Is SerialCheck free to use?

Yes — completely free, with no premium tiers, subscriptions, or hidden fees. Checking a serial number and registering your property both cost nothing, and always will.

What do I need to register an item?

Just the serial number plus a few basic details — brand, model, category, and ideally a photo or two. The serial number is the key field, because it's what makes a match possible if the item is ever stolen and later checked or recovered.

How do I check whether something is stolen before I buy it?

Enter the serial number, brand, or model in the search box. If the item has been reported stolen and registered on SerialCheck, you'll see an alert straight away.

Where do I find the serial number on my gear?

It varies by item: bikes are usually stamped under the bottom bracket, power tools near the motor housing, laptops on the underside or in the system settings, and instruments inside the sound hole or on the headstock.

Can SerialCheck help with police reports and insurance claims?

Yes. Every registered item has a timestamped record with its serial number and photos, which acts as independent proof of ownership for police reports and insurance claims.

Check before you buy.

Search by serial number, brand, or model to check if an item has been reported stolen. Free for everyone, forever.

Or register your gear to protect it.

How it works

Check

Enter any serial number before buying secondhand. Instantly see if it's been reported stolen.

Register

Add your gear with serial numbers and photos. Create a proof-of-ownership record.

Alert

If something's stolen, mark it and share an alert. Anyone checking the serial will be warned.

What you can register on SerialCheck

If it has a serial number, it belongs on SerialCheck. Our registry covers all types of valuables commonly targeted by thieves across Australia.

🚲

Bicycles

Road bikes, mountain bikes, e-bikes, and kids' bikes

💻

Electronics

Laptops, tablets, phones, gaming consoles, and TVs

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Power Tools

Drills, saws, grinders, and trade equipment

🎸

Instruments

Guitars, keyboards, brass, woodwind, and more

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Cameras

DSLRs, mirrorless cameras, lenses, and drones

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Jewellery

Watches, rings, and pieces with unique identifiers

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Sporting Goods

Surfboards, golf clubs, fitness equipment

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Anything Else

Any item with a serial number or unique identifier

Why Australians trust SerialCheck

We built SerialCheck to solve a simple problem: most stolen property is never recovered because owners don't have their serial numbers recorded. Here's what makes us different.

100% Free, Forever

No hidden fees, no premium tiers, no trial periods. Registering your gear and checking serial numbers costs nothing. We believe property protection should be accessible to every Australian.

Privacy First

Your personal details are never displayed publicly. When someone finds a match on a stolen item, contact is facilitated through the platform. We don't sell or share your data with anyone.

Community Powered

SerialCheck works because everyday Australians use it — registering their property, checking serial numbers before buying, and sharing alerts. Every user makes the network stronger.

Instant Results

Checking a serial number takes seconds. No waiting, no phone calls, no paperwork. Just enter a serial number and get an instant answer on whether it has been reported stolen.

Proof of Ownership

Every registered item gets a timestamped record with serial numbers and photos. This serves as independent proof of ownership for police reports and insurance claims.

Australian Built

SerialCheck is an independent, Australian-built project. Not a multinational corporation — just a local initiative focused on helping Australians protect their belongings.

Property theft is one of Australia's most common crimes

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, hundreds of thousands of Australian households are affected by property theft each year. Bicycles disappear from front yards, power tools vanish from work utes, laptops are taken in break-ins, and musical instruments go missing from cars after gigs. The financial and emotional toll is significant — and the recovery rate is dishearteningly low.

One of the biggest reasons stolen property goes unrecovered is surprisingly simple: most people don't have their serial numbers written down. When police recover stolen goods — and they do, regularly — they often cannot return them because there is no way to match items to their owners. A $3,000 guitar sitting in an evidence room is useless if nobody can prove it belongs to them.

SerialCheck exists to close that gap. By giving Australians a free, easy place to record serial numbers before something goes wrong, we make stolen property harder to sell and easier to return. Every item registered in the system strengthens the network and makes theft a little less profitable.

Tips and guides

Practical advice to help you protect your property and stay safe when buying second-hand.

Frequently asked questions

Everything you need to know about checking and registering serial numbers on SerialCheck.

Is SerialCheck free to use?: Yes — completely free, with no premium tiers, subscriptions, or hidden fees. Checking a serial number and registering your property both cost nothing, and always will. SerialCheck runs as a community initiative to help Australians protect their belongings, not as a paid product.
What do I need to register an item?: Just the serial number plus a few basic details — brand, model, category, and ideally a photo or two. The serial number is the key field, because it's what makes a match possible if the item is ever stolen and later checked by a buyer or recovered by police.
How do I check whether something is stolen before I buy it?: Enter the serial number, brand, or model in the search box at the top of the page. If the item has been reported stolen and registered on SerialCheck, you'll see an alert straight away. It takes a few seconds and can save you from unknowingly buying stolen goods on Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree, or anywhere else.
Where do I find the serial number on my gear?: It varies by item: bikes are usually stamped under the bottom bracket, power tools near the motor housing or base plate, laptops on the underside or in the system settings, and instruments inside the sound hole or on the headstock. Our guide on where to find serial numbers covers the common spots for every category.
Is my personal information visible to other people?: No. Your personal details are never displayed publicly. When someone finds a match on a stolen item, contact is facilitated privately through the platform, so you can arrange recovery without exposing your name, address, or contact details to strangers.
Can SerialCheck help with police reports and insurance claims?: Yes. Every registered item has a timestamped record with its serial number and photos, which acts as independent proof of ownership. That record makes police reports and insurance claims far simpler, because you can show exactly what was taken and demonstrate that it was yours.

See more questions

Protect your valuables in under two minutes

Join thousands of Australians who have registered their serial numbers on SerialCheck. It's free, it's fast, and it could make all the difference if something goes wrong.