Consumer resource
If you think you’ve bought stolen goods
Published 4 May 2026 · Reviewed for England and Wales, May 2026
If you bought something that was stolen, you are not usually at fault if you genuinely did not know—but you still need to act carefully. Below is a practical order of steps for England and Wales; rules differ elsewhere in the UK.
About this guidance
This page is general information only, not legal advice. We are not a law firm. It is aimed at readers in England and Wales. Consumer routes and public bodies differ in Northern Ireland and Scotland—for an overview see Advice NI and Advice Direct Scotland.
Reviewed by Resolutor Legal Support for England and Wales in May 2026.
If you have bought something that was previously stolen, you should not get into difficulty if you did not know it was stolen when you bought it. That does not mean you can keep it or resell it once you know or ought reasonably to know the position—see the steps below.
Take the item to the police
As soon as you reasonably believe the goods are stolen, contact the police on 101 (non‑emergency) or take the item to your local police station. They will try to return it to the owner.
You should not keep the item or return it to the seller yourself once you are treating it as stolen goods. Doing the wrong thing at that stage can amount to handling stolen goods, which is a criminal offence.
Ask the seller for a refund
Ask the trader for a full refund as soon as you can.
The police should give you a crime reference number and a property log number when you hand the item in. Use those, together with your receipt or other proof of purchase (for example a bank statement), to show the seller that you have done what you should.
In many consumer sales against a trader, you have a legal right to a full refund from the seller under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. That can apply even if some time has passed since purchase and you have only just discovered the problem.
Example wording:
The police have confirmed that the item was stolen. I am entitled to a full refund under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
If you paid by debit or credit card
If the seller refuses and you paid by debit or credit card, you may still recover the money through your bank or card provider (for example chargeback or, in some cases, section 75). Our card and PayPal refunds page summarises common routes.
If you still do not have your money back
You can try to reach agreement through alternative dispute resolution (ADR)—an independent process to help settle the complaint without court.
If ADR is not available or fails, you might consider a court claim for the money you have lost, especially for a high‑value purchase such as a car. A court will usually expect you to have attempted ADR first where that was reasonable.
Court claims involve fees and procedural risk; you might recover costs if you win, but enforcement and further steps can still take time. For reserved legal work or representation you should speak to a regulated solicitor; we can help with chronology and drafting in the background where that fits our service.