StuffBak

StuffBak is a lost-property recovery service that has been popularized in North America by its labels being included as a "freebie" with products at major retailers such as CompUSA. StuffBak labels are frequently thrown in with laptops or laptop accessory purchases, or as gimmick "free items" packaged with "essentials" or "starter" kits, and with retail service or maintenance plans.

How it works

StuffBak provides labels in varying shapes and sizes to consumers, which have a telephone number and a unique label identifier printed, along with the message "Reward For Return". The labels are made in numerous sizes, ranging from a small sticker-dot for portable items, to a solid metal luggage tag so thick as to be unbendable without tools. The owner registers their property and label numbers with the StuffBak web site.

Should lost property be found, a good samaritan can call the number and arrange for the item's return. The item's owner can pre-arrange for a cash reward to be offered to someone reporting the item - in any case, the minimum reward that a finder may receive is a free pack of StuffBak labels to stick on their own property.

Good Samaritan claim

StuffBak has been an auxiliary subject of numerous television news clips, most of which probe into human nature and the chances of having a lost valuable item returned. Many of the news clips feature setups where items are deliberately lost in public to see how many of them would be returned. StuffBak asserts that the majority of items with a label are returned, and cites numerous news sources that agree with this claim.

Fees charged

As with any business, this company must charge for its services, but due to the random infrequent nature of property losses combined with the number of labels StuffBak gives away free, it must do so in a variety of non-traditional ways.

People who receive their labels as "freebies" often expect to pay nothing to use them unless an item is lost, and in that case, StuffBak may impose charges for assistance in recovering items. To justify doing so, StuffBak may add some value, for example, by sending a pre-paid shipping envelope to the finder, along with a courier pickup.

Alternatively, the company offers an insurance-like subscription package, where the customer pre-pays for the service, but is then entitled to perks (such as next-day air shipping) that may cost more than the subscription, in the event of the loss. The extra cost, of course, is offset by the number of subscribers who are virtually certain never to need to use their benefits.

References

* [http://www.stuffbak.com StuffBak home page]
* [http://www.stuffbak.com/sb/media/ StuffBak media page] (includes numerous references to news sources)
* Edward C. Baig, USA Today, [http://www.usatoday.com/tech/columnist/edwardbaig/2004-06-09-baig_x.htm Companies help get lost stuff back to you] (June 9, 2004)