Stolen iPod..serial number retrieval?

find the old box for the old ipod touch. Yeah i know you probably dont have it right ? well your screwed!

Unfortunately, there's only two ways to get your serial number:

1) Look on the packaging that came with it. On the back of the box is the S/N and the P/N (Serial Number and Part Number). It should be by the barcodes.

2) If you still have the invoice/reciept (I keep them for anything greater than $200) It will be listed with the iPod.

The serial numbers of iPods which have been connected to your computer is contained in the com.apple.iPod.plist file.
Not sure of the location of that file on Windows.

The store you purchased it at may have record of it.
Apple and Best Buy both maintain this info.

For Vista it's:

C:\Users\[User]\AppData\Local\Apple Computer\iTunes\iPodDevices.XML

Thanks for the info!

Apple isn't the best with customer problems

Actually Apple IS the best with customer problems.
They have been rated (by customers) at the top of customer service rating 3 years running.

But yes, I get your point.

It seems to me that you have been careless and not very sensible in dealing with your iPod and and receipt of purchase.

How did the iPod get stolen in the first place? Was it due to lack of care?
Where is the original packaging and receipt? What would you do if you needed to get the iPod fixed?
Did you report the theft to the police? If you did then inform them that you may know who has it, they will investigate, you should not be doing that.
Where is the backup of your computer that you would have had before you reformatted it? You could get the serial number out of the plist file from that.

Overall this sounds very suspicious or incredibly dumb.
Don't come here berating Apple and the help they provide for something that they have not been involved in or caused. You let the iPod get stolen and you have lost all records of the serial number.

Where was it purchased from? If it was purchased online from the Apple Store, you can go online and get a copy of the original purchase information. If it was purchased at an Apple Retail Store they can reprint your receipt if you provided name, phone number or email address at the time of purchase. Other retailers may have options to look up the receipt and reprint a copy.

If you registered an AppleCare Protection Plan for it, the Proof of Coverage you were mailed will have the Serial Number on it.

I had one stolen, and called Apple. I wasn't able to get the serial number, to protect my privacy. They told me to contact law enforcement, and when I told the cops that Apple couldn't give it to me for privacy reasons they did something, and it showed when I got a copy of the police report.

Recently I had the exact same problem you did, lost iPod and little or should I say no help from Apple. Imagine a computer company that asks you to register your product, but the "can't retreive it from the database." No wonder Apple computers are practically non existant....
Anyway, you CAN get the serial number as I did. Have your local police department call Apple Corporate Security. They will verify the police officer and Police Department, and then give you the serial number.