Now that we’ve emerged from travel restrictions of the pandemic, lost luggage might seem an odd cause to rally around. Millions of travelers have experienced the irritation of lost, delayed or damaged luggage. Indeed, more than 28% of travelers in the UK have experienced the loss or misdirection of their checked baggage in the last five years. Even so, the recovery rate is still incredible, almost 92% of lost bags eventually reunited with their owners. What about those bags that people don’t claim? Though perhaps the most well-known, they are not exclusive to auction houses, where bidders can sometimes stumble upon a hidden gem.
Nicole Hogg, portfolio director, baggage at SITA, says the pandemic has put a significant strain on baggage operations. She describes a landscape marked by unprecedented challenges, stating, “Out of the pandemic, there was just so much chaos in the baggage world.” This put unprecedented strain on airlines as they struggled to catch up with a travel boom. Many of these bags weren’t claimed and led to an increase in lost luggage incidents.
Notably, the embarrassing circus of internationally connecting flights always been the worst beast to tame, with bags lost 5x more on international routes. Almost 46% of said losses happen while these trips transiting through a second airport. This frenetic landscape has inspired some intrepid souls to run the gauntlet of airport lost luggage auctions to find lucrative treasures.
Carmie Sellitto, a TikTok creator, recently purchased a purple suitcase from Heathrow and made headlines with his heartfelt gesture to reunite the suitcase with its owner. He shared his experience: “I Googled the location and it was an hour and 40 minutes’ drive from where I was at my family home, and the next day I took my friend with me and drove to the person’s house to return the suitcase.” He reflected on how different the situation could have been without his social media post: “If I hadn’t posted this, this woman wouldn’t have got it back.”
Sellitto’s story is representative of a larger trend among consumers. They’re just as excited to find out what’s inside these neglected suitcases and equally prepared to roll up their sleeves to get them returned. His experience opens a window on the emotional attachment people feel to their lost things and the role technology can play in reconnecting them.
Another TikTok creator, Becky Chorlton, posted her own unboxing experience after purchasing a lost suitcase from Undelivrd. Inside, she found an amazing assortment of winter wear. It even had four of the scarves, tracksuits and jumpers it’s now famous for, plus a full-on hot-pink costume ensemble. The seductive allure of the junkyard treasures inside creates a sense of wonder and surprise for buyers who never know what they might discover.
Stacey, a passionate auction junkie, told an awesome story. Most notably, she sold a pair of Gucci slides that she found in an unclaimed suitcase. She sold the contents on eBay for much more than the cost of the suitcase! This provides concrete evidence that well-designed auctions can produce profitable discoveries. Stacey has attended auctions ten times and advises potential bidders, “Bidding less than £40 on each suitcase is unlikely to result in a win.”
The process for auctioning off the current total of 50,000+ unclaimed luggage has changed over the years. Greasby’s high street auction house on London’s Portobello Road currently receives up to 70 or 80 suitcases a month. That’s a big decrease from the 200 suitcases they used to manage. Bryan Owens, one of Greasby’s employees, acknowledged the shift in volume but pointed out the incredible finds. He remembered dealing with one “old dingy, dirty bag” that held an extraordinary 40-carat solitaire emerald. “If these bags could talk, what a story they would have to tell,” Owens mused.
Mulberry Auctions in Glasgow runs thrilling bi-monthly auctions of unclaimed airport property. Interested bidders can find anything from the ordinary to the extraordinary. SITA noted that 1.8 million bags were mishandled—lost, damaged, etc.—in global air travel last year. Consequently, a constant flow of objects is always coming into the auction market.
The baggage boondoggle is about more than easy money — it’s about saving the planet. Since starting their auction processes, Greasby’s has become a leader in diverting 3,300 truckloads of lost luggage and miscellaneous transport from local landfills. Now under the hands of founder Bryan Owens’ son, the company continues this legacy of sustainable practices.
As crazy as the last few years have been, there are still ways that travelers can protect themselves from Nicole Hogg’s tips to lose the least. She suggests that individuals should always include identifying information inside their bags: “Put your name, number and email inside your bag because they’ll always try to open the bag to see if there’s any information.” This relatively low-cost and straightforward measure can go a long way to increase the likelihood of reunification.
As travel begins to ramp up again, passengers are preparing to return to the skies. This is how the stories of lost baggage are being shared, often in unexpected ways. Now social media is an integral part of fostering these personal connections that can later result in amazing opportunities. These unexpected goods often have surprising financial value, especially in the prime selling grounds of charity auctions.