Hi all

I am keen on purchasing a second hand mountain bycicle 2-3k chf. I opted for the non-store purchase as the prices are sort of a rip-off so I searched for bikes directly from owners on FB marketplace.

Problem 1: sellers generally do not keep their original invoice so cant really prove the bike is not stolen. Is this legit? Does it make sense?

Problem 2: sellers offer to type a written purchase agreement with their ID details and insist a payment in cash (untraceable).
Is this document valid for anything in Switzerland in case 6 months later it turns out the bike was actually stolen and the insurance company/police claims it back?

Not sure how normal this is in a country like Switzerland where everyone has a document for everything...

Any advice or experience would be appreciated.

Hi Jingi


Have you searched on this forum for posts about importing / buying / getting MTB ?


As has been mentioned many times on this forum, unless you are buying a special specific bike, then there are many better value bikes here in CH. I was surprised to read that top range MTB can depreciate at 45% in the first year.
Have you looked at velomarkt.ch/ velocorner.ch/en and traildevils.ch/ as well as Tutti ( in your neighborhood ) and Ricardo ?
I have just bought an interesting Norco through traildevils which was 18 months old. Good price and I'm very happy.


Enjoy the summer on 2 wheels.

To answer your questions:
-Yes, there is a market for stolen bicycles, so you're not wrong to be careful.
-If a seller offers a written agreement with their ID (copy) and adress and you pick up the bike from their place, you can assume it's legit. Just make sure the frame number is written down.
-If I were to sell a bike, I'd insist on pickup and cash payment. Buyers are scammers, too.
-Actually, I will be selling 2 bikes as soon as I've finished building them up. I'll insist on cash (so much easier). I've no idea where those receipts are (I could probably ask the bike shop if they still have them on their computer). Since both bikes have new frames (warranty), the frame number on the receipt wouldn't match the number on the frame I'm selling.



A lot of shops still offer last year's models with a massive disount. I don't know how competent you are as a mechanic, but I've always been glad to have a shop to bring my bikes to for stuff I can't handle myself.
Warranties are much easier and usually have a faster turnaround when handled by a shop. Right now, I'm dealing with the warranty on a shock I bought online. Takes forever.

In NYC one can buy a 2nd hand bike from most any bike shop with a guarantee that it's stolen.

I have bought from the forum with success, amusingly after I bid a lower price that was accepted. I had not expected the first bid to be accepted & inadvertently handed over a higher cash amount than agreed.

Hi, I think NickGB had a 2018 Canyon Spectral CF 9.0 in large. Not idea if already sold, ask him.

Also, another guy is selling a GT avalanche, see this thread https://www.englishforum.ch/items-wa...tain-bike.html

People regularly keep invoices to proof the original amount they paid. If you're worried about stolen bikes, all you need is a short letter from the seller telling A sold to B bike with frame serial No. ******** and these components, price, place, date and signature. This is not that uncommon because people buy a frame from shop A, wheels from shop B, fork over the internet, so there's maybe a dozen invoices

About internet sites, go for travildevils.ch or velomarkt.ch, for example all bikes max price 3000 https://traildevils.ch/Market/Bikes?...&PriceMax=3000

PS I just bought a Marzocchi Z1 announced on traildevils.ch, payed via twint. I only got the fork, no invoice. The Z1 on this color only (dark gray) only comes with some Specialized bikes. I assume someone bought a new bike, upgraded the fork and sold the new Z1 really cheap.

The Canyon is gone, unfortunately. I never really thought about the topics raised. My buyer never asked for a receipt or the the original invoice and he paid in cash. Are stolen bikes really a big thing here in Switzerland?


If you are really so concerned, why don't you buy new? For that budget you can get a rather nice Canyon or Commencal, hard tail or full suspension.

as someone who bought a second hand bike, and had it stolen (but i had household insurance), my experience is as follows:
i had a letter from the person who sold it to me. very simple one.
i submitted that to my insurance.
they sent the money into my bank account (minus 200chf excess fee).
smooth sailing in switzerland.

Pro Velo organises markets all over Switzerland. The advantage is that you can ask for an independent expert opinion on the bike you‘re interested in. You also get a receipt and if a bike turns out to be stolen it can be traced back, as vendors have to register with the organisers. Next dates: https://www.pro-velo.ch/de/angebote/veloboersen/

Some tips in German: https://bellevue.nzz.ch/reisen-entde...ten-ld.1602563

1. It is legit, but a bad practice. Many people do not consider a bike a vehicle or a thing of a substantial value and are surprisingly careless about the documents for it. It may make sense, but always let the seller tell you a convincing story, don't try to make sense of it on your own. If a seller can't or don't want to, then it's best just to give it a pass.

I personally wouldn't mind buying an old bike without papers, if the seller can provide some verifiable provenance (like old photos/videos with it on any online platform with data stamps, even on FB), and will make an discount for your potential trouble and a loss of resale value. It is not impossible to imagine, that someone gets a 5k+ item and does not keep a receipt and can't produce some extract from his bank account for that purchase (was a present, for example).

But for a young used bike (e.g. less than 3 years old), even if it is not a malicious content, then it is at best a negligence, when a seller can't produce a warranty card for the bike. Most bikes will have at least 5 yeas warranty for the frame and about 3 years warranty for most parts of suspension and transmission. My personal rule is that whenever I buy something from a negligent person, I consider that person being potentially negligent in other departments, so every part of the item in question, which is not explicitly proven working and in a good shape or covered by a substantial warranty, shall be considered to be potentially breaking in the next 5 minutes and its replacement cost shall be deducted from the amount I'm willing to pay.

On the other hand, when you buy a privately built custom item, the story is completely different: you talk to a master and assess his craftsmanship, knowledge and professional attitude. It is much better, when a craftsman can supply receipts for the used parts, but a good genuine explanation on why there are none would be acceptable.

2. For the insurance company any written contract will be sufficient. When I insured our e-bikes, the insurance company was satisfied with a copy of email from Ricardo and a payment slip for one and a screenshot from Tutti, an email with the seller and a bank slip for another one.
If the bike turns out to be stolen and discovered by the police, than it will be at some point confiscated from you and you will have to ask (if necessary in a legal manner) a seller to pay you back and also put him in contact with the police for their investigation.