Originally, I was very surprised to see stolen bikes advertised in classifieds. I didn't believe it could be possible and that's why we "tested" it out. And, once again, my naivete was clearly demonstrated.

I think you guys are correct - the "kid" was probably just a delivery boy.

The way it was supposed to work was:

1) Bike is delivered;
2) We look it over;
3) If we want it, we transfer money through an ATM into some other account; and,
4) After the transfer is confirmed by main guy, he tells the delivery boy to leave it with us.

The "main guy" was a little pissed we "changed our mind." Truthfully, we never had any intention to buy a stolen bike - just wanted to go through the motions to see if it was "for real". I still can't believe that the crooks are brazen enough to post ads. Business must be bad, or they have an oversupply that they need to move.

The transfer was probably demanded because the "main guy" probably didn't want the delivery boy to have the cash - who knows. I think the delivery boy was surprised to see four people arrive, on our side. I'm also not sure the kid even knew what was going on.

And yeah, never thought about the GPS tracker & duplicate keys - you are probably right. It could also lead the fox directly to the hen house.

The ads pop up now and then, and usually only for a few hours. I'll try to do quick post of the next set I see.

I also wonder why they just don't flog the bikes in TJ - maybe it is getting tight there? But anyone who buys into the story of "grey imports" in that market is dreaming. I bumped into a guy, about a year ago, who sells quite a few "unplated" sport bikes. He was obviously "connected" into the underground market, and he openly stated that he would be very surprised to see a bike in TJ that hadn't been stolen, either within China or Hong Kong or Japan, or wherever. Or maybe he was just telling me that to keep me in Beijing, and not go to TJ? Who knows.