Gumtree: bike for sale - advice?

[WildCards]

Is Gumtree still regarded as the thiefs classifieds in terms of bikes or should I view a 'too good to be true' for sale ad i've seen at face value?

[Gazzab]

I think you know the answer...? If the seller can prove the bike is legit eg receipt then its fine otherwise avoid 'bargains'.

[WildCards]

Indeed, although I don't want my cynical nature to cause me to miss out on potentially something decent.

FWIW it's being sold for just shy of £500 and the description is very good, not the typical ad the scrote that's just half inched would write.

[Gooby]

Many thieves do know exactly what they are selling....

[walm]

I bought a bike off gumtree. Genuine seller, he had a receipt and insisted on writing one for me(!).

It seems to me about 50% of the bikes are OBVIOUSLY stolen.
No English in the advert, no mention of the size of the bike. Photo from a website, photo taken outside.
Description just cut and paste from website.
Location East London (sorry it's true)...

If none of the above apply then possibly not stolen.

[WildCards]

walm said:

I bought a bike off gumtree. Genuine seller, he had a receipt and insisted on writing one for me(!).

It seems to me about 50% of the bikes are OBVIOUSLY stolen.
No English in the advert, no mention of the size of the bike. Photo from a website, photo taken outside.
Description just cut and paste from website.
Location East London (sorry it's true)...

If none of the above apply then possibly not stolen.

It contains none of the above, but either way, if the seller can't offer something by way of proof or peace of mind that it isn't pinched then I won't be having it, regardless how much of a deal it seems. So far, i've had no response to my initial contact so it may have already gone.

[Spy]

I bought a bike from gumtree and like you was a little heistant.

The seller seemed to know the bike very well, had a genuine reason for sale, had the original recipt and let me pick it up in person from their house. They also wrote a receipt for me with their details.

All in a good deal.

My advice is don't be put off but judge the seller, see how willing they are for you to buy from their home. Depending on how old the bike is, they may or may not have a receipt. This shouldn't be a showstopper as such. A dodgy seller won't want the police tracing the bike back to their home.