Everything You Never Knew You Could Get From Unclaimed Baggage
Flying is safer than ever, but airlines still aren’t doing the best job of protecting our luggage, with an estimated 26 million bags lost or damaged in transit in 2022 alone . While most lost luggage is eventually recovered, sometimes people simply don’t show up to look for their bags, or the system breaks down and the location of the missing bags remains shrouded in mystery.
When this happens, one person’s loss may become your gain because most of the lost luggage will be sorted, checked, cleaned and put up for sale at ridiculously low prices.
Where to find lost luggage for sale
There are two main ways to recover lost or abandoned luggage:
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Unclaimed baggage . Founded in 1970, this huge store in Scottsboro, Alabama, buys lost luggage from airports across the country and offers its contents for sale. You can visit the physical location (many people consider this a tourist attraction), shop on the website, or wait for one of the random auctions the store organizes at other locations . The store opens every bag, cleans and inspects everything it finds, and has a staff of experts to evaluate items. You can save an incredible amount of money if you are willing to carry or use someone else’s lost items.
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GovDeals . The other end of the spectrum of baggage deals are confiscated items, such as items that airport security won’t let you take with you when you board. You usually have a few options here: you can put the item in a checked bag, mail it to yourself, or give it to someone who isn’t traveling. But many people choose the simplest option: handing the item over to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) , which ultimately auctions the items on GovDeals. It’s an auction site, so you’ll be bidding on items—often quirky items, like random sets of scissors—and it also offers items confiscated by other government agencies.
Between these two sources, you can buy almost anything you can think of, often at incredible discounts.
Items you can buy from lost luggage (selection)
Cloth
The most obvious material to be found in lost and unclaimed luggage is clothing, as this is usually the bulk of what people take with them on a trip. You can find everything from lingerie and lingerie to men’s suits, boots , women’s dresses and all the accessories you could want. Before sale, clothing is cleaned and inspected for damage (underwear is sold only new, with or without a box). There’s also a ton of designer items to be found there, and while they’re not exactly free, they’re often discounted.
Luxuries
Speaking of luxury items, you can find everything from watches and jewelry to designer bags of all types. You might think that such expensive items would motivate people to look for lost bags, but you’d be wrong. It’s important to note that the unclaimed baggage service knows the market value of these items, so getting a good deal isn’t always easy—they often price particularly popular designer items close to market value . But even a small discount is worth it, and you can often find rare or discontinued items at relatively competitive prices. (If you’re looking for bargains, check out the checkout section under Unclaimed Baggage.)
Wedding Dresses
While the supply of wedding dresses isn’t constant (because who packs their wedding dress in their luggage?), it’s not uncommon for wedding dresses to show up in the unclaimed luggage department at huge discounts. While your chances of finding a dress in your size and style are a little high, it may be worth checking regularly if you’re trying to buy an inexpensive dress for your big day. (One couple went to the extreme and even got married in Unclaimed Baggage , but maybe that’s a step too far.)
Sport equipment
While it’s not as much as clothing and other items, you can get great deals on sports and athletic equipment by shopping for lost luggage, and the site GovDeals often offers everything from bicycles to basketball backboards .
Electronics
One of the most effective uses of lost luggage is all the electronics that people leave behind. Want a laptop for under $100? Did you receive it . iPad? Yeah . Phones? Both super cheap and super expensive . Airpods , gaming systems , smartwatches – everything you need can probably be found in someone’s lost bags.
All the rest
Almost anything can be found in unclaimed baggage, from books to perfume to pet supplies to game dice . Basically, if it can be packed into rolling luggage, you can probably find it at a junk bag store. And save some money while you’re at it.