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Don’t know if anyone on the forum has heard of the Unclaimed Baggage Center in Scottsboro Alabama; it’s evidently the sole vendor of unclaimed airline baggage in the country (someone correct me if I’m wrong). I’d been wanting to check it out since first hearing about it years ago, and a couple of months back, my wife and I finaly made the scenic drive over from Atlanta. Well, turns out not only is it a bad place to scavenge for resale, it’s a bad place to scavenge for retail! The place has all the kinds of goods you’d expect people to lose in their luggage or leave behind on an airplane: clothes, shoes, jewelry, phones, laptops, cameras, books, sporting goods, etc., all layed out in a large, brightly-lit building that very much resembles a department store. Problem is, the prices are insanely high. I’ve seen lower prices on mark-downs at Macy’s. Still the place was mobbed with excited bargain hunters who seemed to be buying stuff. We left empty handed, but on the way out, we asked the woman at the information desk about the one thing we didn’t see–baggage! She claimed that by the time it gets to them, the baggage is too beaten up to resell. Sure it is. Clearly, they’re trying to “launder” the goods so people don’t come and find their identifiable luggage and demand to get the rest of their stuff back. Anyway, if anyone is tempted to schlep down for the bargains, you can save yourself a trip (although it is a beautiful and historic area).
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Great post. I have wanted to check it out for some time, but watched a couple of youtubes on people who went there and were disappointed. One picker said he had better luck hitting the thrifts on the way there and back.
Kind of like going to an estate sale and deciding the prices are WAY too high, and coming back the next day hoping for discounts. But the stuff is picked over by people paying WAY too much. I guess people think estate sales (and unclaimed baggage) are always great deals.
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last week we randomly were watching a 3 part documentary on flying (airports, planes etc) and they showed this huge unclaimed/lost baggage auction in Germany. there were lots of items in glass cases, but the majority were suitcases and baggage that was unopened. seems much more fun to bid on mystery bags than just contents out in the open. that being said, the person they followed in the clip paid over 250 Euro for a bag full of kids clothes and a stuffed animal!
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Yep.. that unclaimed baggage place in AL has been known about for years. It has always been known as a high priced tourist type place [i.e. rip off trap] for pickers. You can get better prices by walking into any Pawn Shop.
But as you say, it is a nice day trip drive, especially now at fall time.Now a better deal is the “World’s Longest Yard Sale” that starts in Gadsden, AL each year and runs hundreds of miles up north. And, from Atlanta to Savannah is the “Peaches to the Beaches” long yard sale that is similar. We have never done any of those and thought we would take a day or two and travel one day’s time up or out then the second day back.
mike in Atlanta
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Yeah, I could have probably saved myself a trip with a litte research, but I think I wanted the road trip and to see the place in person. I did identify all the thrift stores in the area, too, but come to think of it it was Labor Day that we went, so they were all closed (another mark against the UBC–they don’t give their workers Labor Day off). We almost went to the Longest Yardsale last year, but I did do some research on that and decided people were probably pricing stuff high for the tourists. Plus we’d have to probably spend the night before in Chattanooga to get a head start in the morning. Somehow I’ve not heard of the Peaches to Beaches–might have to check that one out. Do you hit any flea markets around here, Mike? I tried the Starlite Drive-in a few years back, but it was nothing but cheap Chinese tools and other new junk. What I sorely miss: Lakewood Antiques, and of course, the Atlanta Flea Market. I cut my scavenger teeth there, selling stuff to vendors for cigarette money.
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@Ryanne – saw the same documentary and was laughing at what was in the suitcase. I’ve seen a couple shows on baggage auctions and I like how everyone rushes out to the parking lot with their baggage and busts it open immediately to disappointment.
I always wonder what people expect to find in a baggage auction – I know that when I travel, I always pack light and anything I don’t want to lose I put in my carry-on. Anything in a checked bag would be disappointing to lose, but not a major loss and not of value to anyone else. I’m not sure if anyone would want my used clothing, half stick of deodorant, or other used toiletries.
The only value I can see is if the bag you can visually see is worth something itself – then it may be worth the gamble on what is inside.
I also would feel guilty about buying someone’s lost stuff. If I found any info in the bag that would identify the previous owner, I would contact them to see if they want it back – even though legally I wouldn’t need to, I would feel guilty taking the stuff without asking…
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