Quick ? About selling stolen goods on craigslist

[chunky three]

Okay, I have a question about a hypothetical situation that may occur if I steal something from a person and decide to sell on craigs. Let's say I stole a very expensive brand/piece of clothing that had a number/serial number of some sort printed on the inside ( For example, I have a pair of Armani sunglasses with a little tag that came inside the case with this printed on it: No. ###-##-####). if someone msgs me on craigs asking for the serial number of the item, and i suspect it may be the person whom I may have jacked the item from, since I was dumb enough to put the item up relatively close to the date it was stolen (within a couple days, let's say) , my first instinct would be to lie and type in a fake serial number to throw that person off. Is this a good idea? what should I do if a situation like this were to ever arise?

this has never happened but if someone did msg me asking for the number let's say a couple hours after the post went up, would u suspect it is the victim?

[CountBlah]

[chunky three]

ye but what if they have it written down? i mean why else would they ask for it? your idea sounds pretty dumb if he/she finds out its theirs and the numbers match nah mean?

[CountBlah]

[Charles Manson]

Originally Posted by muffins

to be honest they prolly just want to google it to see if they are genuine. The excuses are for when they say oh hey those are mine

This.

They just want to make sure they are authentic.

I doubt anyone would go looking for their stolen shit on craigslist, mere hours after it happened.
Lol.

Did he ask anything else, about distinguishing features?

[zombo.com]

i would go look for my shit on craigslist immediately.

you should wait to move it.

[chunky three]

Originally Posted by zombo.com

i would go look for my shit on craigslist immediately.

you should wait to move it.

I agree with zombo out of all of your responses but my question is this. They are asking for a picture of the inside of this item where the serial number is visible, not just the number itself, my bad if I typed it the wrong way in my OP. If I send them this picture, could I be incriminated in anyway/possibly get in trouble with the law just by sending the picture of the serial# that would match the stolen#, assuming they have the # written down, I mean why else would they ask for it?(Skip to 2nd paragraph real quick)? I also read online that this brand is so inconsistent with the numbers that some items may have the same serial #, but I feel like that is just too rare in a situation like this. But could the fact that it was put up so soon after it was stolen+the matching number still cause law trouble for me in the U.S.? I'm pretty sure I'm fine right now, as long as I don't meet with the person who wants to see the #, but I'm no expert at how cops bust stolen shit thru clist...

Also, I read online that the serial numbers used to be used to register the product and have it "fixed"/repaired if it needed it, but now the brand's website no longer offers the option of entering the serial #, so obviously they aren't trying to check anything about the quality/authenticity, plus I read online that the serial# gives literally no hint to the item's authenticity. So now I'm assuming this is the victim. Please give me some advice, I don't want to just ignore the request for the pic of the # bcuz I feel that could attract the suspicion of police if the vic actually wants them involved. I mean the item would literally be worth 40-75$ on ebay/craigslist. Right now, I totally agree with zombo, just stash it for a bit and leave the ad up, waiting for someone I could sense as just a normal interested buyer. Please try and give me some help soon guys, I don't want to just sit here stalling on this person's email, it's making me more and more worried the longer I don't respond. O yeah, this is all hypothetical btw...

[zombo.com]

just shoot an email back saying it already sold, then close out that email addy.

[Tachosomoza]

Originally Posted by Charles Manson

This.

They just want to make sure they are authentic.

I doubt anyone would go looking for their stolen shit on craigslist, mere hours after it happened.
Lol.

Did he ask anything else, about distinguishing features?

The police and victims of theft usually go to Craigslist first when looking for stolen property.

[chunky three]

Tachosomoza, I've read many of your posts since I began visiting this forum, your seem like a pretty intelligent guy...What would you do in my situation? Just hold off on the sale for a bit? Or close the email account and lay low for a while? Do you think I could really get in trouble if I met with someone who then accused me of stealing at the meeting? Even if I just denied it and said hey I found it on the street the other day?

[Tachosomoza]

Personally, I would have listed it in a different metropolitan area's Craigslist or sold it to a friend/ relative. If you did go to a meeting and the person accused you of stealing, play it cool and say that you found them on the street. They didn't see you steal them, and they sure as hell don't have any footage. Like others have said, close that email account.

[Tachosomoza]

Also, related:

http://consumerist.com/2010/06/if-yo...ne-number.html

You would think that, given the amount of heisted property that gets listed for sale on Craigslist ever day, the criminal masterminds out there would know to not post any information that could immediately identify them to the authorities. And yet, a man from Indiana is behind bars right now, all because he didn't follow this simple rule.

According to police, the man in question was attempting to sell a stolen trailer on Craigslist (we're assuming he wasn't actually dumb enough to list it as "stolen") and posted a phone number for any interested buyers.

Suspecting the trailer listed on the site had been heisted, a police officer tracked the seller down and questioned him about the trailer. Police say he refused to answer any questions about himself or the trailer, which had been spray painted since being illegally obtained.

That's when the officer asked the rightful owner of the trailer to call the number listed in the ad. Not surprisingly, the phone belonging to the seller started ringing.

The seller was subsequently arrested and faces charges of receiving stolen property.

So let this be a lesson to anyone hoping to fence stolen goods on Craigslist — Create a new e-mail address, get a pre-paid cellphone... anything to put an inch of distance between your real identity and your craigslist ad. Otherwise, you'll likely end up behind bars.

Who are we kidding? If you're trying to make a living by selling stolen goods online, you're probably not far from a visit to the big house anyway.

[xhkx]

I think you made a mistake posting it so quick. I would check craigslist if my glasses went missing if they were expensive. Tell them someone else bought them, and close all said accounts like someone else said in above post somewhere. Yes you can get in trouble, and I would imagine craigslist is watched by the authorities for a number of different reasons. Hold off on sale, and don't re-post on craigslist in a few days. Sell it to a friend or someone far away from this fictional hypothetical theft.

Originally Posted by chunky three

Tachosomoza, I've read many of your posts since I began visiting this forum, your seem like a pretty intelligent guy...What would you do in my situation? Just hold off on the sale for a bit? Or close the email account and lay low for a while? Do you think I could really get in trouble if I met with someone who then accused me of stealing at the meeting? Even if I just denied it and said hey I found it on the street the other day?