I forked out £136 trying the lost luggage trend – I doubled my money but my most exciting find turned was a BA freebie
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WE'VE all heard of return pallets, but have you seen the lost luggage trend that's taken social media by storm?
Recently, influencers have been going wild for unclaimed suitcases, with many splashing hundreds of pounds on the mystery bags.
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With everyone going wild for the lost luggage trend, I ordered myself an unclaimed suitcase to see what I could find
Credit: Abigail Wilson
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Personal details are removed from cases, but 'apart from that, everything is left as is'
Credit: Undelivrd
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Not only did I spot dirty boxers and worn socks, but the smell left me close to gagging
Credit: Abigail Wilson
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There was a football scarf and a toiletry bag from The White Company
Credit: Abigail Wilson
But would you risk spending over £100 on someone's lost luggage - not having a clue what you'd find inside, but with a chance that the contents could be worth thousands?
After seeing many TikTokers and YouTubers open lost luggage and finding all things from a Kindle, a huge selection of clothes and even hair straighteners, to a brand new pair of Ugg boots and an iPad, I decided to see what the fuss was all about.
Last year alone, Google Trends saw a 100 per cent spike in searches for 'lost luggage' - abandoned suitcases usually full to the brim with clothes, souvenirs and random items.
The 'lost and unclaimed' luggage comes from 'the world's busiest airports' and while some may find designer buys, quirky gifts or sometimes even gadgets, the possibilities are as varied as the travellers who once packed them.
But there are a number of major drawbacks when buying lost luggage…the size and brand of the suitcase you receive will be totally random.
Not only this, but if a person loses their luggage on the way back from a holiday, there's likely to be worn clothing inside - yes, you heard that correctly.
After hearing countless content creators order theirs from Undelivrd, I managed to get my hands on one.
According to those at Undelivrd, selling the lost luggage is a 'sustainable and economical way of dealing' with it.
Rather than piles of suitcases heading straight to the dump, airports are auctioning them off to give the abandoned cases and the items inside a new 'forever home'.
Of course, personal details are removed, but those at Undelivrd claimed that 'apart from that, everything is left as is.'
Unveiling the Shocking Reality of Lost Luggage Purchases
So I ordered myself a suitcase, which was listed online for £129.99.
It ended up costing me £136.98 once the postage fees were piled on top, so not cheap.
But would I find some steals? Or just a bunch of tatt and some dirty knickers?
Much to my surprise, the suitcase only took a week to arrive.
No box in sight, the case was wrapped in a black bin bag and was far from luxe.
Not knowing the contents made it very exciting, but unsure on the condition of what I would find, I nervously got my Marigold Gloves at the ready.
The sweaty, stale smell that was equivalent to the stench of a teenage boy's bedroom was horrendous
Abby Wilson
In the hope of stumbling upon some unexpected treasurers, I eagerly ripped off the bin bag, to find a black American Tourister case.
After a quick Google search, I spotted that such suitcases are available to buy online for £129 - so technically you've made the money back on the case itself, even though it had clearly been used on numerous occasions and was visibly quite battered.
But I didn't even have to unzip the case for the grim, musty smell to invade my nostrils.
Think of a room full of years of mould and mildew - that's what it smelt like.
The sweaty, stale smell that was equivalent to the stench of a teenage boy's bedroom was horrendous and is still, days later, giving me flashbacks and lingering in my nose.
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The American Tourister case was pretty battered
Credit: Abigail Wilson
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These Asda shoes were practically new
Credit: Abigail Wilson
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My haul proves that ordering lost luggage is definitely a gamble
Credit: Abigail Wilson
While I was hoping to get my hands on a woman's suitcase, in the hope of topping up my wardrobe with some new clothes or maybe even some jewellery, I was disappointed to see that I had been sent a man's case.
And I was even more gutted when I noticed that it was full of clothes that had clearly been worn.
If you thought smelly socks were bad, I was on the verge of gagging when I spotted three pairs of worn pants.
It appears that the man this case belonged to had potentially been on holiday to Portugal, as I immediately spotted two Algarve Jazz Festival grey t-shirts.
Alongside this, there was an empty toiletry bag and an unbranded navy hoodie, which wasn't short of stains.
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 guy this suitcase belonged to was clearly a football fan, as I also stumbled across a Bayer 04 Leverkusen football scarf, which you can buy online for £14.
As well as this, there was also a Bayer 04 Leverkusen 2023/24 home jersey, which are being flogged online for just under £70.
Next, I spotted a H&M black hoodie, which is currently on the website for £27.99, as well as a pair of blue Adidas shorts, which if you buy them new, are £35.
Much to my dismay, I was only halfway through and incredibly disappointed.
Having said that, things appeared to look up when I saw a small The White Company toiletry bag.
Yes, you get them free when you fly with British Airways, but it was the most exciting thing I'd seen so far, without a doubt.
The beauty bags, which contain an eye mask, ear plugs and a mini toothbrush, are being flogged for £7 on eBay and are perfect for travelling.
While many may think that selling-on lost luggage contents could be a good earner, my haul proves that it is definitely a gamble
Abby Wilson
It was un-unused, unlike a lot of the other stuff in this case.
Following this, I found a pair of barely worn, brown leather shoes from Asda, which are still available to order from the site for £25.
And that's not all, as I also (unfortunately) found three pairs of Jack & Jones boxers, which when bought new, are £45 a pack.
In total, the contents of my lost luggage - bought new - came to £223.98, not as high as I had hoped.
If you add on the cost of the actual suitcase, it totals just over £350.
What was in the box and what's it worth?
Bayer 04 Leverkusen football scarf - £14
Bayer 04 Leverkusen jersey - £69.99
H&M hoodie - £27.99
Adidas shorts - £35
The White Company toiletry bag - £7 on eBay
Three pairs of Jack & Jones boxers - £45
Asda leather shoes - £25
While many may think that selling-on lost luggage contents could be a good earner, my haul proves that it is definitely a gamble.
The smell of the case is still haunting me, so the thought of going through it all again and posting it on Vinted in the hope of earning a quick buck is not something I'm up for.
Despite the battered hoodies and worn socks, everything was in reasonably decent condition, so I guess you could say it wasn't a total waste of time.
But if you're hoping to find a new iPad or a posh designer bag, you should be aware that you'll have to take a chance when searching through lost luggage.
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