Comparison
Theftsight vs PPSR (Personal Property Securities Register)
Australia's federal pre-purchase asset check vs continuous monitoring that helps a victim find and recover their own stolen gear.
PPSR (Personal Property Securities Register) The PPSR, run by the Australian Financial Security Authority, draws on state and territory police data so a ~$2 search reveals whether a vehicle is reported stolen, written off, or under finance. It's the authoritative pre-purchase safeguard nationwide. But it protects buyers from stolen goods rather than helping victims find and recover their own — and it's a manual, point-in-time lookup, not a watch.
| Capability | PPSR (Personal Property Securities Register) | Theftsight |
|---|---|---|
| Core model | National asset register + paid point-in-time stolen/finance check | Continuous marketplace watch + confidence-scored match alerts |
| Marketplace scanning | None — the buyer runs a manual search per item | Automated serial, image, price & location matching across marketplaces |
| Police | Sources data from national/state police databases | Operator-reviewed candidates + a proof pack an officer can act on |
| Coverage | Australia-wide (VIN-based; Tas stolen data a known gap) | All serial-numbered gear, not just vehicles |
Where PPSR (Personal Property Securities Register) is strong
- Authoritative federal register fed by police data across the states.
- Extremely cheap (~$2) and instant for a pre-purchase stolen/finance check.
- A trusted, official certificate that carries legal weight.
Where Theftsight is built to win
- Built for victims, not just buyers — we go looking for your stolen item as it's resold.
- A continuous watch across marketplaces instead of one manual lookup.
- Covers bikes, tools and gear the PPSR's vehicle focus doesn't reach.
Can you use both?
Yes — run a PPSR check before you buy anything second-hand, and use Theftsight to watch for your own gear being resold if it's ever stolen.
Related: Stolen bike recovery in Australia · Compare all.
Put your gear under watch
Register in two minutes. If it's stolen, marketplaces are scanned — and police and insurers on the network can see the case.