Stolen property

How is the company supposed to know if they're stolen or not?

Did they come from the back of a white van?

 Sometimes I think half the items, at least, on ebay, craig's list. etc are being fenced. If a burglary was reported serial numbers and descriptions were recorded, that info is not going to travel far from the precinct. There is a national database for bicycles (privately run), maybe one for high end audio gear is called for. Any computer people out there know, or care to start one?     Like most things in life it comes down to your conscience, what does your inner voice say? And, how much do you care what your inner voice says?

I just bought a new bike seat post on ebay for $100 that typically sells for $300. I was the only bidder so it is not a high demand product. The seller joined eBay 6 weeks ago and listed about 200 new high quality bike items…some multiples, so likely not bought for use. Almost all have sold with maybe 10 now left. It crossed my mind, ‘how would someone get all these new items to sell?’ Manufacturer sponsors? Closed shop?

I realize that I don’t get a warranty as I didn’t buy my new post from a dealer.

I don’t know how you could tell if something was stolen. It could be someone flipping an item acquired legitimately. They may not have purchased it for their own use, or know anything about it.

I don’t think you can, at least not easily. Here’s a few things to consider:

1. The price is too good to be true.
2. The seller is claiming to be ‘selling on behalf of a friend’.
3. The seller’s description indicates a lack of knowledge about the product.
4. You do a search and find the same description and/or photos used in an older listing by a different seller and there’s no obvious connection between the two.
5. You frequent forums and there’s a post by someone who has had their gear stolen.

A while back I was contacted by a person claiming to have legally purchased the contents of an abandoned storage unit, which happened to include Wilson Audio speakers and dCS digital gear, amongst others. He seemed fairly knowledgeable and his asking price for the items was consistently around Blue Book less 25%, so he appeared to have done research, if nothing else.

He seemed legitimate but it didn’t sit well so I passed on the deal. Some weeks later I saw where he had placed ads for the gear and someone had flagged them as stolen goods. I felt a little guilty for not being proactive in investigating him more thoroughly but also relieved at not having been scammed.