Mercari, Inc. (headquarters: Minato, Tokyo; Representative Executive Officer and CEO: Shintaro Yamada; “Mercari”) announces that it has partnered with find Inc. (headquarters: Chuo, Tokyo; Representative Executive Officer and CEO: Akira Takashima; “find Inc.”) to start a proof of concept using Mercari Shops to sell lost items collected by partnered railway companies and retail facilities. All items sold on Mercari Shops have been stored for longer than the legal storage period of 3 months and can no longer be claimed. This proof of concept will continue until the end of August.
Background behind proof of concept
According to the National Police Agency, approximately 29.79 million lost items were brought into police stations around Japan in 2023, the highest number since records began in 1971.
Items found by railway companies and commercial facilities are stored and managed according to Japan’s Lost Property Act and returned to the owner once identified. However, if the owner is never identified and the item has been stored for more than the legal storage period of 3 months, as stipulated in the Lost Property Act, the item will be discarded. Many of these discarded items are in good condition and can go on to have another life.
Facilities that store and manage lost items spend a significant amount of resources sorting through and disposing of these items. For example, large department stores discard approximately 600 items per store per month, which equates to about 10 hours of labor per month.
In response to this issue, Mercari has partnered with find Inc. and find Inc.’s partner companies, including railway companies and department stores, to conduct a proof of concept to sell unclaimed lost items that are still usable on Mercari Shops instead of throwing them away.
Revenue earned from the sale of lost items on Mercari Shops, after the deduction of Mercari Shops and find Inc. fees, will be used to reimburse the railway companies and department stores that manage lost items.
Through this initiative, we aim to minimize the disposal of items that can still be used and reduce the costs of managing lost items.
Proof of concept overview
Period
February 20–August 31, 2025
Details
find Inc. will collect lost items that have been stored by a commercial facility or other such institute for longer than the legal storage period and are now legally owned by the facility, saving the items from being thrown away. After collection, find Inc. will inspect the items and list those that pass inspection on find Inc.’s Mercari Shops account.
find Inc.’s Mercari Shops account
Shop Name: find shop
Shop URL: https://mercari-shops.com/shops/jgEGjYzgrTJz3fjLnNJKiB
Note: Only items that are in good condition and that include no identifying information will be listed.
Note: Brand-name items will be listed after their authenticity and condition have been verified by a specialized agency. Any electronic items will be listed after they are tested and confirmed to be functional.
Messages from companies participating in this initiative
find Inc.
At find Inc., we aim to match every lost item to their owner and optimize the management of lost items. Through our partnership with a large number of companies, we have improved the collection rate of lost items. However, having witnessed the current situation where lost items are discarded after the legal storage period, we started exploring ways to somehow make use of these items.
That’s why we are delighted to partner with Mercari—through our joint initiative, we hope to give new value to unclaimed lost items and create a sustainable cycle of consumption.
Promoting the reuse of lost items helps reduce the burden placed on facilities that collect lost items and can contribute to reducing waste, which is Mercari’s philosophy.
We will strive to make this initiative an attractive choice for companies and facilities that manage lost items.
Keio Corporation
Here at Keio Corporation, we share find Inc.’s vision to match all lost items to their owners and were one of the first companies to work together with find Inc. to improve the efficiency of managing lost items.
We are delighted to provide our services for this new initiative of reusing lost items aiming for a more sustainable world.
Our contribution to this proof of concept will involve selecting good-quality lost items that are stored at Keio Corporation stations for longer than the legal storage period and can be reused so that they can be passed on to a new owner.
We hope that our efforts will promote the reuse of items and contribute to areas along the Keio Line and the local community. Keio Corporation will continue to strive to benefit local communities and build a sustainable future, and we hope many people make use of this new service.
Department store partnered with find Inc.
At our department stores, we spend a large amount of time and resources collecting and storing on average 600 lost items at each store per month. Through partnering with find Inc. as a member of their SDGs project, we can give new life to unclaimed lost items and contribute to find Inc.’s new initiative of reusing lost items in a sustainable manner through selling them on.
We believe that this project will not only streamline the proper management and disposal of lost items but also contribute to reducing the environmental impact of lost items.
Mercari Group’s sustainability strategy
Mercari strives to be a planet-positive company that contributes to solving environmental and societal issues through its business activities by realizing a circular economy in which all forms of value circulate seamlessly.
Going forward, Mercari will strive to do its part in creating a circular economy by continuing to take action to promote reuse and provide alternatives to throwing items away.
https://about.mercari.com/en/sustainability/