http://blogs.bicycling.com/blogs/thehub/take-a-bike-out-of-crime
June 10, 2014
Take a Bike out of Crime
Portland, Oregon, advocacy group petitions Craigslist and eBay to require serial numbers for bicycle listings
BY ELSPETH HUYETT
Sure, Craigslist and eBay are great places to score a deal on a used bicycle, but the websites are also huge drivers in the bike-theft trade. Every 30 seconds a bike is stolen in the United States and unregulated online marketplaces are the ideal places to peddle stolen goods.
A Portland, Oregon-based bicycle registration site, 529 Garage, is trying to change that. The company is petitioning the CEOs of Craigslist and eBay, asking the sites to require serial numbers on all bicycle sales. (Add your signature at project529.com.)
“Bike theft in the US is estimated to be over a $350 million business annually in the United States,” said Jason Scott, co-founder of Project 529, in a press release. “Thieves are using sites like Craigslist and eBay as their personal cash machines to easily sell stolen bicycles to unknowing buyers with little risk.”
529 Garage also offers a place for victims of bike theft to post images and serial numbers of their stolen bicycles in hopes that someone may notice them posted online. Don’t know your bike’s serial number? It’s probably hiding in one of these spots:
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Knowing your bike’s serial number will increase your chances of getting it back if it’s stolen. (Image courtesy of Cambridge, Massachusetts Police Department)
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