The rise of the lost luggage auction

Lost luggage is every traveller's nightmare, but what begins as misfortune for some can end up a jackpot for an increasing number of suitcase "gamblers" who are bidding on the lost property at auction houses, and finding everything from designer clothes to ancient artefacts.

In the past, airlines would have "incinerated or dumped lost luggage", said The Guardian. That changed in 1965 when Doyle Owens founded Unclaimed Baggage in the US, first collecting lost property from bus lines and later from airlines.

In the UK, suitcase hunters can head to Greasby's in Tooting, South London, where unclaimed bags from Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted are sold "for a fraction of the price," said The Sun. Greasby's also runs weekly online auctions, where bidders email sealed offers before the sale begins. The highest bid wins, with the contents of the cases revealed only to the bidder when they receive their lot and open the cases themselves.

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What was once a niche pastime has now found a huge online audience. Lost luggage hauls can "attract millions of views on social media from people keen to get a glimpse inside a stranger's life", said the broadsheet.

But the practice has also faced criticism, said The Daily Mail. Becky Chorlton, a TikToker who regularly shares her hauls to millions online, has had viewers expressing their "outrage" at the growing trend with one commenter saying they felt "violated" at the prospect of a stranger being able to purchase their lost items, while another remarked: "New fear unlocked: watching an influencer gleefully rip apart my lost luggage on TikTok".

Emeralds, scarabs, and a mummified falcon

"If these bags could talk, what a story they would have to tell," Bryan Owens, the son of Doyle, and now CEO of Unclaimed Baggage, told The Guardian.

Standout finds have included an "old dingy, dirty bag" that contained a "40 carat solitaire emerald swaddled inside it", said Owens. One Gucci suitcase yielded Egyptian artefacts dating back to 1500BC, including "scarabs and burial masks to a mummified pet falcon". Other discoveries have included "a Turkish ceremonial wedding headdress, a letter signed by Eleanor Roosevelt dated 1944, a bottle with a preserved rattlesnake in a jar of whisky (nothing on the live one they found a few years ago), and some silicone butt pads". Not to mention a "freeze-dried chicken foot, a teeth bedazzling kit" and "a glass eye".

But more typically, his staff uncover "underwear, shoes, T-shirts, blouses, jeans, dresses, headphones and books". In 2024, Colleen Hoover's novel, "It Ends With Us", was found more than any other title.

For those hoping to do a little suitcase gambling themselves, there are a few tips that could increase chances of success, whether buying or bidding on lost luggage, said The Sun.

These include understanding that purchasing these items can be a "mixed bag", as it is possible to end up with someone’s dirty holiday clothes. Buyers should make sure the wheels and zips are intact and avoid focusing too much on the weight of the bag.

"If it is heavy it could mean it is full of cheap clothing," said Christine Sachett, owner of Greasbys. "Lighter ones may have really nice clothing inside."

Increase in lost luggage

Of course, not every suitcase should end up under the hammer. Almost 92% of lost bags are eventually reunited with their owners, but if they remain unclaimed for three months, they are sold on, said The Guardian. International flights carry the greatest risk, with "46% of losses occurring when a passenger transits through a second airport". The problem has grown worse since the pandemic, mainly due to staff shortages. In 2022, "about 26 million pieces of luggage were mishandled, nearly eight bags in every 1,000; before the pandemic, it was six in every 1,000".

For those who want to keep their belongings out of the auction room altogether, there are a few preventative measures travellers can take, said The Daily Mail. "Take photos of your items to document their condition before packing them, and when possible include receipts to prove their value". Other precautions include making bags stand out with "unique decorations and labels", keeping essentials in carry-on, and "investing in a GPS tracker".