Struck gold: Thai shop discovers $11 thrifted bag from Japan is worth $40k

A customer at a shop in Thailand struck gold with a thrifted handbag they brought in for inspection.

According to a video posted to Facebook by Wit Lat Krabang Gold Shop on April 21, the customer had paid just 300 baht (S$11.84) for the bag at a second-hand store in Japan.

Initially the shop could not determine whether the bag contained real gold, but things became clear when it brought out special tools to inspect it again.

The handbag had a "K18" stamp on it and was in fact plated with 18-karat gold.

The shop said that after this discovery, it melted the thrifted bag to determine its purity and estimated value, which — to both the staff and customer's surprise — exceeded one million baht.

"I feel like I have won the lottery, the customer is also happy," read the video's caption.

In an earlier post, the gold shop also wrote: "Honestly, I got goosebumps when I saw the authenticity stamp."

"I'm happy for them, like I made the money myself."

According to the video, this gold handbag had no visible brand logo and the shop suggested it could be a custom piece.

Wit Lat Krabang Gold Shop's video has since gone viral, garnering 3.2 million views and over 76,000 likes, drawing criticism from some netizens.

Some comments under the shop's Facebook post questioned how possible such a discovery could be in second-hand warehouse sales.

They noted that warehouses are known to thoroughly inspect and sort their items with multiple levels of verification before putting them up for sale.

This makes it less likely for high-value gold items to be sold unknowingly at low prices, these netizens added.

One comment even speculated that the customer who brought the handbag into the shop might be a warehouse owner.

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bhavya.rawat@asiaone.com