data protection act

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absolute crap, ebay state in their terms and conditions that the will forward fraudulent details to the police if cases are know.
have to tell the police details of the listingand point out the crooks past selling history, the police didnt even do any of that

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they show no interest what so ever

-liam-

tri-sexual wrote:

-Liam- wrote:

You got a link? It may be that somebody on here is bidding....might be helpful if they was told not not bother. You may also find someone is located close to the seller.

pm sent

understood

ratsbeyfus

Make the highest bid... tell them you'll pay cash on collection. Hire a policeman's uniform, turn up at the meeting place with monopoly money. Take the bike.

You can have that tip for free!

Seriously though, I hope you get the f@ckers.

unixnerd

If it were my bike I'd bid 10,000 quid for it and be sure to win. Then get the details and have the police turn up with me. If the Police weren't up for it I'd try a local journalist, that way the Police might be a bit more keen to be seen to do something and it makes a good story.

Other tack would be to win it and turn up to collect it. Then say, "it's my bike, naturally you didn't know it was stolen when you bought it. I'm sure you'd like to give it back so we don't need to involve the Police". Burly mates are a bonus at this point.

tri-sexual

cash on collection anyway
ok making highest bid but when auction over, they will have winning bidders personal details - see OP
they will arrange meeting place but bike will not be there and have to go else where to pick it up or its brought near by so you dont know where the bike is kept
otherwise they will arrange a meet at a service station etc.

i have read something similar in the forum, like to know outcome of those other cases

Cameron2122

Could i also get the link please. I've been looking to buy a bike on ebay and have seen one that is also ending in two days. I don't want to have stolen property and your bike and then be out of money because its your bike. I hope you catch the thieving gits.

itchieritchie

Any of them data tagged, security tagged etc? Long shot I know.

Have you got photos of the bike(s) concerned? Anything that will link you absolutely to the bikes? Serial numbers for example?

If you can provide conclusive proof that the bikes are yours, then here's what you do.

1. Let the auction run it's course.
2. Chase the (unfortunate) buyer up and request that you go and see him with the police.
3. You can then safely ID the bikes as yours using any of the methods above, whereupon they should then be handed back to you.
4. The rozzers will then force ebay to hand over the details of the stupid b*stards that made off with the bikes in the first place.
5. Buyer DOES lose out in this process, but maybe he can recover monies from crooks. It's his lookout. Caveat emptor.

All this in theory of course. And on assumption that you can positively ID the bikes as yours. Otherwise this method of restitution is built on quicksand.

I'm sure some wag will pull my argument to pieces in all of 5 mins from now.

But I've had 3 bikes nicked so I understand the pain.

Good luck and hope you get the little fekkers...

STEFANOS4784

I'd probably delete the post in the stolen section if i were you...

tri-sexual

got pics of bike, receipts etc etc so no problem there
police know ownership of bike
their solution is to let auction run and recover bike from new owner
seems a bloody crap way of doing it.
even then there is no guarantees that the bike will ever be recovered

Valy

itchieritchie wrote:

Any of them data tagged, security tagged etc? Long shot I know.

Have you got photos of the bike(s) concerned? Anything that will link you absolutely to the bikes? Serial numbers for example?

If you can provide conclusive proof that the bikes are yours, then here's what you do.

1. Let the auction run it's course.
2. Chase the (unfortunate) buyer up and request that you go and see him with the police.
3. You can then safely ID the bikes as yours using any of the methods above, whereupon they should then be handed back to you.
4. The rozzers will then force ebay to hand over the details of the stupid b*stards that made off with the bikes in the first place.
5. Buyer DOES lose out in this process, but maybe he can recover monies from crooks. It's his lookout. Caveat emptor.

All this in theory of course. And on assumption that you can positively ID the bikes as yours. Otherwise this method of restitution is built on quicksand.

I'm sure some wag will pull my argument to pieces in all of 5 mins from now.

But I've had 3 bikes nicked so I understand the pain.

Good luck and hope you get the little fekkers...

That's a bit shit then is not it? Gives them real incentive to help.

larfingravy

I'm amazed that the police are advising that they contact the new buyer after the auction and recover it from them. The new buyer will be out of pocket and will not get their money back, that is a guarantee. By doing this theyt are only making a second victim from this whole affair.
If I was the new buyer and found out the police knew the bike I was buying was stolen but still let me buy it and give money over and then come knocking on MY door to recover it I'd be furious.

Also what they say about not being able to get hold of the sellers data from ebay because of the Data Protection Act is absolute rubbish. They can, it just sounds like it's a weekened and they can't be asked to help you.

I'd get back onto them and try and speak to a more senior person and explain your problem again.

I'm a supporter of the police and where they get unfairly criticised will back them.
However in circs like this they are just doing themselves no favours.

Good luck. Maybe indicate what type of bike was stolen therefore people will no if they are bidding for it??

Alumin-Liam

Bid, win, turn up to meet the seller, then call the police to come down.

If they don't come urgently call again (or better yet get someone else to call it in) and tell them that you are armed to the teeth and have killed the man who robbed your bike, then they'll get down there quick! Once they arrive they can sort out the mess.

tebbit

Wasn't there a discussion about some numpty buying a bike on here, because he didn't use the buy through ebay he wasn't protected? If the bike is recovered from the buyer hopefully the buyer will be recover the costs through ebay's own protection scheme, however the seller will have sold stolen property which is considered a much greater offence.

Hope you get your bike back.

ademort

I think the advice from trhe police stinks. For a start they create two victims. Firstly you, and once they allow the new buyer to hand over money for a stolen bike, then the new buyer is also a victim.Do the police genuinely believe that if somebody buys a bike in which they believe to be a legitimate transaction, they are then going to hand it back to you and try to claim there money back. Or better still would you. The police could certainly be more helpful imho.As others have suggested it may be better to go back to the police and speak to somebody higher up the chain of command. Have no idea how much money we are talking about but i hope you get sorted.I know what i would do but i would not write that on this forum, lets put it this way. Charles Bronson was one of my favourite Actors.
Ademort

STEFANOS4784

If you would have read the description on the ad' then there's know way any-one in their right mind would think the transaction was completely genuine. Something very fishy to anyone who knows anything about bikes and it's not just a Tesco jobbie so you'd think he's know something about bikes....

ademort

STEFANOS4784 wrote:

If you would have read the description on the ad' then there's know way any-one in their right mind would think the transaction was completely genuine. Something very fishy to anyone who knows anything about bikes and it's not just a Tesco jobbie so you'd think he's know something about bikes....

Sorry but have not read the item description,but as you say anybody who knows anything about bikes would know that something is a bit iffy. But lets just assume for a minute that this person knows nothing about bikes?
Ademort

STEFANOS4784

PM'ed

STEFANOS4784

Please keep us updated on this one, so many threads disappear and then i forget who wrote them etc and can't find them again

Valy

OP - I am backing you to to what a few said, go and talk to a more senior person.


If possible, do bid the highest, meet up the person and call the police with something like "provocative".

THere was a guy who phoned into police saying that someone is breaking into his shed - the police said they were busy...


A few minute alter he called back to say "It's okay, no need to come anymore, I've just shot the guy". They were prompt to get there after that!

verylonglegs

Valy wrote:

OP - I am backing you to to what a few said, go and talk to a more senior person.


If possible, do bid the highest, meet up the person and call the police with something like "provocative".

THere was a guy who phoned into police saying that someone is breaking into his shed - the police said they were busy...


A few minute alter he called back to say "It's okay, no need to come anymore, I've just shot the guy". They were prompt to get there after that!

I've heard or read that tale a few times now and wonder if its an urban myth. The police turn up and catch the thieves red-handed and say 'I thought you said you'd shot him?' The man replies 'I thought you said you were busy?!' Sounds too neat to me.

Anyway, to the OP...good luck and hope it all works out in your favour.

Valy

verylonglegs wrote:

Valy wrote:

OP - I am backing you to to what a few said, go and talk to a more senior person.


If possible, do bid the highest, meet up the person and call the police with something like "provocative".

THere was a guy who phoned into police saying that someone is breaking into his shed - the police said they were busy...


A few minute alter he called back to say "It's okay, no need to come anymore, I've just shot the guy". They were prompt to get there after that!

I've heard or read that tale a few times now and wonder if its an urban myth. The police turn up and catch the thieves red-handed and say 'I thought you said you'd shot him?' The man replies 'I thought you said you were busy?!' Sounds too neat to me.

Anyway, to the OP...good luck and hope it all works out in your favour.

Either way it's pretty funny.

timb64

I was able to recover my wife's bike from ebay last year.The police were very helpful in raiding the sellers address and recovering the bike before the auction ended.

The frustrating part was then trying to get a prosecution. All the seller had to do was say he'd bought it off "a man down the pub" and the CPS weren't prepared to take the matter any further-hence the present sting operations being run by the Met to catch the b*&(*%$s in the act.

Good luck with getting your bike back.

Ben6899

If the auction is left to run its course, will the new owner not be guilty of handling stolen goods?

Orleandrew

Ben6899 wrote:

If the auction is left to run its course, will the new owner not be guilty of handling stolen goods?

Only if they know, or should reasonably be expected to know, it's stolen. I.e. they can't legally keep it once it's identified as stolen.

cee

getting the seller will not solve the burglary...

they are unliekly to be the thief...they will have bought it cheap...and sell it on...

it sucks....but...you were covered by insurance right?