Stolen bike on Facebook Marketplace: search and check
France
Try several descriptions of your bike on Facebook Marketplace. For each lead, save the listing information and compare the details with your older photographs.
Which search terms should you use?
For a red Brompton folding bike in France, try “Brompton”, “vélo pliant” and “vélo rouge” separately. The latter terms mean folding bike and red bike. These searches complement one another: a title may mention the brand, type or just the colour.
Start near the theft location, then examine other areas using the settings available in your account. Keep a record, for example:
| Search tried | Area checked | What you noted |
|---|---|---|
| Brompton | Town where it was stolen | Two listings to compare |
| vélo pliant | Nearby towns | One photograph to check |
| vélo rouge | Wider area | No recognised detail |
These results illustrate how to take notes. They are not real listings we detected.
How can you use Marketplace’s features?
Available features depend on your account and interface. Open Facebook Marketplace’s official help from your account for guidance on searching and reporting a listing.
You can already organise your search terms and keep your own copies of listings. Saving or reporting a listing does not replace those copies.
What should you keep from a listing?
- Copy its link and note the date you viewed it.
- Take a screenshot of the title, price, location and description.
- Open each photograph and keep a screenshot in which the bike remains clear.
- Save the seller’s displayed name and public profile link, if accessible.
- Note which details match your bike and which differ.
Keep invoices, your address and your police complaint in your private evidence file. When explaining a lead, observations about the bike are more useful than an accusation posted in a group.
Which details should you compare?
This example photograph shows the Wilier’s green frame, handlebars, wheels and drivetrain. It allows a comparison of the general equipment. To identify a particular bike, also look through your photographs for a repair, a sticker or a part you changed.
Note what you can actually check in the image. If the frame number is unreadable, say so. The same model is not enough to identify your bike, and a recently created profile does not prove a theft.
What should you do with a lead?
In France, give the information to the police with your complaint reference and ownership documents. The France reporting guide links to official services. Follow the instructions you receive before taking action or reporting the listing; do not confront the seller.
Use the theft checklist to gather your documents. If you want Retrace to analyse listings for you, check the covered marketplaces: access does not include private groups or private conversations.
Retrace compares your bicycle photos with listings on covered sites and alerts you to possible matches. Check coverage for your country before starting a search. Private groups and messages are not covered. Each possible match needs checking.
How it works