I see why I might register my bike - in case its lost or stolen. But why would anyone look up a bike in there? Either its not in there - time wasted. Or it is - there goes your sale. Net value: zero or negative.
If you buy stolen property in the US, even if unaware, you must forfeit it when the owner or the police catch up with you. If you're aware, it's illegal.
Better not buy that stolen bike then, huh? Even better, to call the proper owner and relay them the details of the person selling it.
Think as a buyer: if you see a good used bike and the owner is not willing to tell you the serial number, you can be sure that it is not a safe purchase.
Someone looking for a good deal on a used bike? You can likely assume that most of the bikes sold in certain venues are stolen, but that doesn't deter the customers.
You are a responsible adult capable of thinking about things like actions having consequences. You probably are also able to earn disposable income. You probably don't smoke, drink excessively, take whatever drugs your friends take or even have friends that take drugs. You might even turn up to work on time. Not everyone is like you and how you think is quite inconceivable to them.
People in their younger years with a need for independence from their parents are extremely willing to buy stolen bicycles. They would not have the guts to shoplift (or maybe they do), yet, for some reason they think that a stolen bike is okay to buy. They suspect it is stolen but do not ask the questions to ascertain that. Even if it was stolen then they can moralise it okay, e.g. if they didn't buy it then someone else would so therefore it is going to be bought by someone anyway, therefore it might as well be them.
If walking sticks were needed by twenty-somethings then there would be a hot trade in walking sticks. The unfortunate thing for bicycles is that they appeal most highly to those that need them to get about and that exact same demographic is not yet old 'n' wise enough to think properly about it. (Meanwhile walking sticks do not appeal to that demographic.) It is also easy to say that you bought a bike second hand when you know it is stolen. Nobody asks tough questions, e.g. the parents, the friends, the love interests. So it is get-away-able.
I spent some time working in the bike trade as a kid and my bread was buttered with new bike sales. To me I would not buy a stolen bike in a million years, not least because a new bike is actually better value (none of the parts are worn). Coming from that background I always did ask the questions in part because people would get me to fix their bikes, question #1 always would be 'where did you get it?'.
I was always surprised at how friends I trusted and considered to be good friends had no scruples whatsoever when it came to buying a stolen bike. These were people studying proper things at university, with posh accents and well to do parents. Clearly there were those less educated that I tended not to consort with, I am sure they were even more likely to buy a stolen bike without hesitation.
So on one side the bike is 'currency of the street', however, as much as every market needs sellers and buyers, there was also a lot of acceptance by young 'trustworthy' people that buying stolen was okay.
> You are a responsible adult capable of thinking about things like actions having consequences. You probably are also able to earn disposable income. You probably don't smoke, drink excessively, take whatever drugs your friends take or even have friends that take drugs. You might even turn up to work on time.
I'm suspecting you of having bugged my offices and house. You got most of that right other than that I don't drink at all and don't use drugs at all.
Incredible how you could infer any of that from such a short statement.
Here in Santa Cruz where meth and heroin are big issues, bikes are a sort of "currency". Most bikes when stolen are mostly parted out and the scrap metal sold or parts sold -- this is at the low to mid-range. For hire end bikes, they are often collected and shipped out of the city (and often times state/country).
While I do a lot to advocate for registering bikes here in town (a group of volunteers I am part of has registered about 300 bikes), the reality is registering doesn't dissuade anything. Here, it gives the cops a tool in case they do find one of the local tweakers with another persons bike.
Yeah in Santa Cruz a stolen bike lasts about 15 minutes before it's parted out to a stolen frame, stolen wheel set, stolen handlebars, etc. Probably similar in other places.
So while you might get your frame back, you can kiss everything else goodbye. It's better to be smart about where you leave your bike and how you lock it.
In many countries, you can be punished for buying a stolen bike (or any other item). Is this not the case in the US, or do people consider the probability of punishment so low that they don't care?
The chances of getting in trouble for buying a stolen bike are probably lower than the chances of a stolen bike ever being recovered. They're simply not high priority crimes, so there is little to no enforcement.
If someone tries to sell you a poorly maintained, old, high-mileage, multi-owner bike on Craigslist and they are not selling it out of their home, it's stolen.
Better not buy that stolen bike then, huh? Even better, to call the proper owner and relay them the details of the person selling it.