Know before you buy
Enter or scan the VIN. If the owner registered it here and reported it stolen, you will find out before you hand over money.
Required. If this item is registered, the owner is told that their VIN was checked and is given this address.
If you allow location, the owner is told roughly where their VIN was checked — and exactly where, if it turns out to be reported stolen. That is what turns a check into a recovery.
A clean result is not a guarantee
This registry only knows about items its owners have registered. Most trailers and ATVs are registered nowhere. The FBI database that holds theft reports is closed to the public, and the two databases a buyer can reach both miss these machines — one only sees insured items, and no state requires insurance on an ATV; the other is built on titles, and many states issue off-highway decals instead.
If a deal feels wrong, ask for the title and a photo ID, and call the local non-emergency police line with the VIN. They can run it against the database you cannot.