Ever wonder what happens to all the lost luggage in the United States?
If you’ve ever had the unfortunate experience of having had an airline lose your luggage, or if you’ve forgotten to claim a piece of luggage, it may very well have ended up in Scottsboro, Alabama at Unclaimed Baggage, which proclaims to be the nation’s only retailer of lost luggage. This facility buys unclaimed baggage items from various airlines and then offers them for resale at rock-bottom prices.
Upwards of 7,000 new items a day end up here; the building needed to house everything takes up an entire city block and includes a museum that displays some of the more unusual leave-behinds.
Amazingly enough, the one thing that cannot be acquired here is, you guessed it, luggage.
The Items Sold at Unclaimed Baggage
So, what unusual items have come through Unclaimed Baggage’s doors and ultimately been sold?
For starters, how about a 5.8 carat diamond solitaire ring that was found in a sock? One can only assume that, presumed lost, a handsome insurance settlement was eventually paid out for the ring.
How about an 18th century violin, or an entire suitcase full of Egyptian artifacts? Hard to imagine these types of things being so carelessly transported from location to location, but the actual owner’s loss was someone else’s gain at a bargain rate.
If you happen to be looking for everyday items like wedding dresses or other clothing, camera or computer equipment, Unclaimed Baggage may very well be worth your time looking into.
Also worth noting: If you happen to visit Unclaimed Baggage in person, we’re told they have a pretty good espresso shop on site as well.
