Bought goods alleged to be stolen: what should I do?
Preserve the goods, listing, messages and payment records. Verify the allegation and contact police if theft is suspected before arranging any handover. If your UK trader lacked the right to sell, pursue rejection and repayment. For help gathering factory purchase records, contact Cambridge China Bridge.
Preserve evidence linking your payment to the goods
Save the listing, order confirmation, invoice, payment record, delivery details and complete message history. Photograph the item, serial markings, packaging and condition. Keep original files and write a chronology explaining what you knew when buying and when the allegation arrived. Avoid altering, selling or sending the goods elsewhere while you seek instructions.
This guide focuses on goods bought mainly for personal use. If you bought business equipment through a personal account, ask a consumer adviser which rules apply. Identify the actual seller using our seller or sourcing agent guide, and check our guidance on private sellers.
Verify the ownership claim before arranging a handover
Ask the claimant for their identity, the basis of ownership and documents identifying your particular item. Compare serial markings, dated photographs and purchase records. Ask whether the allegation concerns theft, hired equipment or an unpaid supplier. Verify contact details independently. Do not pay a release fee or arrange collection solely because a stranger demands it.
Payment and an honest purchase do not automatically settle ownership. The Sale of Goods Act generally gives a buyer no better title than an unauthorised seller had, subject to exceptions. Ask a solicitor to assess conflicting documents rather than deciding ownership yourself. Our ownership and transit risk guide explains contractual title clauses.
Respond to police with a clear purchase history
If theft is suspected, contact the police using independently verified contact details and explain how you obtained the goods. Verify anyone claiming to be an officer. Ask how to preserve the item and whether collection or delivery is needed. If police take it, request a written record identifying the item, officer, date and case or property reference. Keep copies of documents you supply.
Describe what you personally know and distinguish it from the seller's explanation. Do not guess missing details. If police want to question you as a suspect, ask for a solicitor before answering questions about the allegation. Government guidance confirms a right to free legal advice when questioned at a police station.
Ask the UK seller for repayment on the right basis
For an ordinary consumer sale by a trader, the Consumer Rights Act requires the trader to have the right to sell when ownership transfers. Breach of that term gives a right to reject. An ownership allegation alone does not establish that breach. Send the seller the identifying evidence and ask for its documents showing authority to sell.
If the evidence establishes that the seller lacked that right, clearly state that you reject the goods and treat the contract as ended, and request repayment of the money paid. The statutory rejection provisions entitle a cash-paying buyer to that amount. Explain any police custody and attach the handover record. Seek advice about return arrangements before promising collection or sending goods back.
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Escalate with the ownership and repayment evidence together
Send the complaint to the contracting seller's correct legal name and address. Include the order, payment evidence, ownership documents, police correspondence and the amount requested. Ask for a written response by a stated date. For a private sale, obtain legal advice on the seller's authority to sell and your repayment claim rather than assuming the trader consumer route applies.
Ask the marketplace and payment provider about their dispute procedures and evidence requirements promptly. For an unresolved seller complaint, use our complaint and court guide. Give your adviser the ownership dispute and repayment file together. Cambridge China Bridge's own staff in China can help request factory and dispatch records; ask what records are available for the particular purchase.
Frequently asked questions
Do I own stolen goods if I bought them honestly?
An honest purchase does not automatically give ownership. The general rule gives no better title than an unauthorised seller had, subject to exceptions. Get advice on the particular documents.
Should I give the goods to someone claiming to own them?
Verify their identity and evidence first. If theft is suspected, contact police before arranging handover. Request a written record if police take the item.
Can I get a refund from the UK seller?
For an ordinary consumer sale, a trader's lack of the right to sell gives a right to reject and seek repayment. Establish the breach and clearly notify the seller. An allegation alone is insufficient.
What if police have already taken the goods?
Keep the property record and case reference. Send copies with your repayment request, explain that police hold the item, and obtain advice before agreeing return arrangements.