Lets not even go far, away from the the online market you should take a walk down mfangano street for one... those shops doing "phone repairs" are only but a cover up. Yes they do repairs but that is where the black market is thriving. Those that steal are nothing but a means to an end and really make little money... Because they are just small time criminals looking for little cash to buy their ext drug of choice... most of the times they even have no clue of the worth of the stolen phone... the middle man is now the one that makes most.. he might end buying a phone are  throw away price and puts it up for a very huge mark up... they also  know whom to buy a phone from and whom not to trust... they do have a network of the pickpockets whom they trust... this is because they have to be careful least they get "simu moto" - phone stolen from criminal scene whereby the CID can track it. So they never just buy phones from anyone. they also sell such phones to people who will be leaving the country and let you know if the phone is hot or not so that you cannot switch it on in Kenya. They always have cash all the time coz these merchandise is unpredictable. such middle men are the rich ones and make the most. Unfortunately to us, we are the ignorant fools who buy such phones and in case of tracking the buyer is the one that pays the price. and well you are not able to pinpoint the person whom you bought it from and are therefore thrown into jail for the crime in case someone was killed for it. Well i have tried to get an article the nation media ran on the black market early this year, but i cant seem to trace it. It would have explained the market better. But it is huge and thriving, esp on the downtown streets, of river road, mfangano and the rest. In the meantime here is an article about the middle man.

http://www.nation.co.ke/counties/nairobi/The-dirt-behind-their-fast-lane-lifestyles/-/1954174/1972428/-/spwghhz/-/index.html


On Wed, Nov 20, 2013 at 4:13 PM, Oliver Ndegwa <olie.ndegwa@gmail.com> wrote:
Nairobi Half life 101

Oliver


On Wed, Nov 20, 2013 at 3:43 PM, Bwana Lawi <mail2lawi@gmail.com> wrote:
@Brian, you are right. But I believe handling stolen goods is a very serious crime. If as the buyer I dont verify the item belongs to the buyer and I am caught, I believe the next time I will not even look at any item twice if there is no proof of ownership.

Replicate this a few times and it will catch on.


On Wed, Nov 20, 2013 at 3:38 PM, Mark Mwangi <mwangy@gmail.com> wrote:
Neither do I. If there was some form of registry even voluntary where you can register your phones IMEI so that a potential buyer can cross check identity of owner then that could work. Receipts are the easiest thing to forge. 


On Wed, Nov 20, 2013 at 3:34 PM, Brian Ngure <brian@pixie.co.ke> wrote:
@Lawi

Do you still have the receipt for the fridge, cooker, tv, etc you bought 10 years ago? I don't.


On Wed, Nov 20, 2013 at 3:26 PM, Bwana Lawi <mail2lawi@gmail.com> wrote:
What about proof of ownership before selling, for starters? 


On Wed, Nov 20, 2013 at 2:53 PM, Odhiambo Washington <odhiambo@gmail.com> wrote:
+1


On 20 November 2013 14:50, Mark Mwangi <mwangy@gmail.com> wrote:
What exactly is there to control in the online market place? I can also open a shop and sell second hand phones(stolen or otherwise) 

OLX is not a culprit, closing the platform will not stop anything. 


On Wed, Nov 20, 2013 at 2:35 PM, Odhiambo Washington <odhiambo@gmail.com> wrote:
I think this is something that we cannot easily control. So I say to you all - if you can afford that gadget, please also budget for it's insurance. Thieves will always be there, and they need money so they will always find ways to dispose of the stolen items, right? Think of the solution rather than concentrating on the problem.


On 20 November 2013 14:16, Tech List Kenya <techlistkenya@gmail.com> wrote:
Maybe it's time Kenya took steps to arrest the selling online situation before it gets out of hand:
 
OLX Faces Internet Intermediary Liability For Selling Stolen Goods Through Its Website: http://ptlb.in/ccici/?p=259


On Wed, Nov 20, 2013 at 1:03 PM, Mark Mwangi <mwangy@gmail.com> wrote:
There is also an international market that is probably bigger than the local one. Using a stolen phone in the country is very risky since cops easily get a hold of you via the telcos. Sell it to a Congolese or Ugandan guy on the other hand and the bureaucracy makes it harder. 

My stolen phone is in use in Morogoro Tanzania. 


On Wed, Nov 20, 2013 at 12:03 PM, ndungu stephen <ndungustephen@gmail.com> wrote:
The market is as big as OLX - where everything sells.




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