Bah Humbug

With the money at stake, how would you verify the receipt? With no scruples and thousands of dollars on the line, I could fake a receipt for whatever.

sdmc530

just playing devils advocate here, but if you had a receipt from a shop you could just call....I know this is pretty easily worked around by a good thief but verifying a serial number this way would be pretty easy. My LBS keeps amazing records of its bikes sold.

WhyFi

I'm going to be selling one of my bikes as soon as I get off my butt and list it. I bought it at a local shop and I have the receipts somewhere. If some Schmoe on Craigslist expects me to dig them up or wants me to stand around, twiddling my thumbs, while s/he calls the shop or verifies the s/n, I'll just move on to the next person in line. Ain't nobody got time for that.

Bah Humbug

Yes, but that's a step past what the previous poster suggested. It also proposes the bike shop is still in business and doesn't blow off a non-customer, potentially in another state. It's a tough problem.

There are serial numbers, but those could be copied.

Seattle Forrest

Shortcut around all of this, don't but a used carbon frame from a stranger.

sdmc530

this is probably the correct response after reading in this thread.

Tacoenthusiast

Yeah, if only it was aluminum none of this would have been a problem!

Seattle Forrest

How many alloy counterfeits have you heard of?

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msu2001la

If I were selling a high end bike on Craigslist, I'd have zero problem providing the seller some assurance/documentation proving it isn't stolen or fake. If I didn't have a receipt handy, I'd call the shop where I purchased it ahead of time and ask them if they had a record of it. This doesn't seem that difficult.

WhyFi

Okay, so maybe you've got time for that, but I don't. Besides, my guads and silly cycling cap should be proof enough. I tend to price aggressively, describe accurately and photograph well - I do this because I'd rather have multiple motivated buyers that I can pick and choose from; I'd rather do that than deal with some tire-kicker that's just going to try and negotiate me down, anyway - it's just not worth a headache.

lesterburnham

My thoughts on buying a used bike. If I'm going to buy an expensive used bike, I will insist on getting a pre-purchase inspection performed at the LBS as part of the deal. I've read too many horror stories about people getting burned on used car purchases. I don't see why getting a PPI on a bike is any different.

Tacoenthusiast

​​​​​​It may be less common, but you'd be incorrect to think it doesn't exist. Or that a legit alloy frame might not have knockoff wheels or parts on it.

Seattle Forrest

But if it's damaged that will be more obvious. Which is the real reason I'd avoid carbon bikes of unknown provenance. Anything about fraud is just a bonus.

sdmc530

I have no doubt they are there but I bet its a very small number. Steel probably more so than alum. The money to be made on a fake alloy vs. carbon is too to great. Carbon is where the fake stuff is being used. I would like to see a person find a fake for a Spec Allez or Trek with the fancy hydro molding process of the alum. That would be very difficult to copy without a lot of money spent as opposed to a carbon frame that you can get on ebay from China already.

colnago62

I keep some type of proof of purchase for warranty purposes.

mstateglfr 

Delightful to hear.

My bikes are built from frames and I have email invoices or receipts from varying years ago, i guess I could look those up.
but all my road, gravel, and touring frames are steel and as mentioned- that isnt really an ideal market for this sort of thing since fabrication is more demanding and experienced, in addition to buyers wanting carbon as a material more because...reasons.

If I were asked for proof of purchase on any bikes, I would probably decline since all have been built by me. I'm not interested in looking up a dozen + receipts via email or calling local shops.


I do understand the hesitstion and concern. I have bought many dozens of bikes off Craigslist and perhaps some were stolen at one point in time(many that I buy are decades old to update for me, family, or to sell). I wouldn't buy if the situation seemed odd.
...but I admittedly have the luxury of also not having to arm myself with knowledge and skepticism concerning authenticity since I have never considered a used bike or carbon bike for $2k.

noodle soup

If your bike ever gets stolen, homeowners insurance will definitely want proof of ownership.

sdmc530

this AND depending on where you live if your city has a registration program and that is not done it can muddy things. Here its not required but its free and the pawn shops have to check serial numbers with PD to make sure it was not reported stolen. Nothing stopping another towns pawn shops but here in town they do. You get a little decal that is meant to be placed someplace by the bottom bracket with a PD registration number. The system works. Our PD has some recovery's of some bikes all the time.

Not fool proof or perfect but has had good results.

One example our current mayor is a huge tri-guy and he had a cervelo tt bike stolen at an event. This was a few years back before he was a mayor but shared this story. They tried to pawn it and the system worked. Caught the bad guy got his bike back. This was kind of funny because of the bike value it was a felony and not a petty or class 1/2 theft. LOL......make me laugh.

I know the system isn't perfect and the recovery's are probably way less than the bikes that are stolen and not caught but its something.

mstateglfr 

For sure. Pictures work, per the agent.
I doubt I would use homeowners though, except for maybe a couple of my bikes. It'd be a math exercise in figuring out the cost/benefit of a claim.

noodle soup

My insurance paid $6800, and there was no cost increase

Seattle Forrest

I wouldn't want to ride a carbon bike that had been stolen, can't imagine a thief treating it with the care it deserves.

sdmc530

I would feel the same way about my Argon 18. I am not sure no matter how much I love that bike I would ride it again. I think I would rather move on from it, seems sketchy to me too.