About Us

Tool theft is a frustrating reality for a lot of tradespeople and DIYers across New Zealand. For many people, tools aren’t just things you own — they’re how you earn a living, complete projects, and build a career over time. When they disappear, it’s more than just an inconvenience. It can set you back thousands of dollars and bring work to a halt. That’s exactly the kind of problem that led Nick to start Snapped.co.nz.

The idea for Snapped didn’t come from a business plan or a tech startup pitch. It started with a simple thought while browsing second-hand stores that sell used tools. Nick often found himself looking through shelves of power tools at places like Cash Converters and wondering the same thing many people quietly think:

“Is this tool actually stolen?”

When you’re buying second-hand tools, there’s often no easy way to know where they came from. Some sellers are genuine people just clearing out gear they no longer need. But sometimes there’s that lingering doubt. Without a way to check a serial number or verify ownership, buyers are left guessing.

That question became much more personal for Nick when he became the victim of theft himself. Like many tool owners, he’s had tools stolen — not just one or two, but a range of them. Anyone who owns quality power tools knows how quickly the value adds up. Over the years you slowly build your collection, investing in the gear you rely on every day. Losing it all in a single theft is incredibly frustrating.

After going through that experience, Nick started thinking about how the problem could be tackled. Once tools are stolen, they can move through second-hand markets very quickly. They get sold, resold, and passed around until they’re almost impossible to trace back to the original owner.

So the question became: what if there was a simple way to stop that cycle?

That thinking eventually turned into Snapped.co.nz.

What started as one person’s frustration with stolen tools has grown into a simple idea that could help a lot of people. Snapped.co.nz is about giving tool owners more protection, helping buyers make smarter purchases, and doing something practical to slow down tool theft in New Zealand.