Return of stolen Gazelle bike

Bought my Dutch Gazelle in Berlin in 2005. Was stolen from front of my house last February. Reported to police, stolen bike registry, put up signs, posted on line, scoured flea markets, no luck. Guy with new junk store next to my house rang my bell last night. Told me he had a surprise. Kid came and sold it to him last night for $60. I re-bought it for $60.

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Permalink Reply by Laura on August 3, 2011 at 11:13am

So did he know the bike was yours and he know it was stolen?

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Permalink Reply by Jay Sebastian on August 3, 2011 at 11:15am

Yes, I had told him about it and described it to him previously.

Laura said:

So did he knew the bike was yours and he knew it was stolen?

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Permalink Reply by S.Presley☠ on August 3, 2011 at 11:30am

Great recovery...sounds like you took the right action as soon as it was taken. getting the word out to the right people really helped.

I know the feeling of a stolen bike and it never goes away. I still look closely at bikes for the one that was stolen three years ago. I scour bike racks as I pass...hoping to see the one sticker or modification that would identify my Bike.

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Permalink Reply by Gabe on August 3, 2011 at 12:04pm

description of the seller?

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Permalink Reply by Jay Sebastian on August 3, 2011 at 12:06pm

Description of the guy who sold it back to me or the guy who sold it to the guy who sold it back to me?

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Permalink Reply by Gabe on August 3, 2011 at 12:53pm

the guy that sold it to the store. the issue here is that the store coulda called cpd and recovered the bike with no money exchanging hands. u shouldnt have to have given anyone 60 bux for your bike and the store owner rewarded a bike thief. a description could at least help those of us that assist in recovering stolen bikes know if this is a guy we normally deal with or someone new to watch for.

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Permalink Reply by mark stetson on August 4, 2011 at 12:52am

I'm happy you got your bike back, but have to agree with Gabe. It may amount to a missed opportunity to catch the theif. I'd happily give $60 to get back my stolen bike, so I'm not faulting you. Did you report the recovery to the police? I'm sure it's low on their priorities, but it seems that there is a chance to track the thief down, since he has surfaced with the goods.

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Permalink Reply by Gabe on August 5, 2011 at 8:01am

Well with no replies it's less heartwarming. I'll be sure to add this spot as a place that will happily sell stolen goods but if they know you they'll sell you back your own belongings. My heart is warm.

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Permalink Reply by Jay Sebastian on August 5, 2011 at 10:41am

My heart is warm for getting my lost bike back. All of this more complicated than my simple explanation but I understand and certainly agree with your concerns. I'm not going to call the cops on my neighbor because I just don't need that kind of tension. You are right and I would not recommend him as a good place to buy from.

Gabe said:

Well with no replies it's less heartwarming. I'll be sure to add this spot as a place that will happily sell stolen goods but if they know you they'll sell you back your own belongings. My heart is warm.