I guess one has to realise just how much is lost on a daily basis every day at say just one airport/railway station etc. Lost property has to be administratively processed and then stored. I once misplaced an item at Brussels airport. To my surprise it was found and handed over to lost property. When I went to collect it I was amazed at just how much lost property there was and how much space it took. So all in all I suppose it's not that unreasonable to charge an administration fee for the service.