Originally Posted by
livedarklions
It's really stupid from a legal perspective as well. Someone who gets busted selling stolen goods could try to plead their way out of it by setting up buyers for the cops.
If you had serious reason to think that a bike might have been stolen, a quick call to the police department would take care of that. Tell them what it is you're planning to buy and from whom, the make and model and color, and then they'll tell you whether one of those has been reported stolen or they'll give you the all-clear to go ahead and buy the bike.
They'll tell you that most stolen bicycles do not end up brazenly posted on Craigslist or FB Marketplace, but they will thank you for your concern. Then they'll tell you to go ahead and buy the bike.