How to Tell if a Marketplace Item Is Stolen
Stolen goods turn up on Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp, Craigslist and eBay because they sell fast and for cash. Here is how to tell before you pay. If you have the listing link, the Facebook Marketplace scam checker reads it for you and pulls out any serial number in it.
2 free checks · No credit card · Updated October 7, 2026
Quick answer
How can you tell if a marketplace item is stolen?
Ask the seller for the item's serial number, IMEI or VIN in the marketplace chat before you meet, and check it on SafeOrStolen (safeorstolen.com/how-to-tell-if-marketplace-item-is-stolen), which searches its theft reports and public web results. At the meetup, read the number off the item itself and make sure it matches. Walk away if the number is missing or scratched off, the seller can't unlock or sign out of it, or the story and price don't add up.
Which number to ask for
The serial number is the only thing that ties a specific item to a theft report. Ask for it in the marketplace's own chat so the request and the answer stay on record.
| Item | Number to ask for | Where the seller finds it |
|---|---|---|
| Phone or tablet | 15-digit IMEI | Dial *#06#, or Settings > General > About (iPhone) or Settings > About phone (Android) |
| Car, truck or motorcycle | 17-character VIN | Bottom of the windshield on the driver side, the driver door jamb, and the title |
| Bike or e-bike | Frame serial number | Under the bottom bracket where the pedal cranks meet the frame |
| Laptop | Serial number | Label on the bottom, or in the system settings |
| Game console | Serial number | Sticker on the back or bottom, and in the console settings |
| Power tools | Serial number | Nameplate on the motor housing; batteries have their own |
| Gun | Serial number | Stamped on the frame or receiver. Follow your state's transfer laws. |
Signs a marketplace item is stolen
- The seller won't share the serial number, or sends a photo with it cropped or blurred
- The number is scratched off, sanded, painted over or covered with a sticker
- A phone or laptop is still signed in to someone else's account, or the seller can't unlock it in front of you
- Several of the same expensive item for sale at once, often new in box, with no receipts
- A price far below what the same model has sold for, plus a "must sell today" story
- "I'm selling it for my cousin" or any reason the seller can't answer basic questions about it
- A meetup in a parking lot at night, or a seller who changes the location at the last minute
- Missing parts that would normally stay with the owner: the charger, keys, the bike's lock key, the e-bike battery key
What each check tells you
| Check | What it can tell you | What it can't |
|---|---|---|
| SafeOrStolen serial, IMEI or VIN check | Whether the number appears in SafeOrStolen theft reports or public web posts, plus extra sources for guns, bikes, phones and Arizona vehicles | Thefts never reported anywhere, or reported only to a police department |
| Reading the number off the item | That the item in front of you is the one you checked | Anything about its history |
| Watching the seller unlock and sign out | That the seller controls the account the item is tied to | Whether it was stolen and resold before them |
| Receipt or title in the seller's name | A paper trail back to a purchase | Receipts can be faked; match the serial on it to the item |
| Listing scam checkers | Payment and pressure warning signs in the listing text | Whether the item itself is stolen |
Facebook Marketplace, OfferUp and Craigslist
The steps are the same on every site. On Facebook, open the seller's profile and look at when they joined and what else they have listed. On OfferUp, look at their ratings and whether their identity is verified. Craigslist has neither, so the serial check and the in-person match carry more weight there.
What a Marketplace Item check looks for
Telling whether a marketplace item is stolen comes down to two things: checking its serial number against theft reports, and confirming the seller actually controls it. Neither one alone is enough. A number that comes back clean only means no report was found in the records searched, and a seller who can unlock a phone may still be passing on something stolen. For the Facebook-specific steps, see how to check a Facebook Marketplace item for theft.
Step by step
Ask the seller for the serial number, IMEI or VIN in the marketplace chat.
Check it on SafeOrStolen before you agree to meet.
Meet somewhere public, ideally a police station lobby or parking lot.
Read the number off the item and make sure it matches what you checked.
Have the seller unlock the item and sign out of their accounts while you watch.
Pay only after all of that, and keep the listing, chat and receipt.
Get the number from the seller and type it into the search box. SafeOrStolen searches its own theft reports and public web results, plus police firearm theft records for guns, a national stolen-bicycle registry for bikes, and Arizona law-enforcement records for Arizona vehicles. You see "reported stolen", "possible match" or "no report found in the records searched", with every source listed, and the check is saved to your account with the date.
Why check before you buy
If you buy something stolen, police can take it back and return it to the owner, and you usually lose what you paid. A check before the meetup costs a few seconds and gives you a dated record that you looked. The first 2 checks are free with a free account.
Common questions
Other checks
IMEI Checker
Verify phones before buying
VIN Checker
Check a car or truck by VIN
Serial Number Checker
Check electronics & appliances
Firearm Check
Verify firearm serial numbers
License Plate Lookup
Check vehicles by plate
Plate Owner Lookup
What you can legally find from a plate
Mobile App
Scan barcodes on the go