If you got into a cab and found a cell phone or laptop sitting there all by its lonesome, what would you do? If you'd try to find out who the owner is and return it, you are evidently among the moral majority.

Astoundingly, companies that offer ID tags for portable electronics and other easily lost items almost uniformly claim return rates of 75 to 85 percent, often within 24 hours. But without the tags, such items often languish in lost-and-found departments.

While laptops and cell phones usually contain owner's information somewhere inside, it may be password-protected or hard to find. And small-but-valuable items like iPods, bluetooth headsets, designer sunglasses, keychains, USB thumb drives, digital cameras and sports equipment often have no identification at all.

A simple tag can thus make the difference between getting your goods back quickly and never seeing it again. Even more astonishing, perhaps, is the number of companies and mobile professionals who do not know the serial numbers of their most precious possessions, which can cause headaches when filling out insurance claims and police reports.

You could do what many people do and tape a business card to your laptop case, but that's neither very elegant nor does it work for smaller items. It's also an invitation to identity theft.

Instead, try an ID tag service like TrackItBack.com, ArmorTag.com or StuffBak.com.

These companies provide durable stick-on labels (often metal) that display an 800 number and offer a reward for returning the lost good and free postage and packing. All the finder has to do is call a number and arrange shipping details. The reward is arranged and selected by the owner, and the companies usually offer free tags for the finder as well.

Tags come in all sizes and shapes to fit whatever gear you want to protect. Typical prices are $5-10 each, depending on how many you buy. Combination packs like the 5-tag Road Warrior Pack from StuffBak.com ($27, pictured) are convenient and economical.

So next time you take your gear on the road, you have no excuse not to protect it.