Bar Code/ Item Number

ErylRavenwell said:

Say, you find a chain with a bar code, can you trace it back to the wholesaler as well as the retail store that bought the chain from the wholesaler?

Now, do chains come with a unique item number on it (etched in the metal)? If, yes, using that number, can you trace the wholesaler that distributed the chain and to which retail store it sold the chain?

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Yes, you can.

At one time, I worked for Wal-Mart and they scan returns. The bar code indicates whether or not it came from Wal-Mart and if it didn't (such as if the scan demonstrated it came from K-Mart instead) and also where the product came from to the store.

I think it also depends on the retailer in question. I worked in the music business for some time and the bar code for CDs contained information for distributor, label, even catalog number, but with the number of retailers, there was no way they would do a separate print run for each.

Some retailers also create their own UPC/bar code system, which contains whatever info they deem necessary.

I've never bought chain with a bar code on it. A tag attached to a length of chain isn't going to last too long in use and I'm not sure why you'd want to spend the money to etch it on.

Usually you buy chain to length. You go down to your local hardware or farm store and decide the size and tell them how long you want the chain. These stores buy it in long lengths and sell it in parts. A big farm or construction company could buy complete lengths and cut it to size, but rarely would use an entire length for one job.

My guess is that a specific length of chain would be pretty much untraceable. However, there aren't that many places that sell chain, especially as you go up in sizes.

I'd suggest talking with your local police department and see if they know any way to trace chains.

Best of luck,

Jim Clark-Dawe

So, who wants to know, and why?

I'm guessing a couple things that could be done (presuming it involves a case important enough for an agency such as the FBI to get involved - if it's just local police, they may not have the money to do such an investigation) is identify the manufacturer by the exact mix of elements in the metal, as well as the model of the chain by its exact size and shape.

You might want to read up on the Unabomber and what all was done in attempts to find him. I vaguely recall a few things, he (or someone?) supposedly made his own electrical switches, because anything bought at Radio Shack would be traceable (I don't know how). There were batteries used in some bombing or found in possesion of a bomber (perhaps Eric Rudolph?) that were (somehow, again I have no clue) traced to some retailer in Florida. These are things I heard in news reports many years ago.

This article may give you ideas, it has months and even years of fascinating police investigation condensed into a few paragraphs:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_Am_Flight_103
and especially read the part on the investigation.
I don't see this in the Wikipedia article, but I recall that one of the big lucky breaks for the investigation was that the plane's flight was delayed, resulting in it exploding over land. If the flight had been on time, it would have blown up over the ocean as the terrorists intended, making any investigation much harder.

jclarkdawe said:

I'd suggest talking with your local police department and see if they know any way to trace chains.

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I have the idea that asking such questions of a police department, uh, might not be be advisable...

benbradley said:

I have the idea that asking such questions of a police department, uh, might not be be advisable...

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That depends. If you go to their public information officer and explain you're a writer trying to get a particular detail right, the local PD may make time for you. It just depends on that particular department.

Maryn, who's gotten a few questions answered at her local PD

If it's something like a covered bicycle chain for a lock, it could have a bar code. If it's just a lenght of chain no one barcodes those. Codes would be on the spindle/roller dispensor.