Would you trust Gumtree?

[joanna]

I often see pretty good quality bikes on gumtree, but I'm a bit wary of buying from it. Would you trust the sellers? Do you think any items would be stolen goods? Or am I just being paranoid?!

 

[ColinJ]

I often see pretty good quality bikes on gumtree, but I'm a bit wary of buying from it. Would you trust the sellers? Do you think any items would be stolen goods? Or am I just being paranoid?!

A lot of stolen bikes turn up on Gumtree so no, you are not being paranoid!

If I was buying a used bike from someone I didn't know, I'd ask for proof of purchase. If the vendor was evasive about where the bike came from, I'd call the local police and see if it had been reported stolen.

 

[mightyquin]

Well, Gumtree is nothing more than a classified ad medium, an internet version of the local paper or Loot. Use the same common sense that you'd use replying to a printed classified ad.

I think it's fairly easy to judge is something is genuine or not. I enquired about a bike I saw on Gumtree, seemed a bargain. When I phoned up about it, the seller said he was away, and the bike was no longer at his home but at a mates place. Could have been genuine, but it put me off and I left it.

If someones selling stolen goods they won't want you to know where they live. Pretty handy if you don't know what they look like either and just have a name and mobile number to go on!

So, I wouldn't avoid Gumtree ads, just be cautious.