Every other field in an inventory describes a category of object. The serial number describes your object. After a burglary it is the difference between "a laptop was taken" and "this laptop, this number, entered in the police report".
Which items are worth the effort
| Category | Record serial | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Computers, phones, tablets | Always | Theft recovery, warranty, remote lock |
| Televisions, audio, gaming consoles | Always | High theft rate, easy to identify |
| Cameras and lenses | Always | Numbers are stamped and traceable |
| Power tools | Always | The most commonly stolen category from garages |
| Bicycles and e-bikes | Always | Frame number is the recovery mechanism |
| Firearms | Always | Legally significant, low insurance sub-limit |
| Musical instruments | Always | Individually identifiable, often valuable |
| Watches | Always | Case-back or papers; drives resale identification |
| Major appliances | Yes | Establishes model and age for depreciation |
| Furniture, rugs, decor | No | No usable identifier; rely on photos |
Where the number hides, by item type
- Laptops: underside label, or the settings screen. On many models the printed label wears off, so capture it from software as well as by photograph.
- Desktops: rear panel or top edge of the case; also on the motherboard box if you kept it.
- Phones and tablets: settings, plus the IMEI on the SIM tray or original box.
- Televisions: rear panel label, usually near the input ports; also in the menu under support or system information.
- Cameras: baseplate for bodies, barrel or mount ring for lenses.
- Power tools: nameplate on the motor housing, often under grime — wipe it before shooting.
- Bicycles: stamped into the bottom bracket shell under the frame, sometimes on the head tube or rear dropout.
- Appliances: inside the door frame for refrigerators and dishwashers, behind the drawer for ranges, on the rear or inside the lid for washers.
- Watches: case back, or on the warranty card and papers.
- Instruments: label visible through the sound hole on acoustics, headstock or neck plate on electrics, and on the case for wind instruments.
Capture the number as a photograph, not only as text
Typed numbers get transcribed wrong — 0 and O, 1 and I, 5 and S. A photograph of the label attached to the item record removes the ambiguity and doubles as proof that the label was on your device. Record both: the typed value for searching, the photograph for verification.
What the number does after a theft
- It goes into the police report, which is what allows an item to be entered in a stolen-property database that pawn shops and online marketplaces are checked against.
- It lets the manufacturer flag the device, and in the case of phones and some laptops, disable it.
- It removes any argument at claim time about which model was taken.
The practical consequence is that items with recorded serial numbers are the ones that occasionally come back, and items without them essentially never do. What to do in the hours after a break-in is covered in after a burglary.
Do it in one sweep
Serial numbers are tedious to collect one at a time and quick to collect in a batch. Walk the house once with a phone and photograph every label you find on every device, without typing anything. Then sit down and attach each photo to the right item record. Forty devices takes about half an hour, and it never has to be done again for those items.