# Guitar I was selling turned out to be stolen -- any advice?



## markxander (Oct 24, 2009)

Learned that a ~$1000 guitar I was selling was stolen. The guy that showed up to my door was twice as unpleasant as he was sketchy, but he had photos and a police report (and the serial number and lots of identifiable marks matched). A quick call to Hamilton police (where the report was filed), and I handed the guitar to him and he left.

Pretty sure I know the answer, but do I have any recourse here to get at least some of my money back? I left a message with my insurance company but doubt it will go anywhere. 

I don't think the guy I got it from is the person who stole it (different cities, other reasons). But also I'm not really into doing a super macho vigilante manhunt to figure out who did it.

An appropriate answer to this thread is probably "Yeah I don't think you'll get any money back. Sorry, that sucks"


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## BlueRocker (Jan 5, 2020)

That sucks, but you're probably just as well off to accept it and move on.

I have started running serial numbers at L&M on used guitars, assuming stolen gear often gets reported to them, and also to confirm its not one of their rentals or financed with an outstanding balance.


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

I think if you're clearly not the person who stole it and you obviously don't know it was stolen, the person could have given you $500 and called it a day. Then it's not just you who loses.


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

That sucks. Sadly you really don't have much in the way of options. You are wise to talk to your insurance broker, but your deductible is probably a substantial fraction of the value of the guitar even if it is covered. Best case is maybe some good karma is headed your way.


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## markxander (Oct 24, 2009)

In my real life as a college Prof, I'm teaching two ethics classes this semester. Really felt like a test.


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## BlueRocker (Jan 5, 2020)

markxander said:


> In my real life as a college Prof, I'm teaching two ethics classes this semester. Really felt like a test.


Any chance you sold off any parts from the bad karma guitar?


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

The fact that the dude was rude and ungrateful rubs me the wrong way. Now you're out a guitar, theres absolutely no reason for him to be a dick in a situation where he comes out ahead.

Some people's kids. If hes super sketchy it'll probably get stolen again.

Pro tip: if your stolen gear comes up in a FS ad, get contact info and let them know its your stolen gear.


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## markxander (Oct 24, 2009)

BlueRocker said:


> Any chance you sold off any parts from the bad karma guitar?


I did, but Theseus would say we're in the clear for this one. Sending the purchaser a DM about it this evening just in case though!


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

Sounds to me like he knew who stole it. If he thought it was you, he would have shown up with police escort, or sent the police to pick it up. He should been happier than a pig in shit just to get his guitar back. Something doesn't smell good.


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

Budda said:


> The fact that the dude was rude and ungrateful rubs me the wrong way. Now you're out a guitar, theres absolutely no reason for him to be a dick in a situation where he comes out ahead.
> 
> Some people's kids. If hes super sketchy it'll probably get stolen again.
> 
> Pro tip: if your stolen gear comes up in a FS ad, get contact info and let them know its your stolen gear.


Unless I had the person's address I wouldn't do that. He could just ghost you.


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## tomee2 (Feb 27, 2017)

I've often wondered about this myself. Especially when you buy a guitar and then a day or so later a "wanted" ad for a guitar matching what you bought pops up.
Who so you call to check I'd it is stolen, the police or L&M?


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Guncho said:


> Unless I had the person's address I wouldn't do that. He could just ghost you.


Why not?

If he ghosts you, you get a buddy to message him to buy the item and end up getting it back anyway.


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

Budda said:


> Why not?
> 
> If he ghosts you, you get a buddy to message him to buy the item and end up getting it back anyway.


How do you know he's not going to get jittery about selling a stolen guitar and pull the ad?

If one of my guitars got stolen and I found it on Kijiji. I'm showing up to the person's house with a the cops and not giving him any advance warning.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Guncho said:


> How do you know he's not going to get jittery about selling a stolen guitar and pull the ad?
> 
> If one of my guitars got stolen and I found it on Kijiji. I'm showing up to the person's house with a the cops and not giving him any advance warning.


Nothing is truly gone forever on the internet.

I would opt to not be a douche like the guy in the OP but start out at "reasonable". Doesnt mean it cant escalate (especially if its the thief selling) but patience can be helpful.


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## Guncho (Jun 16, 2015)

Budda said:


> Nothing is truly gone forever on the internet.
> 
> I would opt to not be a douche like the guy in the OP but start out at "reasonable". Doesnt mean it cant escalate (especially if its the thief selling) but patience can be helpful.


I'll let Green Day respond.


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## markxander (Oct 24, 2009)

tomee2 said:


> I've often wondered about this myself. Especially when you buy a guitar and then a day or so later a "wanted" ad for a guitar matching what you bought pops up.
> Who so you call to check I'd it is stolen, the police or L&M?


This is what I've been thinking about too. There's no practical way to find out -- I called Waterloo police first to check the report, and they can't see reports for other cities to check. And I don't think they can look up reports like this based on serial number or type of guitar -- I had to get the police report number from the guy (it was like pulling teeth! He didn't even want to tell me where he had reported it).


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## GuitarT (Nov 23, 2010)

I'd do a super macho vigilante man hunt. But that's just me. 
I had a coworker go through the same thing with a car. He bought it through a used car dealer. The cops showed up at work one afternoon with a tow truck an towed it away. They let him clear all his stuff out first but he had to bum a ride home. He only had the car for about two weeks and the dealer gave him a full refund.


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## GuitarT (Nov 23, 2010)

And just a side note, if he got an insurance settlement when it was stolen it legally belongs to the insurance company, not him.


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## mawmow (Nov 14, 2017)

Your story leaves a sour taste on my tongue !
It is my feared worse nightmare each time I buy a used guitar.

If the guitar was actually stolen (was the police report true and written BEFORE your ad ?), I guess the "owner" had got some money from his insurance, right ? So, he should report to the insurance company he found his guitar and send back the money he got or at least give you some as a "premium" for your help.

Anyway, I would have gone to the police office to make things official : The guy would have to identify himself.


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## Alex (Feb 11, 2006)

markxander said:


> In my real life as a college Prof, I'm teaching two ethics classes this semester. Really felt like a test.


Big difference between the theory and real life huh? Hopefully you did the right thing and file it as a lesson learned. cheers.


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## markxander (Oct 24, 2009)

Not sure what the lesson is -- only buy new guitars?

Really no way I could have known, I bought it here from a trusted forum member and I'm sure it was bought and sold five times before he even got it.


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## Tim Plains (Apr 14, 2009)

Man, that sucks. I don't see how you have any recourse.


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## Alex (Feb 11, 2006)

markxander said:


> Not sure what the lesson is -- only buy new guitars?
> 
> Really no way I could have known, I bought it here from a trusted forum member and I'm sure it was bought and sold five times before he even got it.


If it helps, I've been buying new for the last 10 years. It all boils down to your comfort level and not wanting to deal with matters like you just experienced. Also, your propensity to flip gear will come into play and If you like trying gear as much as I do, set a yearly budget and enjoy the ride. 

4-5 years ago, I made an exception and bought a used high end Les Paul from a trusted seller whom in turn had purchased it from a dealer. I sold it and the collector later claimed that the electronics had been replaced and he was very upset. That was my last straw.


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## Alan Small (Dec 30, 2019)

BlueRocker said:


> That sucks, but you're probably just as well off to accept it and move on.
> 
> I have started running serial numbers at L&M on used guitars, assuming stolen gear often gets reported to them, and also to confirm its not one of their rentals or financed with an outstanding balance.


How do you get confirmation from L and M?


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## BlueRocker (Jan 5, 2020)

I go to the store and ask one of the sales people to check the serial number to see if it has any red flags.


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## Acoustic Tom (Apr 6, 2020)

I think your going to have to take this one on the chin pal. If buddy is as big of a scumbag as stated, he will get what's coming to him. The guitar gods never forget.


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## Stephenlouis (Jun 24, 2019)

markxander said:


> Learned that a ~$1000 guitar I was selling was stolen. The guy that showed up to my door was twice as unpleasant as he was sketchy, but he had photos and a police report (and the serial number and lots of identifiable marks matched). A quick call to Hamilton police (where the report was filed), and I handed the guitar to him and he left.
> 
> Pretty sure I know the answer, but do I have any recourse here to get at least some of my money back? I left a message with my insurance company but doubt it will go anywhere.
> 
> ...


Well it's done, but something in this does not sit right with me. Did you take photo's of his info, name etc.? compare it to his ID and the police report? Im no Judge, but I would be like, well you know I have it, let's trace this thing back as far as we can and we all leave happy.


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## tomee2 (Feb 27, 2017)

Well that's it, from now on I'm buying my used guitars from Japan. 




__





Shop by Category / Les Paul Style - Ishibashi Music Corporation


Les Paul Style




www.ishibashi-music.jp


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## sillyak (Oct 22, 2016)

GuitarT said:


> And just a side note, if he got an insurance settlement when it was stolen it legally belongs to the insurance company, not him.



$1000 guitar. The typical deductible is $1000, I know I wouldn't use insurance for that sort of loss.


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## Stephenlouis (Jun 24, 2019)

tomee2 said:


> Well that's it, from now on I'm buying my used guitars from Japan.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I do this a lot for my classicals, but no electrics yet, over priced there.


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## tomee2 (Feb 27, 2017)

Stephenlouis said:


> I do this a lot for my classicals, but no electrics yet, over priced there.


I was sort of half joking...no one's coming to my door claiming it was stolen, from Japan, right? But I see now that some Les Pauls seem to be cheaper there, even with shipping and taxes. The MIJ LPs are definitely cheaper there, it seems. Hmmmm.. ideas...


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## LIX (Jun 10, 2009)

Just putting this out there but maybe the dude seemed scetchy because of the situation. I know id feel pretty weird about going to a strangers house and trying to convince them they were in possesion of my stolen property. Nerves make the best of us seem weird or scetchy. Hats off to the op for being a stand up dude though. I think good karma coming your way is probably the most realistic outcome, although unfair to you.


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## markxander (Oct 24, 2009)

LIX said:


> Just putting this out there but maybe the dude seemed scetchy because of the situation. I know id feel pretty weird about going to a strangers house and trying to convince them they were in possesion of my stolen property. Nerves make the best of us seem weird or scetchy. Hats off to the op for being a stand up dude though. I think good karma coming your way is probably the most realistic outcome, although unfair to you.


Yeah I hope I was clear enough about that -- he was behaving in a super sketchy way because he was trying to get his guitar back from someone on Kijiji.

That said, the whole time he was extremely uncooperative and confrontational and unpleasant. Even when he had it in his hands he was rude and aggro. 

You want to feel good for the guy getting his guitar back! From the other side this is a feel good story.


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## LIX (Jun 10, 2009)

markxander said:


> Yeah I hope I was clear enough about that -- he was behaving in a super sketchy way because he was trying to get his guitar back from someone on Kijiji.
> 
> That said, the whole time he was extremely uncooperative and confrontational and unpleasant. Even when he had it in his hands he was rude and aggro.
> 
> You want to feel good for the guy getting his guitar back! From the other side this is a feel good story.



Ya fair enough no need for an agro attitude on his part if you were being cooperative. Thats not cool.

Well i wish you the best man.


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## Frenchy99 (Oct 15, 2016)

The guy could of given you something to get his guitar back so easily... you should not be the only one to lose in this whole story, he is very lucky to get it back !

Good on you.

You sir, have my respect !


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

I'm sorry to read about your misfortune. 
Like @Frenchy99, I respect and admire you. 
I hope good karma follows you specifically with regards to finding a wonderful new "humbucker guitar".


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## fmjohns (Aug 21, 2020)

If the object was reported stolen, police are obligated to add the serial number to CPIC. While that system is typically reserved solely for police, there is a public version where you can run serial numbers of objects to ensure they’re not stolen. 






Search Vehicles and Property


Canadian Police Information Centre where the public can search the CPIC database to see if a motor vehicle or bicycle has been reported stolen. Law enforcement partners can register to access more detailed documentation and reports based on information in the CPIC database.




app.cpic-cipc.ca





It’s always worth a check for any object you’re looking to purchase. If it comes back with a hit, stay far far away (and notify police of location of the stolen object). 

Hope this helps. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## DeegzARG (Aug 4, 2017)

Really unfortunate for the OP. I think if I were in this situation as the OP I would call the police before handing it over. If anything, they can hold onto it while everything gets resolved. If you end up losing at least you know it went to the right person. There may be a chance that everything was planned for them to end up with money and a guitar.

Of course always be careful in these situations, you never know what the persons intentions are or if the have any weapons on them. Getting the police involved is probably the best way to go.

All the best to OP


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## butterknucket (Feb 5, 2006)

I would have told him to come back with the police, but that's just me.


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

butterknucket said:


> I would have told him to come back with the police, but that's just me.


Nope, not just you. Guy with that attitude can come back with or send the cops. I have exactly zero time for agro at my place.


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## Eric Reesor (Jan 26, 2020)

Just take up playing classical guitar only or only cheap knockoff electrics. Brand name electric guitars like real Strats and LP's are a royal pita because they are becoming far too overvalued and huge target for thieves and scams IMO.

There is a reason why L&M leaves the resale and trade in market to small shops and custom makers that they have yet to absorb or put out of business. They make their profits with huge markups by being the Walmart of music who can demand discounts that their competitors can never receive from makers and distributors.

With the volumes of sales of Fenders, Martins, Gibsons, Taylors and countless other guitars which can be every bit as good as high as it is: there is a glut of them on the market and the prices of newer used brand name guitars is about to tank because of the glut. Like cars they drop like a rock as soon as you drive them out of the dealership.

Good custom hand made guitars built by luthiers are a completely different story. They will hold their value precisely because they are bought by people who care more about the sound than the brand. Harder sell yes but...


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## Powdered Toast Man (Apr 6, 2006)

So basically that guy got his guitar back and now you're the one who had their guitar stolen (because you bought it from someone else and now you don't have your money or the guitar). 

And to anyone who thinks the police will do ANYTHING at all to help you go get your stolen guitar back you're sadly mistaken. The police have no time for property crime. There was one time here in Winnipeg where someone tracked down their stolen car and found it parked in front of the thief's house. They called the cops and the police told then absolutely not to try and get their car back, but there was also no way they were sending a unit out there.


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## Always12AM (Sep 2, 2018)

You are owed $1000.
I can’t rightfully abide by you losing that.
Weigh out your options and make the decision that makes the most sense to you.

I won’t delve into what I think I would do, because in all honesty, I have personal issues with anger and would throw my life away in a street fight over a parking spot at Costco.


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

Maybe everyone who's handled that guitar since it was stolen, needs to cough up a couple hundred bucks and send it your direction?


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

Always12AM said:


> You are owed $1000.
> I can’t rightfully abide by you losing that.
> Weigh out your options and make the decision that makes the most sense to you.
> 
> I won’t delve into what I think I would do, because in all honesty, I have personal issues with anger and would throw my life away in a street fight over a parking spot at Costco.


Costco parking spots are too nice not to defend to the death.


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## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

Can't you trace it back to who started this whole thing? You said you bought it from someone here at GC. Where or who did he buy it from? Unless he bought it off the street from some stranger and he paid in cash, isn't there always a way to find out who bought from whom? Or I'm being naive in here. If I trust the seller and he says 'too bad dude, I guess we've all been had', shouldn't that person since he is the one who sold it to you have some responsibility to at least find out how this thing got to you. He is the guy who has your money so shouldn't you be going after him for selling you stolen property?


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## markxander (Oct 24, 2009)

I am working with the GC member I bought it from (again, I was confident from the beginning that he had nothing to do with it) to trace some of the guitar's past ownership. Not going to mention who it is other than to say he's a good guy and he's feeling similarly burned by the situation.

We'll see where it goes, but I think the safe bet in situations like this is someone loses out. It could be worse -- it could be my only guitar, or I could be a high school kid or something!


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## butterknucket (Feb 5, 2006)

Eric Reesor said:


> There is a reason why L&M leaves the resale and trade in market to small shops and custom makers that they have yet to absorb or put out of business. They make their profits with huge markups by being the Walmart of music who can demand discounts that their competitors can never receive from makers and distributors.


I would disagree with that. Yes, you get more money from private sales, but sometimes the lower trade in price when selling or trading in to L&M is a better option to avoid headaches and BS. I've always found selling to L&M to be painless, and it's quick and final. This is especially true when upgrading studio gear, especially if you bought it from them. Right before Covid, I was planning on selling some studio monitors, and it was going to be easier to sell them back to L&M than having strangers come to my house for a listening session. I'm not having any of that. I'd rather trade in to upgrade or just sell them back to the store outright and be done with it.


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## 2manyGuitars (Jul 6, 2009)

GuitarT said:


> And just a side note, if he got an insurance settlement when it was stolen it legally belongs to the insurance company, not him.





mawmow said:


> If the guitar was actually stolen (was the police report true and written BEFORE your ad ?), I guess the "owner" had got some money from his insurance, right ? So, he should report to the insurance company he found his guitar and send back the money he got or at least give you some as a "premium" for your help.
> 
> Anyway, I would have gone to the police office to make things official : The guy would have to identify himself.


Was reading through the whole thread first before posting the same thing.

If he went to the trouble of filing a police report, there’s at least a chance he may have gotten an insurance payout. As far as “maybe his deductible was $1000 so he didn’t bother”? Well, maybe he had 10 grand worth of stuff stolen and got $9000.

All I know is that I would have said “you have my info, I’m pulling the ad, and we can talk to the police first thing tomorrow and figure out how to proceed”. In the meantime, the guitar isn’t going anywhere. If he has an issue with that, tell him he’s free to go sit in his car out front and call the cops.


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## 2manyGuitars (Jul 6, 2009)

And for those who ask “Why do people make a big deal about not posting their serial number?”...

_[gestures at everything]_


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## Guitar101 (Jan 19, 2011)

I'm curious to know how he knew where you lived. Someone showing up at some peoples door demanding their supposedly stolen guitar back could go terribly wrong. For that reason, getting a home address should be much more difficult.


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

what was that game we used to play as kids? wasn't it called "Hot Potato"?

I don't know what made me think of that......


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## Okay Player (May 24, 2020)

2manyGuitars said:


> And for those who ask “Why do people make a big deal about not posting their serial number?”...
> 
> _[gestures at everything]_


Like most things that cuts both ways. Back when Fender had the easy to use serial number lookup I saw Fender's go up on the Ottawa Kijiji that the serial number revealed to be either parts casters being passed off as full guitars or outright forgeries.


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## Fred Gifford (Sep 2, 2019)

butterknucket said:


> I would have told him to come back with the police, but that's just me.


yep, I would have gladly handed it over with the Police there, but some irate, hostile clown shows up at the door and demands that you hand the guitar over now ??? I don't think so .. come back with the Police son .... go away


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

Sorry to the OP. But like a couple of others have mentioned, something doesn't smell right about this. No way you should've given that guitar to him on those pretense's. Did this guy just show up to your door from a Kijiji ad, or did you have previous communication with him? I'm going to assume you didn't just put your address on Kijiji. Did he communicate through Kijiji first? You have any info on the guy that showed up?


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## tomee2 (Feb 27, 2017)

Okay Player said:


> Like most things that cuts both ways. Back when Fender had the easy to use serial number lookup I saw Fender's go up on the Ottawa Kijiji that the serial number revealed to be either parts casters being passed off as full guitars or outright forgeries.


A few years ago I spent a few evenings entering Fender serial numbers from a bunch of 90s Fenders on reverb and ebay, just because I was curious. Most were right, but about 1 in 20 were the wrong guitar, as in a Strat SN came up as a Jazz Bass or a Tele, or a Tele as a Strat. I figure that early on the DB was entered manually with lots of mistakes.


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

I would have told the guy where to go and wait for the cops. If the cops say hand it over, no problem, but until then... good luck with that


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

markxander said:


> Not sure what the lesson is -- only buy new guitars?
> 
> Really no way I could have known, I bought it here from a trusted forum member and I'm sure it was bought and sold five times before he even got it.


Nah, just don't sell them.


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## Tim Plains (Apr 14, 2009)

Lotto MAX is $40M this Tuesday. Maybe this misfortune can turn around. (I deserve $5M for the suggestion if you win  )



Eric Reesor said:


> There is a reason why L&M leaves the resale and trade in market to small shops


Not sure where you live but L&Ms around me often have a good used selection, and they pay up to 80% for your guitar if you buy something else, so they want your trade in. Make good profit on the new model they sold you plus 20% more on your used guitar. Win-win for them.


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

If you wait for the cops then they can charge you with possession of stolen property and selling stolen property.

Is the guy the OP bought it from here refunding the $1000? He should, and a small claims case would definitely be decided in the OP's favour.


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## GuitarT (Nov 23, 2010)

2manyGuitars said:


> Was reading through the whole thread first before posting the same thing.
> 
> If he went to the trouble of filing a police report, there’s at least a chance he may have gotten an insurance payout. As far as “maybe his deductible was $1000 so he didn’t bother”? Well, maybe he had 10 grand worth of stuff stolen and got $9000.
> 
> All I know is that I would have said “you have my info, I’m pulling the ad, and we can talk to the police first thing tomorrow and figure out how to proceed”. In the meantime, the guitar isn’t going anywhere. If he has an issue with that, tell him he’s free to go sit in his car out front and call the cops.


This. There's no way I would have handed it over without the police being involved. At the very least they need to update their report to reflect the fact that the stolen property has been recovered. They would then notify insurance providing there was any claim made. In the end the result would have probably been the same, he'd get his guitar back and you'd be left high and dry. There's not much they would do other than take a report from you and maybe advise you of your options.


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## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

Alex said:


> If it helps, I've been buying new for the last 10 years. It all boils down to your comfort level and not wanting to deal with matters like you just experienced. Also, your propensity to flip gear will come into play and If you like trying gear as much as I do, set a yearly budget and enjoy the ride.
> 
> 4-5 years ago, I made an exception and bought a used high end Les Paul from a trusted seller whom in turn had purchased it from a dealer. I sold it and the collector later claimed that the electronics had been replaced and he was very upset. That was my last straw.


What did you end up doing?


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## fmjohns (Aug 21, 2020)

player99 said:


> If you wait for the cops then they can charge you with possession of stolen property and selling stolen property.
> 
> Is the guy the OP bought it from here refunding the $1000? He should, and a small claims case would definitely be decided in the OP's favour.


Not true. You won’t be charged for possession of stolen property if you had an honest belief the item was legitimately purchased. You’ll no doubt have it seized, but you won’t find yourself criminally charged. 

The Crown has to satisfy the Mens Rea component of the offence. If you have an honest belief the item was purchased legally, there’s no intent. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Eric Reesor (Jan 26, 2020)

butterknucket said:


> I would disagree with that. Yes, you get more money from private sales, but sometimes the lower trade in price when selling or trading in to L&M is a better option to avoid headaches and BS. I've always found selling to L&M to be painless, and it's quick and final. This is especially true when upgrading studio gear, especially if you bought it from them. Right before Covid, I was planning on selling some studio monitors, and it was going to be easier to sell them back to L&M than having strangers come to my house for a listening session. I'm not having any of that. I'd rather trade in to upgrade or just sell them back to the store outright and be done with it.


Interesting, Here in Victoria they are not any where as resale oriented with high end instruments, Tom Lee does some resale of high end guitars but the only used gear you see in L&M in this town is returns and off rental stuff.
Maybe they ship high end trade ins like say a decent old Martin or refurbished Gibson L5 carved top or high end Gibson mando that can fetch big bucks to other locals or sell them out of country to other stores in places like Nashville and the like for all I know.

When they absorbed Ward and degraded the sales of classical guitars, orchestral instruments and sheet music to a side show, put every other decent business on a footing of having to compete with a juggernaut that undercuts everyone in the business: I found that going there was no different than shopping at Canadian Tire for sheet music and guitars. With the exception of buying things like recording gear I have no use for them.

Discovering the origins of a great used instrument from them is a useless proposition IMO. They don't know the history of the musicians instruments the way that great music stores did. They wouldn't know the differences between a Torres and a Ramirez the First if it bit them in the arse! Or the differences between the generations of different great steel string guitars for that matter.

Enough of a rant and I feel for the OP because having to deal with some jerk that can't say thank you for your honesty is frustrating if you are on the receiving end of the shit stick to say the least. Especially if you have questions about stolen property that cannot be traced back in ownership.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Well, I think all you can do is advise the police of where you obtained the stolen guitar and hope they investigate (which they almost definitely will not).

Sorry you got burned.


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## StevieMac (Mar 4, 2006)

Not sure what I would have done in this case if I were in the OP's shoes. I certainly do feel for him though. My gut feeling is that, with the evidence presented by the person claiming to be the "owner", I likely would have insisted on involving the police. I don't imagine I would have willingly handed it over to him though, _especially_ if they were aggressive about the whole thing. I suspect the police told this fellow: A) they would not recover it and B) NOT to do precisely what he did i.e. show up unannounced and demand it back. He's fortunate he didn't get the shit beat out of him by someone far less tolerant actually. 

I might have taken it to the police, reported the situation to them (including this person's unwelcome visit), and asked them to sort the entire issue out with him. At least there'd be a chance of determining whether he had also made an insurance claim, thereby returning the instrument to it's _rightful_ owner (the insurer). That would have been sweet justice actually, had it ultimately played out that way.


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

markxander said:


> *Not sure what the lesson is -- only buy new guitars?*


Thats pretty much what I do. I have 5 main guitars. 4 of them were bought brand new from a reputable dealer. The one used guitar I purchased was bought from a very reputable dealer (Folkway music in Kitchener) that sold it to the original purchaser and got it back in a trade. I've never been involved in a deal on Kijiji or anywhere else for a used guitar, except for once when I bought a used masterbuilt nocaster from a very well known forum member here. 
I hardly buy anything used except for amps on occasion.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

StevieMac said:


> Not sure what I would have done in this case if I were in the OP's shoes. I certainly do feel for him though. My gut feeling is that, with the evidence presented by the person claiming to be the "owner", I likely would have insisted on involving the police. I don't imagine I would have willingly handed it over to him though, _especially_ if they were aggressive about the whole thing. I suspect the police told this fellow: A) they would not recover it and B) NOT to do precisely what he did i.e. show up unannounced and demand it back. He's fortunate he didn't get the shit beat out of him by someone far less tolerant actually.
> 
> I might have taken it to the police, reported the situation to them (including this person's unwelcome visit), and asked them to sort the entire issue out with him. At least there'd be a chance of determining whether he had also made an insurance claim, thereby returning the instrument to it's _rightful_ owner (the insurer). That would have been sweet justice actually, had it ultimately played out that way.


While I empathize with the OP here, it's also possible that the owner of the guitar might have become violent and "beat the shit out of" the OP.

When someone gets ripped off they can often act in ways that they normally would not.

The point is that although the "agro" owner should have behaved more calmly and that would have (in this case) yielded a positive result for him, it's a bit unrealistic to expect him to be overly friendly.

As far as he knows, he's confronting the thief (not true, but from his perspective??).

It's a dangerous situation for everyone really.


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

If someone showed up to my door claiming he owns the guitar I'm selling and it was stolen and he wants it. That would be a hard no. Some guy shows up with a bunch of pictures and claims with out proof its stolen. Sounds like a scam. I for sure would have waited for the cops.
many years ago there I suffered a break-in. Some of my wife's jewelry was tracked down to a local pawn shop. The cops said if we wanted it back we had to pay the pawnshop for it. So its unlikely they'd charge the OP if it was infact stolen. 
The alleged owner would have to show me a valid police report to show it was stolen or some form of hard evidence. I don't even know how a cop would order the item returned with out hard evidence other than just because the guy says so. 
Thats like if I saw a guitar being sold here that I had sold some years ago. I've got pics of me playing it and pics of it in my house, so I show up to the guys house and say it was stolen and demand it back. If the guy says bring the police I walk away. If he hands it over I just scammed him.


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## StevieMac (Mar 4, 2006)

Milkman said:


> While I empathize with the OP here, it's also possible that the owner of the guitar might have become violent and "beat the shit out of" the OP. It's a dangerous situation for everyone really.


Which is _exactly_ why involving the police directly in this matter was advisable. I doubt they'd have supported buddy's decision to: A) leave his place for a non-essential reason; B) to present himself _unsolicited_ to someone who is clearly outside his "household bubble". Under current circumstances, I doubt I'd open the door to anyone I didn't immediately recognize and I certainly wouldn't hesitate to call the police if buddy "turned aggro" while on my property. Dude overstepped in a MAJOR way.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

StevieMac said:


> Which is _exactly_ why involving the police directly in this matter was advisable. I doubt they'd have supported buddy's decision to: A) leave his place for a non-essential reason; B) to present himself _unsolicited_ to someone who is clearly outside his "household bubble". At present, I wouldn't open the door to anyone I didn't immediately recognize but also wouldn't hesitate to call the police if he didn't leave my property at once. Dude overstepped in a MAJOR way.


True enough. The pandemic presents a whole new set of dos and don'ts of course.

I guess I'm just trying to remind us that the wronged party is still the guy who showed up at the door. I'd say he could have handled it much better.

In much the same sense, if someone harmed one of your children, the right thing to do is call the cops and deal with it in the legal way.

Still, I can't guarantee I wouldn't show up at that guy's door.

When people commit crimes there are ripples. Not everyone will play by the rules when the rules have been broken against them.

I'm in no way implying or inferring that the OP did anything wrong.

I think it could happen to any of us.


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## Frenchy99 (Oct 15, 2016)

After thinking about it since reading the post and going with my temperament. I would have called the Police from the get go.

The worst thing about it is that some of us might have stolen gear in our possession. I certainly might! I bought stuff from some very shady character's in the last 35 years. Who knows where the gear came from...


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## StevieMac (Mar 4, 2006)

I guess I'm still a bit curious about the response from the member here who unwittingly sold it to the OP. I'm not certain what I'd do following such a revelation however, for context, I recently _bought back an amp _here after discovering I had previously misidentified the exact model. That was after more than a year had passed _and_ several other folks here had been owners since. But maybe that's just me.


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## BlueRocker (Jan 5, 2020)

If I'd sold the guitar to Mark I wouldn't be sitting out there anonymously.


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

Milkman said:


> True enough. The pandemic presents a whole new set of dos and don'ts of course.
> 
> I guess I'm just trying to remind us that the wronged party is still the guy who showed up at the door. I'd say he could have handled it much better.
> 
> ...


I'd like to politely suggest that it's a big assumption that thae guy showing up at the door is the wronged party. Just because he said so?


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## loudtubeamps (Feb 2, 2012)

Correct me If I’m wrong but didn’t the op state that he had called the Hamilton police before handing the guitar over?


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Dorian2 said:


> I'd like to politely suggest that it's a big assumption that thae guy showing up at the door is the wronged party. Just because he said so?


I suppose that's true, but then again, we're taking all parties at their words here, including the OP, no?


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

Milkman said:


> I suppose that's true, but then again, we're taking all parties at their words here, including the OP, no?


For sure. Only thing that I question is some guy "showing up at the door" with pics, serial and police report. Maybe the OP just left out the details, but the way it reads leaves me wanting more info on how the guy happened to show up to the door is all. Probably just some missing info though.


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## BlueRocker (Jan 5, 2020)

Dorian2 said:


> For sure. Only thing that I question is some guy "showing up at the door" with pics, serial and police report. Maybe the OP just left out the details, but the way it reads leaves me wanting more info on how the guy happened to show up to the door is all. Probably just some missing info though.


I assume he saw the serial number on a Kijiji ad and made arrangements to inspect or purchase, obviously without disclosing his intent. Could happen to anyone.


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## StevieMac (Mar 4, 2006)

BlueRocker said:


> I assume he saw the serial number on a Kijiji ad and made arrangements to inspect or purchase, obviously without disclosing his intent. Could happen to anyone.


Precisely why I never meet randos at my home.


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

BlueRocker said:


> I assume he saw the serial number on a Kijiji ad and made arrangements to inspect or purchase, obviously without disclosing his intent. Could happen to anyone.


Sounds like a dangerous assumption for either party. I'll tell you what though. If someone came to my house after I'd chatted or messaged on the phone and given my address to them without telling me their intent, right in the middle of a pandemic, shit would hit the fan one way or another.


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## tdotrob (Feb 24, 2019)

I had a friend go through this with a 70’s Les Paul that was stolen years before. He had all the same info as the guy in this story, police report, serial, pics etc.

He actually saw it listed multiple times as it made the rounds and everytime he tried to get the police involved to get it back it was gone by the time the police agreed to try and help and the police couldn’t do anything.

Finally, he saw it listed and tried to make arrangements to see it and view it but it was sold by the time he was able to contact seller. Luckily the seller gave him just enough info on the buyer and he was able to track the guitar down to a show the buyer was playing and when he got there the guy was on stage w it.
He called the police and waited and waited and waited but guess what? No one came and the band was loading their gear out. He went to the buyer just after the show and explained and showed him his report and pics and serial and everything. The guy agreed to give it back.

Honestly, what are you gonna do w it? Keep it? Relist it? Ever had a guitar stolen? You’d want that guitar back too.

OP did the right thing, guy had all the proof it was his and it was stolen. Hand that guitar over to him, know you did the right thing and believe if it was you on the other side you’d want it back after jumping through hoops for how long.

OP even said it had changed hands how many times? Poor guy was probably trying to track it down for how long. I’d be pissed too. How the F does he know it wasn’t the OP that stole it in the first place?


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## Distortion (Sep 16, 2015)

I would not have gave it up . He would need the police to get it off me.


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## Guitar101 (Jan 19, 2011)

The only question here to me is "How did he get the OP's home address". This would never have happened if the dude at the door claiming it was his guitar never had his address. It's also a lesson well learned to never give your home address to someone you don't know. As a few have said here, if your buying or selling something and you don't know the buyer or seller, meet at a place with people around. It would be a lot safer.


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## markxander (Oct 24, 2009)

OP here, I abandoned this thread for a little while because it's a bummer. A handful of questions keep coming up that I might as well answer. 

First of all I gave the guy my address for a porch pickup. I don't usually ever do Kijiji stuff at home, but I was overeager to sell the guitar since I had something in mind to purchase. I had been talking to the "buyer" for over a week via email and text and felt comfortable (obviously my mistake). I think that's the biggest lesson for me is to stop trying to get "too cute" with gear stuff. 

Also, the member I got it from is actively helping me out in a very generous and unexpected way -- I just don't really want to name him and get him publicly involved so I haven't mentioned his name. Maybe in a few weeks or months we'll have some good news.

Not sure if I'm missing any of the big questions.

I've had a couple days to live with what happened, trying to pull some lessons from it. First of all, I'm grateful that he wasn't violent because I don't have it in me. I'm not sure how much how uncomfortable I was plays into how I perceived his mood. I could be really generous and say he was just rude, or really cautious and say he was aggressive. 

I also believe I got the police involved exactly as much as I ever would -- I called right away to verify the police report and asked the officer on the phone for advice on how to handle the situation. The "buyer" repeatedly threatened to "call the cops" like they were just going to show up and put some violent pressure on me. I don't think that's the way to go, and I would never want to be that guy. The police are really useful at giving out traffic tickets, but I don't think they're really the best arbiter of moral authority in this or any situation. 

It sucks. I'm still looking for a new guitar, which is a lot of fun.


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

markxander said:


> OP here, I abandoned this thread for a little while because it's a bummer. A handful of questions keep coming up that I might as well answer.
> 
> First of all I gave the guy my address for a porch pickup. I don't usually ever do Kijiji stuff at home, but I was overeager to sell the guitar since I had something in mind to purchase. I had been talking to the "buyer" for over a week via email and text and felt comfortable (obviously my mistake). I think that's the biggest lesson for me is to stop trying to get "too cute" with gear stuff.
> 
> ...


I hope the guy you bought it from is handing you the cash you paid, and then he can chase down the guy he bought it from, not you having to chase down the guy HE bought it from. Otherwise he isn't being all that nice.

If you took him to small claims court for your loss it is a 100% win in your favour.


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## 2manyGuitars (Jul 6, 2009)

markxander said:


> I called right away to verify the police report and asked the officer on the phone for advice on how to handle the situation.


Out of curiosity, what did they say to do?


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## markxander (Oct 24, 2009)

The Hamilton officer on the phone said just hand it over. He said I could open my own report with new information about who I bought it from and they could try to track down who stole it. He also said in no uncertain terms that they never actually solve these and I probably shouldn't bother.

Something I learned is you have to call the PD where the report was filed to find out anything about it. Since I live in KW I called Waterloo Regional Police first -- they can't see the report and couldn't even tell me where it was from. I had to find out where the guy filed his report, which he was predictably cagey about telling me, and call that PD instead. 

Another thing I've learned as I'm doing some follow up is that you need to file an FOIA request to get a copy of a police report. I had to mail a $5 cheque and a request form to Hamilton PD and I may or may not get a copy in the next 90 days.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

They sure don't make it easy to do the right thing.

@OP in my opinion you're handling a shitty situation in a decent way.

Theft can often have more than just the initial victim.

And you're right, the cops will not bother investigating it even if you give them an almost certain path to the thief.

I suppose there are reasons for that which I may be unaware of, but it's a fact.

I guess all we can do is to never knowingly buy stolen goods or support that market and hope we don't end up with a stolen item.


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## StevieMac (Mar 4, 2006)

@markxander : In case it wasn't made clear earlier, you are the ONE person in this entire situation who has conducted themselves beyond reproach. I cannot say the same for the irate previous owner, the police, or anyone else who's since discovered their involvement in the sale of this stolen good. Your willingness to step up demonstrates what an honorable person you truly are.


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

@markxander , thanks for those clarifications. Sorry for what you've had to go through. If the guy you gave the guitar back to you is indeed the original owner and was acting that way because he thought you were the thief, he owes you a big ass apology IMO. Hope you get the new item you're looking for in lieu of the unfortunate loss.


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## tdotrob (Feb 24, 2019)

Wait what? The guy who had his guitar stolen owes someone who may or not be the theif(obviously we know he isn’t) an apology for aggressively trying to get his stolen property back?

That makes a tonne of sense. If it was your guitar stolen and you saw a for sale ad for it would you just assume and believe the person in possession isn’t the thief?


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## Jaime (Mar 29, 2020)

StevieMac said:


> @markxander : In case it wasn't made clear earlier, you are the ONE person in this entire situation who has conducted themselves beyond reproach. I cannot say the same for the irate previous owner, the police, or anyone else who's since discovered their involvement in the sale of this stolen good. Your willingness to step up demonstrates what an honorable person you truly are.


Agreed. There is absolutely 0 chance I would've handled the situation as well. I'm not an aggressive person, but I don't handle aggressive people very well and have limited capabilities to absorb it before reacting the same dumb way, which I hate. Seriously, the situation sucks but if more people were capable of handling issues in such a way it might be a little less shitty out there.




tdotrob said:


> Wait what? The guy who had his guitar stolen owes someone who may or not be the theif(obviously we know he isn’t) an apology for aggressively trying to get his stolen property back?
> 
> That makes a tonne of sense. If it was your guitar stolen and you saw a for sale ad for it would you just assume and believe the person in possession isn’t the thief?


I know what you're saying, but in a case where the person in possession of said guitar is handing it over to you and is clearly being cooperative and has evidence of purchasing it from another person, etc then yeah, the dude should be a little more civil.


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## StevieMac (Mar 4, 2006)

tdotrob said:


> If it was your guitar stolen and you saw a for sale ad for it would you just assume and believe the person in possession isn’t the thief?


That depends on a number of considerations including: how long ago the theft occurred, perhaps where it's now located, the person selling it, the manner in which it's presented for sale, etc. The short answer then is, yes, it's entirely reasonable to conceive that the person selling is _not_ the thief.


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## tdotrob (Feb 24, 2019)

Jaime said:


> Agreed. There is absolutely 0 chance I would've handled the situation as well. I'm not an aggressive person, but I don't handle aggressive people very well and have limited capabilities to absorb it before reacting the same dumb way, which I hate. Seriously, the situation sucks but if more people were capable of handling issues in such a way it might be a little less shitty out there.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I understand that as well. I do agree I probably would’ve been on guard at first and a little aggressive in retrieving my stolen property and probably would’ve eased off as soon as I saw he was willing to co-operate. That said I can’t say I would’ve ever believed the op wasn’t the thief and may have just been trying to save his ass from being in trouble. Hard to say until it happens to us but if it was me in OP position I would’ve just been glad it wasn’t worse and not expect anything different from the man recovering his stolen property.


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## Frenchy99 (Oct 15, 2016)

I for one agree that the OP did everything he was capable of doing.

what I find weird is that the person who got his guitar stolen was in communication with the OP for 1 week and did not show up with the police ???

If you saw your stolen guitar for sale, would you not call the cops ???

Hell, he even manipulated the situation to get the address where it was . Would you not call the cops there again ???

Are cops even good for anything here?
is it a waste of time to get them involved?
would they get involve ?
was the person who got his guitar stolen advised by the police to handle it himself ?

How would any of this suppose to go Procedure way with the Police ?

Any police officer in the group ?


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## 2manyGuitars (Jul 6, 2009)

Frenchy99 said:


> I for one agree that the OP did everything he was capable of doing.
> 
> what I find weird is that the person who got his guitar stolen was in communication with the OP for 1 week and did not show up with the police ???
> 
> ...


Why didn’t he show up with the police? Because generally, the police won’t “make house calls” with private citizens to get back property. What they WILL do is take a police report of the theft (which they did) and any additional info you might later find. For example, “I believe I know where my item is”.

Even if I phone them and tell them I know who has my item, there’s a process that needs to be followed. They can’t just show up at someone’s house to seize property. They need to investigate and if there’s sufficient evidence, they can seek a warrant to look for and recover property.

He probably called and they said thanks for the info, we’ll add it to the file and when we have time, we’ll look into it. Well, he didn’t like that answer and decided to take care of it himself. Something that the police would have STRONGLY suggested he not do.

And BTW, part of that investigation may involve seeing if there was an insurance payout in which case, the item is returned to the rightful owner... the insurance company.

I would have been polite but firm and told him that we can take it up with the police, but the guitar isn’t going anywhere that day unless I was handing it directly to a cop AND getting a receipt.


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## Paul M (Mar 27, 2015)

Property crime is weird sometimes. Cops will get involved in the theft of a $500 car, but will have little to no interest in pursuing a $5,000 guitar or a $15,000 bicycle. 

I'm pretty sure if we all paid enough taxes to hire enough cops to investigate all the property crime we probably wouldn't have enough money left to buy any property.


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## tdotrob (Feb 24, 2019)

2manyGuitars said:


> Why didn’t he show up with the police? Because generally, the police won’t “make house calls” with private citizens to get back property. What they WILL do is take a police report of the theft (which they did) and any additional info you might later find. For example, “I believe I know where my item is”.
> 
> Even if I phone them and tell them I know who has my item, there’s a process that needs to be followed. They can’t just show up at someone’s house to seize property. They need to investigate and if there’s sufficient evidence, they can seek a warrant to look for and recover property.
> 
> ...


Man just knowing the guy had his guitar stolen Id gladly hand it over if he had sufficient proof it was stolen from him. I wouldn’t hesitate to reunite a guitar owner with his stolen axe.

Guaranteed if this thread was reverse where OP found his stolen guitar and went to the new owners house and the guy refused to give it back even after being presented with enough to verify everyone here would be calling that guy an asshole for not doing the right thing.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Seems like a good time for me to recommend front row instrument insurance.


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## Tim Plains (Apr 14, 2009)

Paul M said:


> I'm pretty sure if we all paid enough taxes to hire enough cops to investigate all the property crime we probably wouldn't have enough money left to buy any property


If our governments didn't outsource numerous government services and pay 3 - 3.5 times more for the private side to deliver those functions more poorly, we'd have a hell of a lot more money for stuff like police and hospitals. I work on the inside and see it everyday.


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## BlueRocker (Jan 5, 2020)

Budda said:


> Seems like a good time for me to recommend front row instrument insurance.


Didn't even know that was a thing - looks interesting thanks.

Online Musical Instrument Insurance for SOCAN Members, Available 24/7


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## Acoustic Tom (Apr 6, 2020)

Were you selling the guitar to finance a new purchase?


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## 2manyGuitars (Jul 6, 2009)

tdotrob said:


> Man just knowing the guy had his guitar stolen Id gladly hand it over if he had sufficient proof it was stolen from him. I wouldn’t hesitate to reunite a guitar owner with his stolen axe.
> 
> Guaranteed if this thread was reverse where OP found his stolen guitar and went to the new owners house and the guy refused to give it back even after being presented with enough to verify everyone here would be calling that guy an asshole for not doing the right thing.


Yes it would suck to be on either end of this, but the missing piece of info is if the original owner was made whole by insurance.

We’re maybe looking at it a bit too “emotionally” because it’s a guitar and that hits a bit too close to home. Let’s say your car was stolen. You make a police report, file an insurance claim, and get a cheque for the value of your car. A couple months later, you see your car for sale on kijiji.

Do you get to show up at the seller’s house, show him the police report, then drive off with your car?

I believe the correct answer is “Fuck No!”.


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## Frenchy99 (Oct 15, 2016)

2manyGuitars said:


> Do you get to show up at the seller’s house, show him the police report, then drive off with your car?
> 
> I believe the correct answer is “Fuck No!”.


You sir, have a good point !


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## tdotrob (Feb 24, 2019)

2manyGuitars said:


> Yes it would suck to be on either end of this, but the missing piece of info is if the original owner was made whole by insurance.
> 
> We’re maybe looking at it a bit too “emotionally” because it’s a guitar and that hits a bit too close to home. Let’s say your car was stolen. You make a police report, file an insurance claim, and get a cheque for the value of your car. A couple months later, you see your car for sale on kijiji.
> 
> ...


Honestly w a car that has gone through insurance and everything and is dealt with, no I wouldn’t.  EDIT* Missed the insurance part* Is anyone claiming a $1000 guitar w their insurance? Doubtful but maybe!

Guitar that the police obviously won’t make much effort to do anything with except take a report?

How about this, Your Daughter Parks her brand new bike you paid $1000 for on the porch and some asshole steals it and she is devestated. Next day you see the guy riding it. Do you try and stop him and take your bike back? Fuck yes! Done it before and would do it again.


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

tdotrob said:


> Wait what? The guy who had his guitar stolen owes someone who may or not be the theif(obviously we know he isn’t) an apology for aggressively trying to get his stolen property back?
> 
> That makes a tonne of sense. If it was your guitar stolen and you saw a for sale ad for it would you just assume and believe the person in possession isn’t the thief?


Considering that the person the owner went to called the police for verification and ended up giving him the guitar in lieu of the documentation he provided? Damn rights it makes sense. What would you do?


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

The guy was pissed because the cops told him they would do nothing. Perhaps if the OP told him to buzz off there would be nothing done. Not the right thing to do, of course.


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## 2manyGuitars (Jul 6, 2009)

player99 said:


> Not the right thing to do, of course.


It isn’t as simple as “100% the guitar was stolen and must be returned”. In most cases, that is the likely outcome but not always.

Right off the bat, I’ll say that if I ever find out I own a previously stolen guitar, I’d want to make sure it goes back to the rightful owner. But in this case, it’s either kijiji dude or the insurance company. All I know is it ain’t getting settled on my doorstep and the law doesn’t say otherwise.


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## 2manyGuitars (Jul 6, 2009)

Hey, for all we know, Guitar was already recovered, insurance company had paid out the claim, and the guitar was legally sold by the insurance company. Two, three, maybe four owners later, OP just got screwed out of a $1000 guitar.

Seems unlikely, but that’s why you let the cops handle it. Not some angry dude on your doorstep.


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## markxander (Oct 24, 2009)

Just want to pop in and say "let the cops handle it" in that sense wasn't and never is really an option. I could feel the cop shrugging through the airwaves as I talked to him on the phone before giving up the guitar.

I think even if they had the resources to pursue every stolen item report they still wouldn't care that much, especially in this case -- the original owner found his stolen guitar and he was standing two feet away. Sounds a lot like the case solved itself if I'm the police.


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## cboutilier (Jan 12, 2016)

tdotrob said:


> Honestly w a car that has gone through insurance and everything and is dealt with, no I wouldn’t. EDIT* Missed the insurance part* Is anyone claiming a $1000 guitar w their insurance? Doubtful but maybe!
> 
> Guitar that the police obviously won’t make much effort to do anything with except take a report?
> 
> How about this, Your Daughter Parks her brand new bike you paid $1000 for on the porch and some asshole steals it and she is devestated. Next day you see the guy riding it. Do you try and stop him and take your bike back? Fuck yes! Done it before and would do it again.


My kid brother had my $2000 bike stolen from him. There was no need for cops. We figured out who stole it, and sent a convoy of a dozen carloads of hillbillies to his doorstep in a parade. Folks get a lot less tough when you boot in their front door.


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## tomee2 (Feb 27, 2017)

What would angry dude have said if you told him you'll bring it to the police station and he can get it from them? 
Unfortunately, he knows where you live...so the logical conclusion is to do what you did.. 
It sucks, but you're handling it well. 

What kind of guitar are you looking for?


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## tdotrob (Feb 24, 2019)

Dorian2 said:


> Considering that the person the owner went to called the police for verification and ended up giving him the guitar in lieu of the documentation he provided? Damn rights it makes sense. What would you do?


After I got off the phone with the Hamilton Police I’d give him the guitar no problem.

Sorry I thought OP said the guy had the case number, identifying marks on the guitsr etc.enough info to verify it was his.


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## Dorian2 (Jun 9, 2015)

tdotrob said:


> After I got off the phone with the Hamilton Police I’d give him the guitar no problem.
> 
> Sorry I thought OP said the guy had the case number, identifying marks on the guitsr etc.enough info to verify it was his.


Usually it would be. Normally I'd brush it off, but I ran into a similar situation at an office I worked in a few years ago. Some random person I didn't know asked for the "Manager" when I found him looking in offices at lunch when the place was empty... I looked at his shoes, which were ratty old sneakers, and asked him who he was looking for as all the Managers were also owners lol. Soon as I asked him that question he got up in arms and started saying he was going to have my job, as I followed the chickenshit to the elevators. 

So this post got me curious. Especially the bolded. Just me being cynical is all.



markxander said:


> This is what I've been thinking about too. There's no practical way to find out -- I called Waterloo police first to check the report, and they can't see reports for other cities to check. And I don't think they can look up reports like this based on serial number or type of guitar --* I had to get the police report number from the guy (it was like pulling teeth! He didn't even want to tell me where he had reported it).*


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