Misplaced Baggage: Methods to Make Cash Shopping for Unclaimed Baggage
The MoneyMagpie team
July 4, 2024
Reading time: 4 minutes
Did you know you can make money from your lost luggage? Hundreds of thousands of suitcases are lost around the world every year, but they don’t just disappear into a black hole: they actually offer you an opportunity to make money.
Even those who never find their owners end up somewhere. In fact, it’s usually some sort of auction house that sells unclaimed luggage to people like you and me. In America, the Unclaimed Baggage Center in Alabama receives 800,000 visitors per year and is, incredibly, the largest tourist attraction in the state.
If you can’t make it to Alabama, fear not, the UK’s version of lost baggage auctions is also a great place to get a good deal and even resell it for a profit.
Step 1: The Auction House
When British Airways has excess unclaimed baggage in stock, it sells the suitcases at auction (of course, BA – and we hope all airlines – do their best to reunite misplaced baggage with its owner before attempting to sell them.)
All those looking to get a good deal on lost luggage luck is to head to the auction house and bid on the crates that go under the hammer.
If you’re lucky, you can buy items worth hundreds or thousands of pounds for very little: most suitcases retail for between £10 and £75. The more savvy among you could sell items for more than you paid, making a tidy profit.
Sometimes auction houses will have opened the suitcases and separated the goods. Other times, there may be a generic description of what’s inside – “men’s clothing”, for example.
There are lots of great deals to be had, and it can be fun – many people describe it as a treasure hunt.
Where to look
The hot spot for lost luggage in London is Greasby’s in Tooting, southwest of London. This is where British Airways (one of the biggest baggage losers in the world) sells their lost luggage. Greasby’s also deals with lost luggage at Heathrow Airport.
Auctions take place every Tuesday, with viewings the Monday before. The last Monday broadcast took place between 11 a.m. and 4:45 p.m. Tours allow you to determine which bags you want to purchase.
Other notable auction houses that deal with lost luggage include:
Since most of the auction houses above don’t have airport auctions, it’s probably best to check with their website for the next scheduled baggage bonus date. You should sign up for their mailing lists, which will let you know when they are going to perform, or follow individual houses on social media.
Step 2: Evaluate
After viewing the auction collection, go home and think about the likely prices of individual items to see how much profit you can make with a certain bid. It’s unclear whether crates are sold closed, but the more luxurious the crate, the more likely it is to contain valuables.
A good way to get an idea of how much the suitcases themselves sell for is to search for similar items already listed on eBay. You can also see the recommended retail price of the cases by searching online.
Once you know how much the deal itself is worth, you can set your bidding limit. The only bet is how much you are willing to bid on the value of the deal. If the suitcase contains a lot of gifts, it might be worth going over your limit. Of course, it could be full of garbage.
If you’ve found an auction house that allows you to view crates before bidding, you have a better chance of getting a good deal. The same goes if the auction house gives you a description of what’s inside the crate, even if it’s brief.
Step 3: Valuable items or crates?
There are two routes you can take when bidding. Auctioneers are likely to remove high-value items from suitcases first and sell them separately. This can include electronics, shoes and jewelry. You can bid on these and then sell them, ideally for more, elsewhere.
Alternatively, you can bid on suitcases and hope they contain good clothes, shoes, books, etc. which you can whip. It’s a bit of a lottery. Auctioneers only give very vague details about the contents of each suitcase, so you won’t know exactly what you’re buying.
The auctioneers, however, tell you whether the clothes are clean or not. It’s up to you whether or not you’re happy dealing with someone else’s nasty panties. Of course, you can also sell the suitcase itself and make money with it.
Step 4: Get a Bargain and Resell It
Once you have successfully bid and paid for the good deals on unclaimed luggage, take it home and start your online sale to make money. Take a few photos, write a good ad copy, then publish it on eBay and wait for the auction to start.
How much can I earn?
A lot. Valuable items can sell very cheaply at auction. A £500 snowboard recently sold for £75, for example. Suitcases can sell for between £5 and £50. Even if the crate only contains clothes, you should be able to sell everything for more than you paid for it.
