An airline losing your baggage is any traveler’s nightmare. Though studies show such bad strokes of luck are relatively uncommon, they do happen. If you’re still pining after a belonging that went missing while you flew in the sky, a viral TikTok might point you to its final destination.
Creator Anna Pratt (@annakpratt) recently posted a video about her trip to the Unclaimed Baggage store in Scottsboro, Alabama. The video has more than 507,000 views and almost 29,000 likes.
“This is the nation’s only lost luggage store,” the video’s narration says, as Pratt’s camera takes viewers around a tour of Unclaimed Baggage—which sells exactly what it touts on the sign.
The video shows racks of clothing (including ball gowns and a brand-new Tala puffer vest), Apple laptops in display cases, and many, many shoes. The store sells a pair of Versace heels for $239.99 ($1,195 retail) and a pair of Michael Kors shoes for $46.99 ($115 retail).
Pratt reveals that Unclaimed Baggage also has a “cute little museum” inside, as well as a photo op with a pile of luggage.
“This place is such an experience,” the video narration says.
One viewer commented, “me with no lost luggage ever: i know they have my stuff in there.”
“That’s why I only do carry-on, and personal item. That’s my biggest fear losing my bags,” another viewer commented.
“I wonder if my shoes are there,” one person wrote.
“I’ve bought a few things from here, they have decent prices and a lot of good and cool items,” another person commented.
A viewer chimed in, “I would be so mad to find out this is where my missing luggage went.”
“I could literally spend 7 days in that store,” someone added.
“Address please maybe I’ll find my lost luggage with United,” a comment read.
One viewer asked Pratt what the museum was like. The creator replied, “They have random stuff they’ve found over the years, that are too precious to sell or items that have cool stories.”
But many viewers weren’t feeling it.
Some were concerned with the prices, like one person who wrote, “Used to go here all the time. Only lived 25 minutes away. But their prices has gone up a lot over just the past couple years.” Another person commented, “I’m from Scottsboro and you could [used] to go and pay little to nothing, I don’t even bother going anymore bc it’s not thrift shopping. Might as well go to actual thrift stores while in town!”
Other viewers had ethical concerns. One person wrote, “it makes me really sad that someone lost their engagement/wedding band on a flight & someone is selling it here for $100.”
Another viewer wrote, “this is so foul to me I feel like they could try harder to send luggage back to people’s addresses but want profits instead.” (The store’s online FAQ says that airlines do not make a profit off of the unclaimed items.)
“Side eyeing … idk how I feel about this store,” a viewer commented.
“It was cool until I saw the gowns … can you imagine traveling for something that requires a dress like that and getting there and it’s just gone,” one person wrote.
Another viewer offered a more nuanced take: “As someone who works with lost luggage, this is the stuff that sits around for months without being claimed. After a certain time we send it out from the airport [baggage service office], to the central storage. They hold it for usually 60-90 days depending on your carrier. After that it’s considered abandoned … pretty much at that point the airline auctions it off wholesale to get rid of the excess. 9/10 the luggage never makes it to central and is reunited with the passenger. I personally haven’t had any bags that weren’t reclaimed by their owners.”
@annakpratt My favorite place to go thrifting! #unclaimedbaggage #thrifting #thriftshop ♬ Dance You Outta My Head – Cat Janice
Unclaimed Baggage’s website offers a thorough explanation of its unconventional business model. It answers a lot of viewers’ questions.
“If a bag is truly lost, airlines pay out a claim to the passenger. It’s only after an extensive three-month search that an unclaimed bag is deemed truly orphaned, a fate realized by less than 0.03% of all checked luggage! That’s where we come in,” the website reads.
According to Unclaimed Baggage, they have purchasing agreements for unclaimed items with travel companies including domestic airlines. The store’s employees sort, process, and clean these acquisitions; all electronics are tested and wiped of data, the website says.
Unclaimed Baggage also claims that it sorts items into three categories. About a third of items are sold to consumers. The other two-thirds are either donated to charity organizations, recycled, or discarded.
Doyle Owens founded Unclaimed Baggage in 1970 when he bought his first batch of lost luggage items from a Washington, D.C. bus line, according to the website. The store now sells items online, too.
The Daily Dot reached out to Pratt and Unclaimed Baggage via email.
Last year, an airline worker on TikTok explained one way to avoid losing your bags: Check for old stickers from previous travels that might be stuck to your suitcase.
