So what happens to all that unclaimed luggage that sits around ownerless?
If the airlines cannot find the rightful owner, they sell it by the truckload to a company called Unclaimed Baggage. Workers then pop open the suitcases, rifle through the contents, and then put the items up for sale.
Their website claims that more than a million items come through their doors annually, 60 percent of which is clothing. The remaining items, as you might imagine, are pretty much anything else one might pack in a suitcase.
Buyers can purchase the items online or in person at the company’s store in Scottsboro, Alabama.
A quick look through their site revealed a handful of digital cameras ranging from $50 to $200 and well as iPods for $25 — most of which are probably loaded with someone else’s songs (which could be a great bonus).
Unclaimed Baggage also dedicates an entire page to some of the more unique items they’ve come across, such as a full suit of 19th century armor, a live rattle snake, and “Egyptian artifacts dating back to 1500 B.C.”
Man, it sure must be fun working there!