I got contacted on an item I'm selling online telling me it was stolen..what do I do?

[doodlebug]

Hello,

I hope someone can help me with this. I am selling something online that I purchased from someone who answered my ad on Craigslist. I met with that person and bought the item from them. Now I've been contacted by someone out of state (but still only about 90 miles away) that the item was stolen from them and for me to mail it back to them right away. They said they had pictures proving it is theirs, etc. Well, I'm not just going to mail something I paid $500 for to someone who claims it was stolen. So I ask for pictures telling them if it looked possible the item was theirs I would pull the sale until we could figure out what's going on. They told me on the "advice of council" they would not "share evidence" by showing me any pics and demanded the item be mailed to them again threatening me with criminal charges. I'm not really afraid of that, since I didn't steal it (if it's even stolen at all). Would council seriously tell them not to send pics even though it could prove the property is theirs and settle the whole thing? Should I end the sale on the possiblity it was stolen? Confused!!

 

[bluemann33]

Ignore them. Do you have proof that you bought it? If you bought it then the person you bought it from will be the one in trouble if it was stolen. Does the item have serial numbers that could be traced. I mean if it was something like a vase, they make more than one and a pic means nothing. Good luck.

 

[doodlebug]

Hi and thank you for responding! I did buy it in a public place that is certain to have cameras showing me purchasing the doll. Oh, and it's a doll. It's fairly rare, but not impossible to find. I didn't pay a ridiculously low price for it either, so it set off no "warning bells" with me. I paid a fair market price with enough to make a decent profit on resale. But the doll has no serial numbers. They also said they could name 4 distinguishable characteristics, but with the detailed pics I have on the listing as well as my description, anybody could.

 

[doodlebug]

Oh, also....so this claim that their attorney told them not to send the "supposed" pics to me is probably not true? Thanks again!

 

[mightymoose]

There is likely no attorney involved. If there was you probably would have been contacted by police instead of by the alleged owner.
Ignore it- you would only be in trouble if it could be proven that you knew or should have known that the doll was stolen property when you purchased it and attempted to sell. That doesn't seem to be the case, even though the doll could well be stolen.
Don't reply to this person- just ignore them.

 

[doodlebug]

Thank you! I appreciate your help and that's what I'll do.