I spent £129.99 buying unclaimed luggage from Heathrow – it was a total gamble but paid off, I even got an iPad
A BARGAIN-HUNTER who spent £129.99 buying an unclaimed suitcase from Heathrow has revealed how her gamble paid off.
Becky is no stranger to finding money-saving buys, whether she’s in the charity shop or at a boot sale, and decided to see if she could find any gems in someone’s lost luggage.
She took to TikTok to document the process of opening the case, and things got off to a good start as she found a pair of black sparkly UGG boots.
While she wasn’t sure if the boots were authentic, she said they looked brand new, and they would have retailed for around £170 if they were real UGGs.
She then came across some Juicy Couture sliders, which would have been around £25, as well as a “random” box of Pokemon cards.
“I have no idea why you’d need to take them on holiday, but there you go,” Becky noted about the cards, which sell for around £37 new.
She then found two pairs of hair straighteners, before spotting the famous Apple logo on something underneath.
Becky then discovered it was an iPad – a find she labelled “absolutely mad”.
“I plugged it in, and the charging symbol and the welcome screen came up, so I have no idea if it works or not, but I’m feeling hopeful,” she smiled.
The case was also full of brand new Shein clothes, as Becky admitted: “I’m still really skeptical about these lost luggage cases, because although so far this is the best one I’ve received, none of it actually makes any sense to be a legitimate person’s suitcase!
“It’s all very random, but I guess that’s what you get.”
There was a bag of men’s toiletries, as well as a make-up bag full of cosmetics, including some Chanel ones.
Next up, Becky opened up the other side of the case, and pulled out two neck pillows to start with.
“Then I found these two fitness tracker watch things,” she said, of one which looked to be an Apple Watch, around £89 second hand, as well as a £69 OrthoPulse one.
The haul continued with a pair of toddler adidas trainers, which were new with tags, and would have cost around £40 in stores.
A Kindle was up next, although Becky noted it was slightly “beat up”, as well as a toy tractor, two pairs of goggles, another full make-up bag, two books, a belt, a pair of shoes and loads more clothing.
She also came across her favourite item from the case – a brightly coloured faux fur leopard print coat.
In total, the case contents are estimated to have been worth around £990.
How to buy lost luggage
THE famous US store which sells off unclaimed baggage has launched an online shop - so you can buy more travellers' lost items.
The Unclaimed Baggage Center, located in Alabama, has long been a destination for treasure hunters wanting to find a bargain from the abandoned suitcases.
Located in the tiny town of Scottsboro, which has a population of 14,000, it is an unlikely tourist hotspot.
Inside is a megastore of misplaced possessions taken from tens of thousands of suitcases, rucksacks and duffel bags, all lost on commercial flights across the US.
Now, you don’t have to travel to the US and can do your shopping online with their new online store.
The centre has launched the online shopping experience as part of their 50th anniversary, having opened in 1970.
Everything from clothing to electronics are found on the website – current items for sale include high-street dresses from $8 up to 18K bracelets worth over $13,000.
They also have a weird and wonderful section which ranges from gold necklaces and diving equipment to designer gowns and signed memorabilia.
Legally, airlines have a duty to reunite luggage with their owners within 90 days, but if that fails, bags end up at the centre.
So frequent are these deliveries that the Unclaimed Baggage Center has around one million items on sale at any time, with 7,000 new items added to the shop floor every day.
Not everything that is found is sold – a third is binned, including all underwear, while another third of it is donated to charity.
Brenda Cantrell, the store’s brand ambassador, says: “Less than half a per cent of all lost luggage fails to make it back to its owners, but that’s still thousands of bags every year.
“And the vast majority of those make their way here. We have exclusive contracts with all the major US carriers, making us the only store of this kind anywhere in the country.”
According to journalist Jonathon Thompson who went there himself, the 40,000sqft centre is “more like a swanky department store than a musty charity shop,” adding that items are separated into sections, which includes electronics, jewellery and even wedding clothes.
Customers have also found bargains while shopping there – one person bought a £65 vase, only to find out later it was worth £15,000, while one piece of art valued at £45 was actually worth £20,000.
“The most random selection of things were in this suitcase,” Becky wrote in the video caption.
“That’s my luggage!!!! it isn’t but can you imagine someone watching this video recognises it? lol,” one person commented on the video.
“I think they empty them and add random stuff,” another speculated.
“When we pack we mix our stuff up in case someone’s case goes missing so we all have bits of each other’s clothing,” a third commented.
“Shoes, clothes, swimwear etc – might be why it’s jumbled up.”
“The suitcase alone was worth it,” someone else pointed out.