jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I discovered this many years ago when I wanted another CD try for an in-car CD player. If you search for an item's serial number, you will probably be able to find that item online. I just tried it with a Craftsman ratchet, and it took me to a page full of them.

So, if you have a broken item that you wish to replace, just enter the serial number.

https://www.google.com/search?q=cmmt81748&oq=cmmt81748&aqs=edge..69i57j0i512l4.9310j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

gpc

This works on Amazon too...

EDIT: Oops, that would be the model number. I haven't tried the serial number.

PhotogHobbyist Loc: Bradford, PA

I tried the serial number of my camera and its lens, came up with some items not even closel to photography.

JADAV

Lately I have encountered a problem with serial numbers on products that I've purchased when attempting to register them for warranty/guarantee. If the manufacturer make and sell a range of similar items that vary not so much by appearance but by performance or capacity they seem to use very similar serial numbers. Often the numbers are more than 10 digits long and may start with a group of letters, include a hyphen, forward stroke and other non-alphanumeric symbol. On accessing the online website for registering the product there will usually be an entry box into which I've very carefully entered the serial number (usually printed in the tiniest size and poorly contrasting colour) read by magnifying glass. The first attempt is rejected without any indication why; but deleting what you have entered. Assuming that my entry contained an error all the number is re-entered but with the same result. After many trials it emerges that only part of the printed serial number is required but it takes lots of time to arrive at what they deem acceptable. It seems that they throw up a barrier to prevent the customer actually registering.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Yes, that does happen. I'm surprised that a serial number search works at all. It's surprising when only one item in the entire universe has that set up numbers and letters.

There's a term for searching on Google and getting just one result. I've done it several times. It's something like Google smacking. Nope, that's not it -

Google Smack
Under certain circumstances, the use of the Google search engine yields many results that prove either embarassing or defaming to an individual. Usually due to some amount of personal information available freely or without restriction on the internet and not carefully filtered using a pseudonym or handle.
Rosie got Google smacked after a job interview when her prospective employer searched for her name and turned up drunk pictures of her from MySpace and archived erotic Star Trek fanfiction. Needless to say, she did not get the job.

EDIT: "Googlewhack" I was close.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Googlewhack