Free Serial Number Search & Lookup
Search any serial number for free and see whether the item is reported stolen before you buy it. It works for laptops, power tools, cameras, game consoles, guitars, bikes, guns, TVs and anything else with a serial number. Results in a few seconds, 2 free checks, no credit card.
2 free checks · No credit card · Updated October 5, 2026
Quick answer
How do I check if an item is stolen by its serial number?
Enter the serial number at SafeOrStolen (safeorstolen.com/serial-number-checker). SafeOrStolen searches its own theft reports and public web results, and for guns it also searches police firearm theft and loss reports from 33 states and DC. You get a result in a few seconds: reported stolen, possible match, or no report found in the records searched. The first 2 checks are free with no card. Do it before you pay, and save the result as proof you checked.
What a free serial number search can and can't tell you
A serial number search answers one question: has anyone reported this exact item stolen or lost in the records we search? If there is a match, you see what the report says and you should not buy the item. If there is no match, the result says so plainly, and lists every source that was searched.
No match is not a guarantee. Theft reports in the United States are split across thousands of police departments, and many owners never write down their serial numbers, so plenty of stolen items have never been reported anywhere. That is why the check also looks at how the item is being sold, and why the red flags below still matter.
A stolen-item search does not tell you who owns the item, whether the warranty is still active, or the exact model and build date. Those details belong to the manufacturer. What you get from SafeOrStolen is the part a buyer needs before handing over money: is this item flagged as stolen?
Where to find the serial number
Ask the seller for a clear photo of the serial number before you meet, then check the same number on the item in person. A seller who won't share it is giving you your answer.
| Item | Where the serial number is |
|---|---|
| Windows laptop | Label on the bottom of the case, or open PowerShell and run: Get-CimInstance Win32_BIOS |
| MacBook | Apple menu > About This Mac, and printed on the bottom case |
| iPhone or iPad | Settings > General > About (for a phone, also check the IMEI by dialing *#06#) |
| PlayStation 5 | Sticker on the back of the console, and Settings > System > System Software > Console Information |
| Xbox Series X|S | Settings > System > Console info, and the sticker on the back |
| Nintendo Switch | Bottom edge of the console, and System Settings > System > Serial Information |
| Power tools | Nameplate on the motor housing or the battery foot, next to the model number |
| Cameras and lenses | Base plate or battery door on the body; lenses carry their own serial on the barrel or mount |
| Guitars | Back of the headstock, or the neck plate on bolt-on necks |
| Bicycles | Underneath the bottom bracket, where the pedals meet the frame |
| Guns | Stamped on the frame or receiver, sometimes also on the slide or barrel |
| TVs | Label on the back panel, and in the TV's settings under Support or About |
Red flags that matter as much as the serial number
- The serial number is scratched, ground off, painted over, or covered by a new sticker
- The serial on the item doesn't match the box, the receipt, or the photo the seller sent
- The price is far below what the same item sells for used
- Several of the same expensive item for sale at once, often new in box, with no receipts
- The seller won't share the serial number before meeting, or wants cash only and right now
- A laptop or phone that is still signed in to someone else's account or locked by a company
What a Item check looks for
A serial number lookup checks whether a specific item has been reported stolen or lost. Almost every valuable manufactured item carries a unique serial number, and that number is what owners give the police and their insurer when the item is stolen. SafeOrStolen searches its own theft reports and public web results for every serial number. Gun serial numbers are also checked against police firearm theft and loss reports from 33 states and DC and live Ohio law-enforcement records. Bikes are checked against a national stolen-bicycle registry, phones against the lost and stolen phone blacklist, and vehicles against Arizona law-enforcement records and federal VIN data.
Step by step
Ask the seller for a photo of the serial number before you agree to meet
Type the full serial number into the search box, including every letter and number
Read the result and the list of sources that were searched
When you meet, make sure the serial number on the item matches the one you checked
If it is reported stolen, don't buy it, and pass the listing to your local police
Type the serial number into the search box. SafeOrStolen searches every source that applies to that kind of item at the same time and returns one of three results: reported stolen, possible match, or no report found in the records searched. Each result lists the sources it searched, and it is saved to your account with the date and time. After a check you can also get a $1.99 verification certificate, a dated record with its own link, showing you checked before the sale.
Why check before you buy
In most states, buying stolen property means losing it. Police can return it to the owner without paying you back, and you can be questioned about how you got it. Checking the serial number before you pay, and keeping a record that you checked, protects you as a buyer. It also helps honest sellers show that the item checked clean.
Common questions
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