RetrievlyBack
How it works

Lost, but not gone – someone nearby will go and look.

Retrievly connects someone who has lost something outdoors with hobby metal detectorists and magnet fishers nearby who will go and look for it. Three things worth knowing before you start.

  1. 1What it is

    It's still there, and someone nearby has the tool

    A ring dropped in a field didn't vanish. It is within a few hundred metres of where you were standing, and the person who can find it already searches that ground at weekends with a metal detector or a magnet.

  2. 2Your location

    Your exact spot stays yours until you choose one person

    Searchers see a rough 5 km area, never your pin. The exact coordinates are withheld on our servers, not just hidden in the app, and unlock for the one searcher you pick.

  3. 3What it costs

    Nobody is charging you, because nobody is selling anything

    Retrievly is free for now: no fee, no cut, no escrow. Retrievly handles no money at all. Searchers are hobbyists who go out for the search and the hand-back. Many owners offer a thank-you of around 10% of what the item is worth to them, agreed in the chat and settled when you meet. Nothing is a real option too.

If you lost something

From your pin to the hand-back

  1. 1

    Post where it happened

    Drop a pin on the spot, add photos, and tell the story: what it is, when you noticed, where you had been.

  2. 2

    Offers come in

    Searchers nearby who would go out for it offer to look. You see each one's rating, past finds, equipment and when they can go.

  3. 3

    Pick one

    Only the searcher you pick gets the exact spot, and a chat opens between the two of you to arrange the search.

  4. 4

    Meet and confirm

    If they find it, they hand it back in person, you confirm the find, and any thank-you is between you and them.

If you want to help

A search worth going out for

  1. 1

    Browse requests near you

    Each shows a rough 5 km area, the item, its story and photos. Requests on private land are flagged so you know before you offer.

  2. 2

    Offer to search

    Say when you can go and what you bring. Offer only on the searches you would actually make the trip for.

  3. 3

    Get picked, get the spot

    If the owner picks you, the exact location unlocks for you alone and you can chat to agree a time.

  4. 4

    Go and look

    Search, and if you find it, hand it back. The owner confirms the find and it goes on your record.

A Retrievly search is for something lost recently. If you find something that looks old or could be archaeological, you don't keep it: you report it to the local museum or heritage authority.

Worth saying out loud

What Retrievly can't do

It is not a guarantee
Two things decide most of it: how soon the request goes up, and how tightly you can draw the area. Same day, with a spot somebody can stand on, is a very different job from a whole field a fortnight later.
We don't vet anyone
Retrievly does not verify, background-check or insure searchers or owners. Read their profile and rating, meet in public, and trust your judgement.
Private land is the searcher's responsibility
We flag a request as private land. Getting the landowner's permission is up to the person searching, and we don't record or verify it.
Post a requestBrowse requests near me

Browsing needs no account. You only sign in to post or to offer.

Questions we didn't answer? Help & FAQ

How it works | Retrievly