Good move man.
The way price was moving up, plus no receipt is probably a not starter.
If i get a high price ticket like a 8k road bike, i would keep the receipt on a safe.
Its either a fake (knockoff frame) or selling a stolen bike.
Not saying he stole it, but maybe he bought it off craigslist knowing what he was getting.
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I don’t have the receipt for any of my bikes. I’d have to print one out online (for the Canyon) or go back to the bike shop for the others to have them hopefully pull it up in their computer system and print it for me.
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If you were selling your bike, and someone ask for a receipt, you would probably say something like that.
And $8k bike is a very expensive bike. And it not common for people to not save the receipt. At least you know where to get them in case you need them.
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But if you were selling a high ticket item and the buyer asked I am sure you would do what you could to get it? Obviously if the bike store had gone bust or changed systems that might not be an option.
I had to make a warranty claim on my Cannondale recently, they asked for proof of purchase. Thankfully I was able to get a copy otherwise I wouldn’t be getting a replacement frame.
If he had a receipt I would be less sketch about meeting at a neutral location, but for a high ticket item I feel there should be some reassurance that if it ends up being fake, stolen or not as advertised, that there is some ability for recourse (i.e. being able to go back to the seller).
I can still get a new Fezzari Empire for a big discount (through my team), so not all is lost 
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Take it to the shop I bought it from? They’ll have a record of the purchase and be the right place to deal with the warranty claim anyway.
I don’t know if I’ve been lucky but the only thing I can remember warrantying was a pair of S-works shoes that cracked. I walked into a Mikes Bikes and they sent me out the door with a new pair no questions asked. This was probably back in 2012 or 2013… not sure if Specialized has gotten stingy since then.
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My bike has a frame issue, and the bike shop has been closed for 4 years now.
Luckily i have the receipt. But i still have to find a different shot to help me…
Bike was bought in 2012, so just 8 years ago… anyways…
Make sure you save the receipt.
Yes you’re right, I’m not trying to create a controversy here, I should probably print some receipts out or something. I just wouldn’t have them on hand like some people seem to expect is all.
Good luck getting an 8 year old frame warrantied. Guess it depends on the brand, but long/lifetime warranty doesn’t seem as common any more.
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Sure, but If i was buying a less than a year old bike for $4k (half off) i would definitely expect a receipt, or at least the ability of the owner to provide one, like you clearly said probably can right now.
I know. Its a Felt, and they have “lifetime”. But apparently, bad design and sweat is not really covered!
You did the right thing. Even if it was a good deal at $5K, I’d have zero tolerance about being jerked around like that.
I do have to say that all my best deals came when I had to work for it a bit. A few years ago I picked up a Parlee Z4 for $1000. It had Campagnolo Chorus 11 speed, nice Campagnolo wheels, and had been hardly used. It had a horrible ad, no pics, and it sounded too good to be true at that price. Many people in this thread may have walked away but I contacted the person and make a 40 minute trip to check out the bike. It turns out it was a wealthy guy and he just came up with a garage sale type price. He couldn’t bother with pics or couldn’t figure out how to post them. I won on that one.
My other great score was a 1981 Porsche 911SC. I had been looking for a while. The price was on the low side. I had to drive 3 hours to look at it. The tires were 10 years old and cracked. The leather seat bottoms had rotted out after 25 years (common). It had only been driven 12,000 miles in 10 years. I then had to drive back 3 hours pick it up, take it to a mechanic for an inspection. It passed with flying colors. It was a lot of work to get the car and if the seller had changed tires and fixed the seats he could have easily got $6-8K more for it. I even met another Porsche club buddy later on who passed on my car because he couldn’t get over the cracked tires and cracked leather seats. He wasn’t willing to do a little work to get a great deal.
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Does he put the serial number?
I know there is some database where people can register their bikes in case they are stolen.
If you have the serial you can check.
he doesn’t feel comfortable to give the full serial number, but can you tell by the bike and the sticker of the serial number is it fake or not? as i know the sticker of the serial number seems like fake. it said the manufacturing date on july 2018, i think this venge is 2019 model right?
From Specialized:
Either click on Bike Registration” or “Roval Registration” at the bottom our website or access the registration form directly. Follow the directions as prompted. You will need the serial number to register. For bikes, the serial number is located on a sticker on the underside of your toptube and/or downtube as well as on the underside of your bike, underneath the bottom bracket. Specialized serial numbers typically start with the prefix “WSBC,” “WUD,” “STT,” or “STE.”
the sticker looks ok…its a used bike…depending how much it was used, i can see the sticker be worn out…
might be fake…
https://support.specialized.com/home/counterfeit/topics/identifying-counterfeit-products
look on how to id fake products…
ask to see the BB serial number…plus more than the one number he shows…like ask him to send a pic with the first 3 or 4 numbers… (both top tube and bb)
Why would someone be afraid to share a serial number on a used bike?
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I follow the owner of the bike on Strava assuming it’s in the Utah area. I have ridden with him before, this is definitely a real bike. He’s a guy in his late teenage years, who’s wealthy parents bought him the bike (and the one that replaced it which is making him sell). Not really a surprise he didn’t keep a receipt in that case imo (note, this reply was to the original poster, @tysoncook not any further person in the thread)
Register with the police and report it stolen? Certainly if no proof of purchase is required to register as my hometown skips. I do see the flaw there.
With all the digital stuff these days it’s not terribly hard to research such purchases.
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Thats a trend with cellphones.
People buy a brand new iphone, sell them with a discount, then report them stolen and get insurance money for them, while killing the phone.
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…ongoing search for new bike and the Venge popped back up on my local classifieds. Same Venge, new seller, for $5750. Guess the guy who bought it instead of me went and turned it for a quick flip.
lol yep, and they took off the “s-works” sticker too haha
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