This combo photo shows Ofo shared bikes are sold online. (Photo from online shops)
(ECNS) -- Shared bicycles including those from market leaders Ofo and Mobike are being offered for sale on Chinese online flea market sites Xianyu and Zhuanzhuan at prices of 40 to 100 yuan (about $5.8 to $14.5), Beijing News reported.
Vendors had unlocked the bikes, and destroyed their QR code and positioning device, the report said.
Someone selling Ofo bikes said he also taught buyers how to unlock various shared bikes, charging 1,000 yuan per brand. He said he was able to acquire 100 of the bikes in a day.
According to the paper, a vendor nicknamed "Gongzi" sent two videos to the reporter, one featuring a locked Ofo bike and the other showing a man unlocking the same bike in less than two seconds.
"It's easy to unlock the bikes. I'll show you the ropes with a video instruction after you make the payment," Gongzi told the reporter.
An Ofo manager said shared bikes were first spotted on some online sites three or four months ago. The company then contacted those platforms asking them to withdraw the posts. It also reported the matter to law enforcement agencies, which investigated and collected evidence.
If the latest report on the sale of stolen bikes and unlocking instructions it true, the company would report it to police, the manager said.
Han Xiao, a Beijing-based lawyer, said vendor behavior has constituted the crime of theft according to Chinese law.
Despite the popularity of shared bikes in big cities, some were also found intentionally damaged or parked randomly to affect traffic.
