UPDATE to my stolen On one here –

http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/stolen-on-one-scandal-29er-1x-9-w-london?replies=9#post-582999

link on ebay?

I literally just saw this and thought "that's stolen"..

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/on-one-scandal_W0QQitemZ110421878056QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Bikes_GL?hash=item19b5a82528&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

linky

Saw that the other day, thought it looked a bit dodgy but hadn't seen your stolen post.

The spelling, had for 3 weeks, the "fluid" brakes and description totally matches your post. Ebay history also sucks.
Keep us all informed how you get on. Good luck.

Cheers all

Blatantly stolen & 4000% positive its mine as everything is as was including the overlong front brake hose – they've only lowered the saddle.

I didnt post up the ebay link as i didnt want to draw any attention & questions to arouse the little f@£$ers suspicion……

Just to confirm to 2bit on here,

I'm 99.9% sure that it's stolen as I queried postage as he put 2nd class royal mail, what the rear mech was.

He replied back saying he hasn't got a clue what I was meaning.

Plus he's a typical londoner thief selling on ebay stating that the bike was a gift to him. cheeky fool if you ask me.

Anyway, get onto your local P-station and take proof with you as they normally think ''he's got insurance so he'll be alright'' sort of thing ime aswell as many biker's out there.

So all we can do is say good luck and givce him a good kickin for me. 😛

Also, I won't contact him now, knowing what my suspicions were in the first place.

Thanks wtw – its definitely stolen as its definitely my bike!

When did he reply to you? I've sent him a message but not heard anything back (I'm currently on holiday y'see & need him to be ok with me paying & collecting in about 10 days time which makes it even more interesting).

My local PC has been helpful & sympathetic but has said that his hands are tied – ebay cant pull the auction or give the police the sellers details without 100% proof its stolen which we cant get until we have the bike (& check the serial no. against the one on the crime report).

I've offered to go to hand over the cash for the bike with a PC in tow but thats apparently using me as a 'covert undercover operative' (or something similar) which requires written approval by the commissioner & unlikely to happen.

As such my best bet, apparently, is to win the auction, pay for the bike using paypal (most likely to get my money back that way) & collect/have it delivered. Once its in my hands I can prove its stolen (via the serial no. (if its still there)) &* ebay can provide the info to the police, it becomes a legitimate stolen goods ebay auction & the c*nt gets nicked and I get my money back from paypal.

Thats the theory but I'll be v v impressed if it happens. The thought of buying my bike back horrifies me tbh.

I suggested the PC get in touch with the Bristol bike plod as he seems to have had several successes with ebay & stolen bikes (that I'm sure didnt involve the owners buying the bike back & risking losing the bike & money).

More news as n when….

Good luck mate, had the same sort of issues about 20 years ago, police have their hands well & truely tied & I ended up forking out £50 to buy back my £500 bike. Didn't even bother with the police in the end, just accepted I was going to loose £50 rather than £500.
The really strange thing was that the story got around & the parents of the kid who nicked the bike in the first place ended up paying me back plus £10 for my trouble. Just hope you have as much luck with this one.

good luck

cant see the sh!t being keen to wait 10 days to get his paws on the money and if u give him it now will he still have the bike in ten days?

id get a mate to get it when the auction is over

If you DO NOT press charges I will be pissed off (it is the least you should do). I am very bitter because I had my pride and joy nicked last year, and never saw it again, worse it wasn't even insured.

good luck with getting your bike back 2bit!!!give the motherf**er a good kicking for me too!!!they should cut bike thieves hands off!!!

IF I get my bike back I'll be pressing as many charges as legally possible.

But given the fact I'#m currently away from home & not heard back from the seller yet ab out paying in 10 days time, it doesnt fill me with confidence

The police are pretty sure this guy wont have stolen it himself but have bought it cheap to sell on but theres still a concern he'll recognise my address when I paypal

Couldn't you ask to go and view it?, make up a story to the effect that gives the impression you don't live anywhere near where it was stolen ie say that you are prepared to travel all those miles to check that it is the bike you're after. Then you can just check the serial no. whilst you're looking it over. If you pay for it, how are you expecting to get your money back? Unless you can recover the cash immediately, the nanny courts might let the scrote pay you back @ 25p a month for the next 30 years.

anyway, good luck

Cash in hand would indeed leave me, in all likelihood, being paid 10p a week for 7 years whereas paypal is my friend & as soon as its legit stolen I'm much more likely to get my money back (police were not 100% but they said its best bet)

All in all I'm not that confident of getting it back

Going to see it (bearing in mind I'm on holiday @ the mo' and not back home till the 18th) & checking for the serial is only going to arouse suspicion & they're gonna pull it from fleabay

2bit, I do hope this all works out for you. If you get a chance to collect it email me as I would love to pay this guy a visit!

can you not ask the copper to come into the persons property with you, say you'll pay cash in hand, once in identify the bike, no money has to ever switch hands, you get your bike back. simple.

This guy almost defiantly stole it himself, if he had sold it, it wouldn't be anywhere near london. On one buy a stolen bike from someone and puts it on ebay 2 months later. with out doubt it was him

Just spotted this thread – Will be keeping an eye on things as they unfold.

Good luck

"but theres still a concern he'll recognise my address when I paypal"
Yes – when he wins he can send invoice to your address.
I am no ebay expert- but I would………

Log on, click on account, then Addresses and hit that change button to a work address and then keep them informed.

2bit,

Regarding what the PC told you about covert undercover operative, I'm not convinced. The use of Covert Human Intelligence Source's is governed by S26 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 (RIPA), which I've just spent sometime looking at. Even if an authority is needed an application can still be completed by the PC and authorised (in the Metropolitan police area) by a Superintendent.

Personally I'd ask him to have a look at this again for you. I'm not sure RIPA even comes into play?

Email me your telephone number if you want to discuss it further.

All the best,

Larry.

Agree with the above. WHat's stopping you winning the bike and then arranging to collect the bike. Calling at the local nick and having a cop come to the address with you? In no way have you acted covertly at that time when you get the Police involved. You sound remarkably calm and rational about the possibility that you might not get your bike back. If it was me, I would be absolutely seething. In fact, just reading is making me seethe. Best of luck fella.

why not arrange to pay cash when you pick it up ?
Once you've got the bike outside and are ready to do the deal go for the wallet and instead pull out a rounders bat and give it to him. Straight between the eyes in a downward motion is best – maximum pain without killing him.

And this thread demonstrates why we've all largely given up on the police and view them as overpaid time wasting tossers. They take ever more of our council tax money for overtime to stand peacefully at protests, if they can prevent themselves from coshing innocent bystanders to death, but when you actually want them to do something, they jump through hoops to tell you why they cant.

Their hands are tied when it comes to investigating a crime but not when it comes to killing members of the public, for which there seems less red tape and authorisation required.

Use http://www.auctionsniper.com to make sure that no-one outside of Singletrack wins it, as it's up to 256 with 12 hours to go.

If you need friends to come help you pick your bike up, I'm sure there's plenty of us here that would happily volunteer ;o)

Just stick £10k in to make sure you win it!

You need Rudeboy to go round and try it for size, then peddle off up the road on it , straight into the back of a parked up estate car….et voila you get your bike back . Then its up to you if you want the agro of police , court , statements etc. HAving caught a bike theif literally red handed ( took him out from behind) then went throught the legal channels to see him get away with a slap on the wrist, I wish i had been more forceful in restraining him when i had him pinned up against a wall.

2 problems with this.
1 Rudeboy is not allowed on here anymore because he has typing torrets
2 Rudeboy is too slow to outrun my mum on a bike ( she's 73)

Good luck

(Mr MC posting)

1) your local PC is talking cobblers
2} this has absolutely nothing to do with RIPA. I can't be bothered to explain why in detail here and now, but can so if required (I use it routinely).

I suggest you ask to speak to someone of inspector rank (who hopefully has more idea about legislation than PC Numpty), and tell them you are certain it is your stolen bike. The fact the seller bothers to describe the bike in the ad as a gift suggests to my cynical self that they are well aware of the offence of handling stolen goods, and the defences to it.

Ebay can and do cooperate with police. Sellers can and do get arrested and prosecuted for handling. I have known of instances where the police have attended the address with, and without the victim as a buyer. there's every chance that 1) the seller is known to police (probably has precons for handling) and 2) his house/garage will be full of nicked gear, not just this bike. Leaving you to sort it out with paypal is lazy and would potentially lose valuable evidence. Oh, just realised, your'e covered by the Met…

Most of us on here have at sometime or another had a bike stolen.
The distress of seeing your hard earned piece of equipment, which has time/loving care spent on it. Also in my instance it was the thing that kept me sane, fit, healthy and in a social group, where I made many new friends, is of no consequence to the little scum bags who think he can just get a way with this.

Keep us posted, 'cos I want you to have justice.

Same thing happened to me. Had 4 bikes stolen from my shed 18 months ago, eventually 1 appeared on Ebay, well what was left of it (they had stripped it down to just a frame with headset and cranks/chain guide still fitted)
There were several factors that meant I could easily identify it as mine, so I contacted the seller, won the item with the view to "pay cash on collection" and then contacted the police.
Try to keep this short, but the plan was to go to the address, I was to go in and identify the bike (even though I already had) and then the police would come in and arrest the scum bag.
Unfortunately they completely cocked it up by parking outside the scummers house in a marked police car. I then had a huge row with the scummer and the police then made things even worse by making out it may not even be my bike – "looks like any other mountain bike to me" was what one of them said…
After weeks of phone calls and a serious complaint a higher ranking police officer came round and we went through it all. He then said that they had made an arrest at a different address and seized some bikes. I explained how I could identify the Ebay bike as 100% mine – eg I work for the importer, I had the bike custom painted, it's the only one in the UK in that colour, I have the serial number, I have pictures of me on it, I know what weight spring it had on it, I had modified the frame and basically know the frame inside out etc.
Once we had been through this he went to his car and came back with my frame. It had been at the address. At this point nothing was left on it at all and there had apparently been no sign of any of my other bikes but at least I had my frame back.

The police are still investigating the theft of my bikes, and still apparently talking to Ebay in regards to the seller as he had apparently told them that he had originally purchased my bike on Ebay.. Duh…

Then, in a nice little twist to the story, just 2 weeks ago as I drove home for work I actually saw one of my other stolen bikes. Another very easy to recognise bike as it was a prototype frame with anodised rear section (also the only one like it in the UK) I stopped the guy on it and lets just say he handed it over a little too easily to not know there was some history there. When he did protest at first saying how could I prove it was mine I said "flip the bike over and you'll see the word prototype on the bb shell (if it's still there and not been scratched off" Sure enough it was still there though some dud had tried to scratch it off a little.

So, after 18 months I have 1 frame and 1 complete bike back more due to luck than judgement. Good luck, I hope you get as lucky. The whole Ebay / police thing is a real headache in my opinion.

Jim

When does the "auction" end up ebay? do keep us updated, as Mr MC it's a lot of rubbish what PC has told you. I would call back insist that you want more action with this. Not acceptable to expect you to "win" auction and sort it out via paypal.

Munque-chick,

Thanks for clarifying that. Thought the PC was most likely wrong.

In my experience Ebay can help but more often than not they are unable/unwilling to supply the information as quickly as the police would like.

whats the sp on the bike ?
live 20mins from fulham can collect

and give the thieving git a bit of a scare 😈

are you sure this is your bike ?

dont want to turn up with a few of the boys scare the crap out of some young lad to find out
the bike was his !!!!

@2bit – the little peabrain scrote replied to me sometime on Saturday but can't be sure of what time as I deleted the message from both inbox's.

Tbh with you, I'd make sure you win that auction by putting on say £2k adn that way, is the only way you can find out where he is living with the bike.
Therefore on the day of collecting it (I'm sure a few stw members may want/need to come along with you if they live locally), whilst phoning the police to say your going to retrieve stolen property and need some assistance.

That way, you don't lose anything (money/freedom).

I just hope that this does not spoil your holiday as you are quite lucky to see your bike again.
Ime I have had many a bike stolen, 1 cheap nackared bike at knife point before and have never seen them again so thank your lucky stars you have a chance of doing something positive out of this experience.

Right then, which stw members want to cover 2bits back? As no-one has thought that the scrote might have more scrotes hanging around to take/force the money away from 2bit whilst hanging onto the bike to sell in a different location.

We salute you 🙂

No consolation but this exact thing happened to a mate of mine recently in south west London. He spotted the bike and was told by the police to report it to ebay – they wouldn't / couldn't help. He bid high, won the auction and went with a couple of (very big) mates in tow.

Approached the guy on his own (had his mates sat on a wall down the street), had a quick test ride and then explained that the bike was stolen and he was taking it back. The guy was offered that, a trip to the police station or the unmentioned suggestion of a bit of Stevie Gerrard style self defence! He claimed that he didn't steal it himself but knew it was nicked (not so bright) so just asked my mate not to report him.

He reported it anyway but no contact back from the police…

He was due to pay cash on collection.

CB…. guessing that's the Met for you again …..

If tou can go view it, then could you not just take a few mates and just take your bike back?? Sure the boy aint going to call the police as he stole it in the first place!

Id win the auction, find out his address then go round there sharpish with a police person, then youl get your bike back!

why not email a previous ebayer who has had dealings, find out his address and do him over?

ive dealt with ebay on numerous occasions to either get adresses for people who are selling stolen property, or ending auctions
they are quick and very helpful, IF you have the time to do your homework.
So i would suggest you contact the station where you reported he crime, speak to the officer in the case, and get them moving on this one.
You have identified your property, and the police have a responsibility to get it back, all this balls about buying it back is rubbish and the p.c involve needs to get his act together
i am a police officer so know what i am talking about(well some of the time anyway)

You have identified your property, and the police have a responsibility to get it back, all this balls about buying it back is rubbish and the p.c involve needs to get his act together

This should be the way it's dealt with in an ideal world but most of us have recommended being the winner of the auction of this bike because the op 2bit has clearly stated that the police involved in this case can't do anything much.

Thus leaving him with the only real option of winning the auction and retrieving his bike back that way.

Then he can report the ebayer to ebay and expalin to the police where he lives.

That way, everyone's happy, apart from the offender of course.

Be good if you yourself easy girl as a police officer were to swap contact details with the 2bit's pc involved in this mattter to explain what's the really going to be the outcome of this.

We're so damn close to nailing this scrote.

Just my 10pence worth.

Hi 2bit,

It was me that emailed you a couple of days ago. Now my STW account has been approved I can actually post here. 🙂

At everyone:

This episode (however it turns out) has emphasized a couple of things for me:

If you see something dodgy, don't just ignore it. It took me about 10 seconds on google to match up the ebay auction with 2bit's post about the theft. I searched for stolen on one scandal – that's all it took.

The flipside to that is, if your bike is stolen, TELL THE ENTIRE INTERNET! Make it as easy as possible for people to track you down and help get your bike back.

I've read an awful lot of depressing stories about people finding their stolen bikes for sale and being unable to recover them. Maybe some of you who've had this experience would consider writing to your MPs? The degree to which police seem unable or unwilling to help in cases like this is pretty shocking – maybe something could actually be done about it?

I hope you get your bike back 2bit!

Cheers,
Matthew (who's actually a roadie, but one who's thinking of joining the dark side)