It seems I bought a fake Pinarello Dogma 65.1 Think 2 on Craig's List. The bike was advertised as the real thing, and I was not aware of the blunder before all sorts of mechanical problems came up, and my local bike dealer told me after looking at the bike for about 30 seconds. I still have the sellers (alleged) name, phone and email.

Any advise on how to take this forward? Assume reporting to the local FBI office is the way to (selling replica is a federal offense).

Thanks.

How did you pay for the item? I assume cash (craigslist!).

I paid by check.

I'd put a stop on that check if he hasn't cashed it yet.

You can always take him to small claims court. Keep all the messages, frame, CL posting and anything else. Bring a reputable guy from the bike shop to court to verify that it is a fake, or a letter from Pinarello (if they can verify it over the internet???). You'll need to prove that the seller claimed the item was real (more than word of mouth, such as the CL ad).


Might be worth it to call the police. If enough money was involved it might make them more motivated to follow up (outside chance where I live).

Exactly.

Small claims court is probably your best bet. I would do a google search on something like this.

Also note if you're going to take the seller to small claims court, don't pester him too much. You'll need to know where he is (pestering might make him skip town) so you can serve him.

Many thanks for useful advise.