Ebay = possibly stolen ?

bobgosling

bobgosling

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There's something I've spotted on eBay that I would quite like if it stays at the price it is currently going for. The seller obviously has no clue what it does, though he has found out its value off the internet. He seems a reputable seller with a good history. I looked in Stolen Boats & Gear and can't see it listed. There isn't enough time left to get the serial number and check it.

Should I go for it and hope for the best ? Would hate to be receiving stolen goods, particularly after having been on the losing end of such acts of theft before.

I guess I could try to buy it then check it and ask for my money back if it proves to be stolen ?

What would you do ?
 
At least with this transaction you have proof of who sold you the item. My real worry is with boat jumbles. Thieves work best where they can't be traced - cash in hand on a stall. Certainly there is a correlation in the South West with an increase in incidents just leading up to a boat jumble event.
 
Some years back, I had an anchor stolen. 3 weeks later I purchased and identical, albeit freshly painted black, at a local boat jumble. Now I can't prove a thing but.........
 
I think make sure that you know who you are buying from so you can get your money back if it proves to be stolen - then bid for it. If you win you can then dig more to see if it really is stolen should you wish.
 
If you can pay with Paypal or Credit Card you have time to check it out immediately after purchse and seek redress if you establish it is stolen.

That's what I would do, I think, if it was somehing I really wanted. If you don't want it that badly walk away from it.
 
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I looked in Stolen Boats & Gear and can't see it listed.

[/ QUOTE ]
Don't assume that it's OK, on the basis that there is no mention in the stolen boats and gear forum. Have you also had a look on the Stolen Boats Website? You might find it listed there.

You don't say what the items is, presumably so that we don't steam in and push the price up.
The bottom line is, if you buy the item, then find out that it's stolen and you end up having to hand it back to the original owner, are you confident of receiving a refund from PayPal? If not, is it so cheap that you are willing to accept the risk of losing your money?
 
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At least with this transaction you have proof of who sold you the item.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well you might get the name and adress used to register the Ebay account but this falls far short of the seller's actual name and address.

Ebay is rife as a venue for selling on stolen goods. I'd be very suspicous about a specialist item being sold by someone who has no knoledge of what (s)he is selling and is not prepared to offer a credible expalation of how they came by it.

If you know first hand the anguish and misery of being the victim of crime and have suspicions about this item, why risk giving someone who's caused this anguish and misery to someone else a payday ?
 
At least if you buy it and then check to see if you can find if it's stolen. If you don't buy it, someone else will and if they don't check, and it has been stolen, the thief gets away with it.
You could ask on here when it is in your hands.
Allan
 
But surely it is better to buy it and be prepared to take action if it proves to be stolen than just to leave it to someone else to buy? (who may either be less astute or less concerned about its origin)

In many cases asking questions about the previous installation may help to discover whether the vendor is aware of its history.
 
Damn !

Got outbid for it anyway. Bidding frenzy right at the end and I was too much of a skinflint to enter what I was really prepared to pay. My last bid didn't get there in time.

Hope the winner of the Yeoman Sport for £99 is happy with it ! Baragin or what ?!?!
/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
 
It certainly looks a bit suspicous - No connecting leads and no instructions.

I would certainly be a bit woried about it.

You can never tell how many bids will come in within the last minute on ebay.

On it's way to the south west.

Iain
 
The bidding frenzy at the end of the auction period is a bit silly - and does not work in the best interest of the seller. I wish ebay would change the rules so that the auction period was automatically extended for 2 minutes after each bid to stop this.
 
I hope not, it's how I get my bargins - bid with 20 seconds to go; earlier bids just push up the price. Makes for nerve wracking end of auctions though! /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
 
Your suspicions are themselves material. The offence of handling/receiving stolen goods carries the rider "knowing or believing them to be stolen", which has been interpreted as having reasonable suspicion that this might be the case. You could stand the risk, therefore, of not merely having the goods confiscated but of being prosecuted for receiving them. Unlikely, perhaps, but it's another variation on the theme of "if it sounds to good to be true, it probably is".
 
Chatting with a local Constabule about Ebay, his advice was that if you buy on Ebay you are likely to be paying the market rate as it's such a popular place to sell and all done out in the open, and as such would be treated differently to someone buying a plasma screen TV from a bloke in a pub.
Highly unlikely a buyer would be prosecuted, although goods might be taken from them if proven to be stolen ....
 
[ QUOTE ]
I hope not, it's how I get my bargins - bid with 20 seconds to go; earlier bids just push up the price. Makes for nerve wracking end of auctions though! /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

That's how I normally bid. As you say any other bids just put the price up.

I normally put my bid in within the last two seconds.

When I want something I still put in the maximum I am prepared to pay for that item.

Iain
 
This is a cheap time of the year for buying yacht bits on E-bay. A number of Yeoman Sports have sold for under £100 recently. Buy your stuff now before the sun comes out again!
 
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