Okay here’s my story, many years back I had saved up all the money I could to purchase a guitar that I really wanted. A couple years after buying that guitar, my house was broken into and many things were stolen, including said guitar. Now many years have passed, and a couple days ago I’m scrolling through Facebook Marketplace and lo and behold I stumble upon my stolen guitar! I know it is mine due to the fact that the seller took a picture of the headstock showing the serial number. The serial number matches and it is 100% My Guitar beyond a shadow of a doubt. I messaged the seller to inquire about it, and he informs me that he bought the guitar on Marketplace a couple years ago. I explained to him that my house was robbed and that guitar was stolen from me years back and that it 100% belongs to me and has a lot of sentimental value. I asked him about getting it back and even offered to give him some money for helping me find it after all these years. This guy proceeds to tell me that if I want my guitar back I have to pay him and pay him whatever he is asking for it. I found this to be very rude and heartless. I explained to him again the sentimental value the guitar has and how much it would mean to me to have it back. I also reiterated that I had planned on giving him money for helping find it, but I had nowhere near what he was asking for it on Marketplace. He told me too bad he is not coming down on the price and if I want my guitar that’s what I’m going to pay for it. I explain that this wasn’t fair and that I would have to follow up with the local sheriff’s department because he is now aware that he has stolen property in his possession and he is actively trying to sell it. Well, I wake up this morning to a notification saying that he has sold it. This devastated me because it truly has sentimental value beyond words and I can’t explain how happy I was to come across it and now just to have my hopes shattered because he has sold it to somebody else because I did not have the money to pay what he was asking. This is where I need reddit’s help. What can I do from here legally about this situation? Can I press criminal charges for him being aware that he had stolen property and still sold it? I have screenshotted our conversations and the Marketplace ad with the serial numbers verifying that it is in fact mine and matches my police report from many years ago. What can I do from here? I really would love to get this guitar back, but even if I can’t for whatever reason I still want this little prick to pay for knowingly taking something of sentimental value that he knew was stolen and selling it right in front of the rightful owners eyes. I am in Charleston South Carolina by the way and the person selling the guitar is also from Charleston South Carolina.
Location: South Carolina, Charleston
Comments
Take the screenshot, and go to the cops?
I’m not a lawyer, but this guy isn’t aware he has stolen merchandise. A stranger on the internet giving me a story does not equate to evidence.
You should have called the police as soon as you thought you knew where your stolen guitar was. You can still call police, though it is less likely they’re going to act in any substantial way.
>Can I press criminal charges
No.
You don’t press charges. Police and prosecutor do. You can make a police report.
It isn’t clear this person committed a crime. What separates you from a sob story trying to con a deal on a guitar?
>And a police report showing matching serial numbers isnt enough evidence??
Does he know that you have such a thing? Did you show him that? Not tell him. Show him. And even so, again, the right move was to call police and say “hey, I’ve found my stolen guitar.”