The airlines try very hard to find the lost luggage for their customers, but when all efforts have failed the passenger will make their claim and the airlines will pay. But what about the luggage? It probably did not fall out of the plane, so it has to be somewhere, right?
Chances are the contents of lost luggage will end up at Unclaimed Baggage, a company that has set up a retail store to sell anything deemed sellable from all the suitcases that never made it back to their owners. And the merchandise comes by the truck loads. On an annual basis, Unclaimed Baggage deals with around 1 million items a year, and they range from normal "stuff" to being rather "different" to say the least.
Company spokesman, Brenda Cantrell was reported by Denver Chronicle as saying, "We've seen some very unique items over the years, including a mummified falcon, some jewelry, a 19th-century full suit of armor has passed through our doors," Cantrell said. She also mentioned items like; a camera from one of NASA's space shuttles (returned to NASA), a 40-caret emerald ring, and a live rattlesnake.
The company purchases all items sight unseen. The merchandise is trucked in, sorted, and priced at a much lower amount than its original price and then placed on the sales floor.
The store is located in Scottsboro, Al., for any of those lucky enough to live within driving distance. But for those of us who are too far away, the company has set up the Unclaimed Baggage eBay Auction
Isn't it heart warming to know that your favorite fuzzy slippers may not have ended up in a trash can? In fact, log on to eBay - you might just get the chance to buy them back.
