Frequently asked questions

For faires

What does it cost?

Pricing isn’t public yet. We work it out with each faire when we talk, based on how your lost and found runs. Request a demo and we’ll go through it.

What does it take to get started?

There’s nothing to install. We set up your faire with you: the event and its dates, the kinds of items you take in and the details to record for each, where you store them, and an account for each staff member or volunteer lead. After that, staff sign in from a web browser.

Does it work on spotty faire Wi‑Fi?

Lost at Faire is built for poor connections: its pages are light and work over a phone signal. It doesn’t have an offline mode, though. Saving a found item or a report needs a connection at that moment.

Can volunteers use it on a tablet or a phone?

Yes. Logging a found item and taking a lost-item report are step-by-step screens made for a tablet at the info booth, held either way, and they work on a phone too. Each found item gets a short tag you can print and attach to it.

How does matching work?

When staff log a found item or take a report, Lost at Faire suggests possible matches from simple rules: the same kind of item, found and lost within a few days of each other, and for IDs and cards, the same name. A person on your staff always decides whether an item belongs to someone. There’s no photo recognition or automatic matching.

Who can see patron information?

Only your staff, and only for the faires they’re assigned to. Patrons never browse the found items, and staff at another faire can’t see yours. See our privacy policy for the details.

What about IDs, credit cards, and wallets?

Each kind of item can be marked as holding personal information, and each detail staff record as identifying someone, such as the name on an ID. Staff record what they need to match the item to its owner. We suggest never recording a full card number. Once those items are returned or disposed of, their photos and identifying details are removed automatically, 180 days after the faire ends.

What happens to items nobody claims?

You can set how long each kind of item is held, and Lost at Faire shows staff which items are due for disposal. Staff record what happened to each one (donated, destroyed, discarded, or something else), so you have a record of every item that came in and where it went.

Can we use it for more than one faire, or a faire that runs several weekends?

Yes. Each faire is its own event with its own items, reports, and staff, and staff can work at more than one. For multi-weekend faires, storage can be set up by weekend, so you know which weekend’s items are where.

Can we bring in our old records?

Possibly. We’ve already brought one faire’s past found items and reports over from the lost-and-found app it used before. Whether we can do the same for you depends on what your records are in; tell us in your demo request.

For patrons

I lost something at a faire. What do I do?

Go to the faire’s info booth. Staff can take your report in a couple of minutes, and they’ll contact you if your item turns up. If you’ve already left, see Lost something? for how to reach each faire that uses Lost at Faire.

Do I need an account, an email address, or a phone number?

No. You never need an account. Leaving an email address or phone number lets staff get in touch if your item is found, but you can check back at the booth instead.

Can I look through the found items myself?

No. Only faire staff see the found items. That keeps IDs, cards, and other valuables from being claimed by the wrong person. Describe what you lost, and staff will look for it.

How do I get my details deleted?

Your personal details are removed automatically 180 days after the faire ends, and you can ask for it sooner. See Your choices and rights in our privacy policy.