General
What Kind of products do you sell?
If it’s packed in a suitcase or left on a plane, it could wind up for sale at Unclaimed Baggage. We sell a wide variety of items commonly taken on business trips and vacations such as clothes, cameras, jewelry, electronics and golf clubs. You never know what people may pack, so you could be one of the lucky shoppers to scoop up an African mask, vacuum-packed frogs, or even a snowboard.
We also sell unclaimed cargo which has been lost in shipment. This merchandise often includes bulk items that are new with tags, like multiples of clothing, books and household products. Unexpected large items might also be included, like works of art or a piece of furniture. You never can predict!
Are the clothes clean?
All clothing is professionally cleaned. In fact, Unclaimed Baggage has the largest commercial laundry facility in Alabama. We wash or dry clean tens of thousands of items per month – more than most professional dry cleaners handle in a year!
How It Works
What condition are the electronics in?
Electronic equipment is thoroughly tested to ensure it is working properly, and all personal data is erased according to official NIST standards before items are sold.
How It Works
Is this all really unclaimed baggage?
Our merchandise is a combination of unclaimed baggage and cargo, primarily from commercial airlines, but also from buses, trains, trucks, and other travel, hospitality and transportation sources. Occasionally we make special purchases which are identified by a sign in the retail store.
Can you find my lost suitcase?
Regrettably, no. By the time Unclaimed Baggage has purchased the luggage, every effort has been made by the airlines over a 3-4 month period to return it to its owner. After this point, claims have been paid out and the items are sent with no identifying information to Unclaimed Baggage to be resold, repurposed, or recycled.
How It Works
How can there be so much lost luggage?
You may wonder how there can be a store the size of a city block full of lost luggage items since only a small fraction of a percent of airline passenger bags are lost and never reunited with their owners.
However, with over four billion bags being checked each year, even a small percentage of such huge volume can fill our warehouse with unclaimed items waiting for you to discover. Passengers also leave articles in overhead bins, taxi cabs, hotels and anywhere else they travel, which add to the unclaimed items being given a second life through our store.
Do the airlines make a profit from lost bags?
No, airlines do not benefit in any way from unclaimed baggage. Carriers want to preserve their customer goodwill and therefore invest significant manpower and technological resources in the baggage recovery process. Passengers are compensated for any bags not found. Recognizing each of these costs, carriers work hard to provide the best service possible when handling baggage.
Why do airlines sell the remaining unclaimed bags to Unclaimed Baggage?
Airlines are in business to fly planes and serve their passengers; not dispose of lost property. Unclaimed Baggage provides an important service to the airlines by buying unclaimed bags and their contents and repurposing them in the best way possible.
Does Unclaimed Baggage sell everything in lost luggage?
Not everything sent to Unclaimed Baggage is suitable for sale in our store. A complex sorting process separates out the best merchandise for the retail floor. Items not sold to the public are either repurposed or recycled. In fact, on average for every item we sell, we donate another item. Through relationships with multiple charity organizations locally, nationally and around the globe, millions of dollars’ worth of clothing, eyeglasses, medical supplies, and other useful items are refurbished and donated to those in need each year as part of our Reclaimed for Good program.
Reclaimed for GoodIn-Store
Is there a best time to shop?
We roll out over 7,000 new items daily, so any time is a great time to shop! During the week, crowds are often smaller, and on weekends we often host fun in-store events. See our Upcoming Events page for more details.
How big is the store?
Unclaimed Baggage covers more than a city block. The main store has ~50,000 square feet of a wide variety of merchandise for you to shop, including women’s clothing, shoes, jewelry, electronics, luggage, sporting goods and much more. Our Men’s & More shop, located next to the main store, offers two levels of Men’s casual and dress clothing. A third level features product traditionally known to our guests as ETC product (household goods, health & beauty aids, offices supplies), and special clearance “Last Chance” deals. Leave plenty of time in your day to see it all!
What is your in-store return policy?
We will gladly accept merchandise returns for store credit if the return is within 14 business days of purchase. A sales receipt must be included, and the original tags must be on the merchandise.
Online
What is your shipping policy?
Free Domestic Shipping
We offer free standard domestic shipping on orders over $75. For orders under $75, shipping rates are calculated at checkout.
All shipping times are estimates, and standard deliveries typically take 3-8 business days after processing.
Expedited Shipping
We offer Next Day and Second Day shipping options from UPS and FedEx. All expedited orders will ship the following business day after order is placed, with weekend orders (Fri-Sun) shipping the following Monday. Please note that expedited shipping options are not eligible for free shipping.
Processing Time
All orders are processed and shipped within 2 business days. Orders with expedited shipping will be processed and shipped the following business day. Please note that our shipping department is open Monday through Friday, with the exception of holidays. Weekend orders are processed and shipped the following Monday and Tuesday, with expedited orders shipped on Monday.
Local Pickup
We also offer free local pickups at our retail store located at 509 West Willow Street, Scottsboro, Alabama 35768. You will receive an email when your order is ready for pickup (typically within 24 hours). To guarantee that everything is ready for you, we kindly ask that you wait until you receive a "Ready for Pick Up" notification before heading to the store.
To pick up your order, please proceed to Guest Services during normal store operating hours and present your order number along with a photo ID.
*The store will hold the items for 10 days. If the order is not picked up after 10 days, it will be restocked and refunded*
International Shipping
International Shipping is available for Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Latin America, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Cyprus, Georgia, Israel, Japan, and South Korea only at the moment. We're planning to make this available to more countries in the future! Any suggestions? Please fill out this form and we'll add it to the list of countries we're considering at the moment.
*Due to restrictions at the moment, these countries in Latin America are excluded: Mexico, Colombia, Argentina, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Cuba, Haiti, Costa Rica.
All duties and/or fees are calculated at checkout.
How do you classify the condition of each product?
Our team assesses every item in detail to ensure we give the best representation of each product. For clarity and quick identification, we categorize each item into one of four condition categories:
New with Tags: Item is unused with original tags or packaging
Excellent: Item is without tags or lightly used, but with no noticeable flaws
Good: Item shows small flaws or small signs the item has been used or worn
Fair: Item shows obvious flaws or obvious signs of wear
As Is: Item may show heavy signs of use
If an item has a flaw or defect, it will be stated in the condition details and/or images of the product. If your item isn’t as stated or you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at customerservice@unclaimedbaggage.com for resolution.
How do I know jewelry and luxury items are authentic?
We are committed to selling excellent quality products and authentication is key to that commitment. We have a team of experts with years of experience authenticating jewelry and luxury brands. We study the latest fashion and fraud trends vigilantly to stay ahead of the curve. In certain cases, we also leverage third-party experts to appraise jewelry or confirm authentication so you can rest assured your purchase is reliable.
Any counterfeits that come to us are disposed of immediately. In the highly unlikely case that an inauthentic item is inadvertently sold, we will refund the purchase via the original method of payment. The product must be returned to Unclaimed Baggage for team training and to be destroyed.
If your item isn’t as stated or you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at customerservice@unclaimedbaggage.com for resolution.
What is your online return policy?
We gladly accept returns within 21 days of purchase for all domestic orders except for products marked as final sale, which include books, swimwear, sports bras, undergarments, health & beauty items, software, video games, mystery box/bag bundles, and clearance items.
We do not accept international returns at this time.
All outbound and return shipping charges are non-refundable.
Please note that returned merchandise must be in the same condition it was received:
Unworn and undamaged
In its original packaging (if included)
With all tags still intact (including security tags on jewelry as well as all original tags for New with Tags items)
For more information, please review our Returns Policy. To start a return, visit our Returns Portal.
How do you determine the estimated retail value of each item?
The estimated retail value listed for certain items refers to the estimated price of that exact same item offered elsewhere in new condition. We have a team of experts with years of experience pricing items across a broad range of categories, and they stay up to date with the latest fashion trends and pricing. Beyond that, we do not list the estimated retail value for an item unless we have found the retail price for that item currently listed online. While this is not an exact science, we strive to provide fair and accurate pricing information, and we hope that when you compare our prices to what is available elsewhere online, you are pleased with the deals you are scoring at Unclaimed Baggage!
If you have any questions about our pricing, please contact us at customerservice@unclaimedbaggage.com.