tl;dr: it’s probably stolen
Facebook marketplace seems like the perfect place to grab a bargain on preloved bicycles looking for a new home. But is that new bicycle stolen property? Facebook’s lack of regulation, enforcement and inherent design makes it the perfect platform for stolen goods. Combine that with police unwillingness to aid in bike theft recovery (when compared to automobiles), it’s very common to see stolen bicycles on Facebook Marketplace.
Before we go to far, the below checks aren’t perfect. They are signals to be cautious but not definitive proof that a good was stolen or not.
Additionally the person selling the item might not even be aware it was stolen. They might have purchased it from someone else, it might have acquired from a police auction, it could be from an estate sale, or some other legitimate means.
Finally, we also need to consider why bikes get stolen. With the increased cost of living, housing crisis and lack of social support - people are going to resort to any means to get by. This isn’t excusing their actions, but provides context as to why we might be in this position start with.
PropertyVault
First up - the obvious. Has the bicycle been listed on a stolen bicycle websites. In Australia the goto is PropertyVault. If you do find out that the bicycle you’re interested in is listed on PropertyVault then please fill out the contact form on the site. Take screenshots of the Facebook listing in case it is removed.
Dodgy spray paint
For low end bikes, it’s not uncommon for bicycles to be spray painted to remove all discernible markings and customisation. The thought process I think here is that they can sell it has a generic bicycle without being caught or detected from selling “your” bike. I’m really not sure who buys these - but highly likely to be stolen. Often you see overspray on cranks, chain, spokes because disassembly isn’t trivial and who has time for that.
Selling a lot of bikes
The average person doesn’t have a stockpile of 20 bikes they are trying to sell. There’s certainly people who do like bikes, like repairing and enjoy selling them to get people riding so you do need to use some judgement here. Some ways of determining legitimacy further: are they operating under a company? Do they seem to have a workshop? Do the descriptions seem like they are written by someone who knows/likes bikes?
It’s also worth looking at sold history. Even though a seller might only have 3 bikes up for sale, they might have sold many many more under the same profile.
Broken spokes / damage from lock
This is more common on bikes with Axa locks, but check for spokes being damaged. It’s very easy for spokes to be damaged when snapping locks through twisting or in the case of Axa, not realising its locked and trying to ride. There might also be evidence of where an Axa lock used to be mounted.
Missing e-bike charger
There are many e-bike charger standards and pretty much all e-bikes come with a charger. If the bike is being sold without the charger, or without the key to remove the battery, then good chance its been stolen off the street. The common story is “lost in house move” - which to be fair, is very likely. But treat with a lot of suspicion.
Selling lots of high value items
Is the seller also selling other suspicious items. Lots of powertools? Many iPads and iPhones? Gold and jewellery?
Profile doesn’t match actual person / sus
Facebook profiles that don’t match the sellers location or the person you meet doesn’t look like the profile picture. Maybe it’s a brand new profile, or no other items listed.
Poor / odd photos
High end bikes being sold with 2 crappy at night photos? Photo taken from within a public toilet? (I’m not even joking)
Incorrect model or part descriptions
Not looking for typos here but rather completely getting the model or parts wrong. In the below example this Aldi “ROAD 700” is being sold as a “RORO” because thats what it looks like when you look at the decal from the side. Another common example is when parts have been replaced. Sellers sometimes use the specifications found on manufactures websites rather than the actual parts installed. Some listings even have have bikes model or brand listed as one of the drivetrain parts like “Shimano”.
Same bike listed by multiple sellers
Some sus sellers use multiple accounts to sell their wares. Sometimes they get sloppy and sell the same product on multiple accounts.
