Unclaimed Baggage
When movie director Daniel Scheinert won multiple Oscars at the 2023 Academy Awards, he wasn't wearing a tuxedo made by some stylish designer. Rather, he bought an utilized tux from a special store called Unclaimed Baggage.

That's the store that responds to the concern: What happens to lost travel luggage that never gets discovered?

It also takes place to be a great place to go deal shopping online.

The reality is, the huge bulk of lost bags get reunited with their owners. Just a small portion of baggage never ever gets claimed by anybody. But with billions of bags getting checked at airports every year, even a small portion is a lot.

Travel luggage that's truly "orphaned" ends up at a substantial retailer in Alabama the size of a city block. It's called the Unclaimed Baggage Center, and it has an online store called Unclaimed Baggage.

There, you can find a continuous supply of men and women's clothes, in addition to precious jewelry and electronics like laptops, tablets, earbuds and earphones.

The company deals with all the significant airlines in the U.S., and it bills itself as the nation's only retailer of lost baggage.

" The airlines do an excellent job at reuniting guests with their baggage. "We're looking at a fraction of a percent of bags that really go unclaimed.

Pro Tip

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The Best Times To Shop

In the online store, there are set up "drops" of brand-new merchandise every Thursday and Sunday, so those are usually the very best days to shop there. However, on any day of the week you can discover countless unclaimed items for sale at deep discount rates.

You can go shopping by category - - guys's and ladies's clothes and accessories; children's and infant clothing; shoes; electronics; fashion jewelry; and" home & lifestyle," which is a catchall for all kinds of things.

You can narrow it down further, searching by brand or by price variety. When we clicked around the website, we discovered a vast array of shirts, pants, shoes, AirPods, Kindles and neckties, among other things. For each item, Unclaimed Baggage lists the price and, typically, the estimated market price that you 'd pay somewhere else.

( We'll respond to some often asked questions about Unclaimed Baggage at the end of the article.).

According to the store's "bag openers," the most common things they find in lost baggage are blue denims and headphones.

At Unclaimed Baggage's huge, 50,000-square-foot physical store in Scottsboro, Alabama, they often stockpile to 7,000 new products each day. The store is in northeastern Alabama, midway in between Birmingham, Alabama, and Chattanooga, Tennessee.

" The online shop is indicated to offer you the Unclaimed Baggage experience till you can make the road trip to Scottsboro," Hood stated, and apparently that's what lots of customers do. "We're really one of the top tourist attractions in the state of Alabama, with 1 million visitors annually. For lots of people, we're a ‘‘ bucket list' location.".

The physical shop opened in 1970, and the online shop opened in 2020.

Pro Tip.

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The Weirdest Things They've Found.

Airports and airlines, wishing to prevent making passengers mad, go to a lot of problem to reunite customers with their missing baggage. The chances are good that you'll get it back if you're really attempting to get your bag back.

It's just after a comprehensive three-month search that an unclaimed bag is considered truly "orphaned," the shop states. That occurs with an estimated 0.03% of all checked luggage, or 3 out of every 10,000 bags that get examined.

If a bag is really lost, airline companies usually pay out a claim to the traveler. Still, it makes you scratch your head to see some of the belongings that travelers are obviously willing to leave.

It ends up that some beautiful odd stuff shows up in lost luggage.

" The most shocking thing we've discovered was a live rattlesnake. He was traveling in a pocket of a knapsack," Hood said. "We've likewise discovered real human shrunken heads - - 3 to be exact.".

The most pricey product they've ever offered? A platinum Rolex watch that initially retailed for $64,000 and sold for $32,000.

There was also a 40-carat Colombian emerald that was rolled up in a sock in a lost luggage. It was evaluated for $32,000 and cost $14,000 in cash.

The Alabama store in fact has its own museum display showcasing a few of the wilder things it's discovered in unclaimed baggage. They include two full fits of armor, different installed animal heads and an initial puppet from the 1980s Jim Henson motion picture "Labyrinth.".

Passengers also mistakenly leave things at airport security checkpoints, in overhead bins, in taxi cabs and on buses. If it goes unclaimed, it ultimately makes its way to Unclaimed Baggage.

The store says it offers a third of the stuff, contributes a third, and recycles a 3rd that can't be resold.

Where does lost baggage go if it's never ever discovered? Now you understand.

Often Asked Questions (FAQ).

Are the Clothes Clean?

All of the clothes for sale is professionally cleaned. Unclaimed Baggage states it has the biggest industrial laundry operation in Alabama.

What Condition Are the Electronics In?

All of the electronic equipment is evaluated to make sure it works, and any personal information gets eliminated.

How Do They Know the Jewelry Is Authentic?

Unclaimed Baggage states it has a group of professionals with years of experience authenticating precious jewelry and luxury brand names. (Some of the fashion jewelry for sale is costume precious jewelry, not fine jewelry, and it's priced appropriately.).

Can They Help Me Find My Lost Luggage?

Nope, sorry. By the time baggage gets to the Unclaimed Baggage shop, airlines have currently attempted to return it to its owner. Items arrive at the shop with no determining information.

Mike Brassfield (mike@thepennyhoarder.com) is a senior author at The Penny Hoarder.

This was originally published on The Penny Hoarder, an individual finance website that empowers countless readers nationwide to make clever choices with their money through actionable and inspirational advice, and resources about how to make, conserve and manage money.