As we’ve said before, we are not funded by anyone. Not the country of Thailand, not by any provinces, and not by any municipality at all. We are entirely self-supported and we don’t make a lot of money from this venture, it’s more like we are doing a good thing for people and it makes us feel good too.
The cost to you to retrieve your item(s) is very minimal considering all that has to happen to return a laptop or mobile phone to you, for example.
We charge a very small 370 Thai baht filing fee for all Lost Item Reports. That’s almost $10 USD. This covers a lot and is often all you will need to pay with the exception of mailing service to get your item back to your home country if you’re not still in Thailand.
Our Initial Investigation Covers
- Looking at your Lost Item Report thoroughly.
- Contacting you to ask more questions.
- Calls to anyone or any business that may have your items. Often times people turn them in at a restaurant, park, store, mall, airport, bus station, or on a boat or in a taxi.
- Post notices with photos you provide at local social media for locals to see. This can result in a connection that would have never happened otherwise.
- We scan local for sale ads online to see if your item might be up for sale.
Once your item is found or we think someone has it and we have to verify, we move into the 2nd Phase – how to return your items to you.
Total Costs of Retrieving Specific Lost Items
Naturally, you want to know what the cost would be if we look for and then find the items you lost in Thailand. We’ll outline below the typical costs.
If You Lost Cash in Thailand
If you’re lucky enough that someone found your cash and wants to return it, you should also play the lottery as soon as possible because it’s your lucky week! We are constantly surprised by how often people turn in cash in purses and wallets, and even whole bags of cash left in a taxi. It does happen!
- 370 THB for filing your Lost Item Report and initial investigation.
- We may charge a small fee for transferring the money back to you digitally, through crypto, or other means. Maybe another 500 THB.
If You Lost a Purse or Wallet in Thailand
- 370 THB fee for filing a Lost Item Report + investigation into where your items may be.
- We will charge a fee for traveling to get your bag or wallet. Depending how far it is this fee might be 1,000 to 2,000 THB within 30 km. distance.
- We will charge a fee for packing and traveling to the Post to mail your item, plus the cost of mailing it to you with insurance.
- Often times the person who found your item will want a finder’s fee. You can decide how much that is. Usually 5-10% of whatever was recovered is appropriate.
If You Lost a Mobile Phone, Laptop, Tablet, or Other Electronic Device
- 370 THB fee.
- 1,000 to 2,000 THB for traveling to get your items.
- A fee for packing and mailing your items with insurance to wherever you are.
- A reward should be offered for high value items.
If You Lost Your Items in an Airport, Bus Station, Boat, Taxi, etc.
Sometimes it depends WHERE you lost the item. If a private citizen found it, we can usually meet with them with little problem and it won’t take long. If at an airport, there are lots of hoops to jump through and it will cost you a little more.
- 370 THB fee.
- We will need to charge money for the extensive back and forth we’ll do between the organization who has your item, you, and us. The airport for instance will need to see your plane ticket information – ticket stubs or electronic receipt. They will need to know serial numbers of your items, see photos of your items, and learn about any identifying characteristics that prove the item is yours. This can take days. it can be especially long if they want to check CCTV – remote cameras to catch you on video with the device. This is often impossible, but it does take time.
- A fee for going to get your items. Probably 2,000 THB.
- A fee for packing your items and sending them with insurance. We usually charge 1,500 on top of postal costs.
Your total costs would be around 5,000 Thai baht. At the moment that is about $138 USD. If your item is worth $600 to $4,000, it really makes sense, doesn’t it?
If you lost something in Thailand, you need to file a LOST ITEM REPORT, do it here now before you forget. It’s better to get the ball rolling as soon as possible.