Did you recognize you may make money from lost luggage? A whole bunch of hundreds of suitcases wander off yearly all over the world, but they don’t just disappear right into a black hole – in actual fact, they open up a possibility so that you can earn cash.
Even those that never find their owners again find yourself somewhere. In reality, that somewhere is normally some type of auction house that sells unclaimed baggage to people such as you and me. In America, the Unclaimed Baggage Centre in Alabama receives 800,000 visitors per yr and is, incredibly, the state’s biggest tourist attraction.
In the event you can’t get to Alabama then no fear, the British version of lost luggage auctions can also be the place to bag bargain and even sell it on at a profit.
Step 1: The auction house
When British Airways has a surplus of unclaimed baggage in storage, it sells the cases at auction (after all, BA – and we hope all airlines – do their best possible to reunite baggage that has gone astray with its owner before attempting to sell it off.)
All those seeking to bag a bargain on the lucky dip of lost luggage have to do is head all the way down to the auction house, and bid on cases that go under the hammer.
In the event you’re lucky, you might pick up items price a whole lot or hundreds of kilos, for little or no – most suitcases sell for between £10 and £75. The savvy amongst you might sell items on for greater than you paid, making a tidy profit.
Sometimes, auction houses could have opened up the suitcases and separated the products. Other times, there could also be a generic description of what’s inside – “men’s clothes”, for instance.
There are many bargains up for grabs, and it will probably be fun – many individuals describe it as being like a treasure hunt.
Where to look
London’s lost luggage hotspot is Greasby’s in Tooting, south west London. It’s here that British Airways (one in every of the world’s biggest baggage losers) sells its lost luggage. Greasby’s also deals with the lost luggage from Heathrow Airport.
Auctions happen every Tuesday, with views the Monday before. Essentially the most recent Monday viewing took place between 11am and 4.45pm. The viewings offer you a probability to suss out which bags you desire to buy.
Other notable auction houses that deal in lost luggage include:
As many of the above auction houses don’t have allotted airport auctions, it’s probably best to ascertain with their website as to the subsequent scheduled date for bags bounty. It is best to join to their mailing lists, which can let you recognize after they’re going to occur, or follow individual houses on social media.
Step 2: Evaluate
After viewing the auction collection, go home and think concerning the prices of likely individual items to see how much of a profit you may make as much as a certain bid. It’s hard to inform if cases are sold closed, however the posher the case, the more likely it’s to contain items of value.
An excellent option to get an idea of how much the cases themselves will sell for is to go looking for similar items which might be already listed on eBay. You too can take a look at the advisable retail price of the cases by looking online.
Once you recognize how much the case itself is price, you may set your bidding limit. The one gamble is on how much over the value of the case you’re willing to bid. If the case accommodates plenty of goodies then it might be price exceeding your limit. In fact, it might be filled with junk.
In the event you’ve found an auction house that allows you to see into the cases before you bid on them, you’ve got a greater probability of grabbing a bargain.The identical goes if the auction house gives you an outline of what’s contained in the case, even when it’s transient.
Step 3: Beneficial items or cases?
There are two paths you may take on the auction. The auctioneers are more likely to take very beneficial items out of the suitcases first and sell them individually. This might include electronics, shoes and jewellery. You may bid on these after which sell them, ideally for more, elsewhere.
Alternatively, you may bid for suitcases and hope there are some good clothes, shoes, books, etc. in them that you might flog. This can be a little bit of a lottery. Auctioneers only give the vaguest details about what’s in each suitcase, so that you won’t know exactly what you might be buying.
The auctioneers do let you know whether the garments are clean or not though. It’s as much as you whether or not you’re completely happy coping with another person’s nasty knickers. In fact you may as well sell the suitcase itself and make some money on that too.
Step 4: Bag a bargain and sell it on
When you’ve successfully bid and paid for unclaimed luggage bargains, take them home and start your online selling to earn cash. Take some photos, write some good ad copy, after which post it on eBay and wait for the bidding to start.
How much can I make?
Lots. Beneficial items can sell very cheaply at auction. A £500 snowboard recently sold for £75, for instance. Suitcases might sell between £5 to £50. Even when the case is just filled with clothes you need to give you the option to sell all of it for greater than the value you paid for it.