I've had several emails from people enquiring whether particular serial numbers are from stolen players. This isn't a service empeg offered to customers while trading, and some years on I'm afraid I certainly don't have the time or the data to track such things. I'm also unsure of the data protection implications.

I'm sure the vast majority of stolen players have been posted here; in fact I posted a list of serial numbers a year or two back that were originally obtained by fraudulent means. A BBS search would seem to be the best way to research your purchases.

Rob

I must apologize. I believe I referred a couple of people to you in that fashion.

In hindsight, I see why it was a bad idea. Won't do it again.

Greetings!

There might be a value in generating a new thread, titled "Stolen Players" and asking those who have had players stolen in the past reply to that thread with their serial numbers. This way:

a) if people never posted their serial number before, they can now
b) it combines them into a thread that is easy to search for ebay shoppers

Perhaps a 'sticky' thread in the For Sale section? That way it would appear at the top and new users could see it immediatley without the need for a search. It may slso prevent thieves from trying to sell.

I'm also unsure of the data protection implications.

Good point, with the EC breathing down our necks, PC doesn't mean PC in this land. It would be a good idea to have a register, but it may need to be confidential. i.e. submit a number and the keeper will tell you if it's registered or not: I'll have a word with our legal eagles in the morning, I'll not say i'll keep such a register(which wouldn't seem to be a big job), but I'm not saying I won't (politician's answer).