Wubi News

Shopkeeper tracks down thief who stole Jellycat toys to sell on Vinted

2024-12-12 15:00:34

A shopkeeper has revealed how he turned detective to track down a shoplifter after discovering goods stolen from his business for sale online.

Charlie Groves, who runs a garden centre in Bridport, Dorset, says he watched CCTV recordings of a woman concealing Jellycat toys in a pram carrying her child, before leaving the store without paying and getting into her car.

Mr Groves says he was able to piece together the woman's identity by scouring resale websites, deciphering her car's personalised number plate, and eventually finding her Facebook profile.

When he traced a seller on Vinted he suspected of selling on the stolen goods, Mr Groves discovered the man the account belonged to is married to the woman who had shoplifted the cuddly toys.

The National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) advises online shoppers to think carefully about whether something which appears to be a bargain is "too good to be true".

Vinted says it is "constantly mobilised to detect and counter new malicious behaviour", and reviews and improves processes when needed.

At another garden centre in Horsham, Sussex, Jellycat toys were also regularly being stolen and staff now display them in glass cabinets to prevent further thefts.

Old Barn Garden Centre's head of security, Chris Hoare, believes proofs of purchase should be a requirement for people selling goods through online marketplaces.

"They need to have an accountability for how this stuff is resold on their sites," Mr Hoare says.

Without that, he adds, online marketplaces are "part of the problem, rather than part of the solution".

Shoplifting is at record levels with 469,788 offences recorded in England and Wales in the year to June 2024, according to the Office for National Statistics.

The Centre for Retail Research has estimated shoplifting adds £133 onto the cost of an average UK household's shopping bill each year.

Retail trade bodies warn stolen goods being sold through online marketplaces like Vinted, eBay and Facebook Marketplace are a growing problem - which is helping fuel an increase in shoplifting

Additional reporting by Leigh Boobyer and Dan Ayers.