[caveman38]

If you purchase a bike and want to check ownership – can you without original receipt.

I ask as I have picked up a real bargain on ebay and want to run serial number checks etc. before I try to register it myself on BikeRegister (which I use for other bikes). I also want to register it for insurance.

The bike is 5 years old, but appears new (as the listing said) with only minimal mileage. But I would like to take every step I can to check that it is pukka. What checks can I make, please.

Topic

[JeffBrown]

Ask the seller if they have

Ask the seller if they have registered it before, and if they can’t give you a straight answer or proof of regristration, then that sets off a red flag right away to me.  

[matthewn5]

Here’s some basic checks:

Here’s some basic checks:

– Bike Register

– Immobilise.com – older site that people used to use

– Has it been tweeted as stolen by @StolenRide or @StolenBikes_UK on twitter?

– Does the seller have a history for it, or is it very vague?

– Does the listing correctly describe the bike in detail, with notes of any modifications made, or does it just say ‘Giant bike, with gears’ or something like that?

– Is the spelling and grammar correct, or are there spelling mistakes and errors in the advert?

– Background to the photos – is it someone’s home, does it look clean and tidy and looked after, or like a mess, in a generic location that’s not easily identified?

– Is the seller’s town identified on ebay, or does it just say ‘uk’?

– Does the buyer offer collection in person from their home, or do they want to exchange it for cash in a back alley?

If all the above is ok, it’s probably a proper bargain.

[Anonymous]

Depending on the age of the

Depending on the age of the bike, the bike manufacture might have records.

[kwi]

Unless it’s been registered

Unless it’s been registered previously, none.
​I did run a “bargain” through bike register and though it came back not stolen I appreciate it is a very limited check.

[Author]

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