Electrical goods
Under the Electricity Act 1992 and its regulations, electrical appliances for sale must be safe. This law applies to every way of selling an electrical appliance, even your neighbour's garage sale.
Stolen goods
Nearly all property stolen in burglaries is re-sold. If you even suspect that what you're buying might have been stolen, be careful. You could possibly be in line for a receiving charge.
Licensed second-hand dealers and pawnbrokers have to keep a register of goods that pass through their shops, and details of who sold or pawned them. This offers some protection against buying stolen property.
Also, the Consumer Guarantees Act gives you good title. This means if you buy from a trader (but not privately) and it's subsequently found the goods are stolen, you can claim damages from the seller.
To protect yourself, ask a seller how they can verify that the goods they are selling are clean. If the reply is vague, it's probably best to move on.
Be particularly careful about buying through classified ads if only a cellular phone number is supplied.
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