Lost luggage auctions

Firstly, can you really make money from lost luggage auctions? We put it to the test...

MSE Jenny bought six suitcases in an auction to see if there is money to be made. Read on to see whether she hit gold or mould (then see how to do it yourself below).

What did I buy?

Rather than bidding live, you enter sealed bids with your maximum price after viewing, then find out the next day if you've won. I bid on six cases, with a maximum of up to about £50 per case, and handed over a £100 deposit (eek).

The next day, after much email refreshing, the news came that I'd secured six cases for £30–£40 each, including fees. I was surprised to win all six, especially as I’d heard some cases can go for £60+. With no delivery available, I headed back to South London to collect them, before dragging the haul back to our central London office.

In total, after paying the buyer’s premium and VAT, I spent £214 on six cases.

What did I bag?

There was much excitement across the office as I went through each case and scrutinised the contents. Across the six cases, most value came from designer clobber, with one standout case and one complete dud. Some cases had a noticeable smell, so condition was hit and miss.

Here's a full rundown of what I bagged. (Purchase prices include fees and I have estimated prices using eBay’s completed items search.)

1. Unbranded case. Purchase price: £40. Estimated value: £134. This was an outbound case packed with freshly laundered designer business clothes. I found some mint-condition Porsche x BOSS chinos (£40), Hugo Boss ‘The One’ suit trousers (£36) and Emporio Armani EA7 black shorts (£17). As well as a Polo Ralph Lauren grey polo shirt (£14) and women’s Khaadi kurta tunic (£12), there were some older Hugo Boss shirts and a top (£10). The case was unbranded, so might go for £5-ish.

2. American Tourister case: Purchase price: £40. Estimated value: £122. This was stuffed with a like-new men's North Face t-shirt (£10), Hollister sweater (£13), Nike tracksuit (£10) and, randomly, an Ikea cushion cover (£1). Best of all there was a Green Bay Packers jersey signed by American footballer Brett Favre - as the shirt was made out to ‘Ryan’ and not authenticated, I estimated it at £40. A few other BooHoo and River Island goodies might get £13. The case was a decent, an American Tourister (£35).

3. Travelpro case: Purchase price: £33. Estimated value: £92. The best bit about this was the case: a flashy new Travelpro spinner (£35). The rest was unwashed holiday gear, including some Mango linen shorts (£8), Tommy Hilfiger colourblock polo (£14) and Chester Barrie suit jacket (£10). Two Talbots shirts, plus other bits might total £25.

4. IT case. Purchase price: £35. Estimated value: £80. A large case crammed with decent sportswear, this looked like it belonged to an active dad and teenage son. Sellable items included a Primark Inter Miami hoodie (£6), Moon climbing trousers (£8), an Arsenal fleece (£15) and 5.11 cargo trousers (£9). There was also an M&S jumper (£6), Pierre Cardin sweater (£6) and Blood Meridian t-shirt (£5). Some older clobber might go for £1 a pop (total £5). The case was a glitzy rose gold IT (£20).

5. Avio case. Purchase price: £35. Estimated value: £43. This small Avio case contained an assortment of crumpled adults and kids’ clothes, including school PE kit. Two gems were a cashmere turtleneck (£5) and a Roderick Charles suit (£20). Much of the rest was stained and might fetch £3 if we were lucky. Similar used Avio cases go for £15.

6. Zframe case. Purchase price: £30. Estimated value: £0. Sadly, this musty, homeward-bound Zframe bag was fit for the bin. A mouldering beach towel had contaminated the contents. Even if some items might clean up, including some colourful kaftans, I wouldn’t have felt comfortable selling or donating, so had to toss it.

Was it worth it?

I've estimated the total value of the cases and contents to be around £470, so that’s around £250 potential profit (I spent £214 on six cases, including fees), though you’d need to factor in the effort of washing, listing and posting items. I'm not selling the goods, I'll be donating them to charity.

MSE Jenny’s verdict

It felt strange rummaging through people's belongings, knowing for some their holiday was ruined - I can only imagine the sinking feeling at the carousel when their luggage failed to arrive.

My expectations were low, but I actually got lucky with some clean designer clothes. Although one case was worthless, so this is far from guaranteed.

If you're looking to profit, you're better off grabbing items you can inspect first from the likes of car boot sales and standard auctions, rather than effectively gambling on mystery cases (see our How to boost your income guide for more tips). That said, it was definitely a fun day out and fun to open the cases and see what hidden treasure was inside.

Watch: What was inside the cases?

My colleague MSE Olivia helped me unpack the cases - see what we found inside.

Buying lost luggage at auction - how it works 

If you fancy giving this a go, here’s what you need to know. And remember, it’s a bit of fun. You might get lucky with designer goods, but it's mostly luck and not a guaranteed money-spinner.

• Expect to pay about £30–£70 per case (including fees).

• Some auctions sell mystery suitcases with vague descriptions (eg, ‘gents’ clothing’).

• Many now sell empty cases, with contents auctioned separately.

• Often, the suitcase itself is worth most.

• Don’t expect hidden treasure. Airlines may open bags to check for ID, and auction houses remove valuables such as electronics, jewellery and perfume before sale.

Step 1. Check if there is an auction house near you that flogs lost luggage

At all the auction houses below, you’ll need to collect items in person, as delivery isn’t offered. They may be able to help you arrange a courier, but this isn't guaranteed and will likely wipe out some of the profit, so ideally you need to live nearby. You'll need to register in advance and some places ask for a refundable deposit to bid.

• Greasbys – in-person only (south London). Greasbys works a little differently to most auction houses. You can’t bid online or in the room. Instead, you need to go on viewing day to inspect and leave bids with the max amount you want to pay. You'll find lost luggage at its 'general auctions' about twice a month. Greasbys charges a 23% buyer’s premium (plus VAT).

• Mulberry Bank – online and in person (Glasgow). Mulberry Bank in Glasgow runs two unclaimed airport lost property auctions a month, usually online. It sells empty cases with contents split into job lots, for example, umbrellas, sunglasses or cosmetics. The buyer's premium is 24% (plus VAT).

• Wellers Auctions – online and in person (Guildford, Surrey). At Wellers suitcases are usually sold empty. It runs most auctions online. Buyer’s premiums apply: you're looking at 30.5% + VAT for items below £10 and 28% + VAT for items over £10. See full details.

• BCVA – online only (Bristol). BCVA runs online auctions for airport lost property and unclaimed luggage. It usually sells in bulk or individual cases if fancy brands. Buyer’s premium is 21% plus VAT.

• Local auction houses and marketplaces. Many smaller auctioneers occasionally handle lost property. It's worth searching for auctioneers near you and checking upcoming catalogues.

Step 2. View luggage and set your max bid - but watch out for extra fees

Go to a viewing if you can. These are typically held the day before the auction and advertised on the auction house’s site with the catalogue. You might not be able to open cases, but you can check the outside - and items are sold as seen. Even if you can bid online, it's well worth inspecting in person, so you can check for working wheels and zips.

Either way, set a maximum bid and stick to it, factoring in fees and VAT. Your final cost can be much higher than your bid. Typically you’ll pay:

• The buyer’s premium: Usually 20-30% of the item's price – you also pay VAT on this premium. So if you successfully bid £30 for a case, and the buyer's premium was 20% (plus VAT), the total payable would be £37.20.

• VAT on the hammer price: You'll usually pay 20% VAT. In this case it would push your price up to £43.20.

Step 3. Give yourself the best chance of bagging a bargain

There are no guarantees, but these quick tips can help:

• Look out for fancy suitcase brands. Check their resale value on eBay. Labels such as Samsonite, Tumi, Away and Rimowa tend to hold their value. Higher-end cases may also be more likely to contain more expensive contents.

• Use AI to spot value. Try pasting the auction catalogue into ChatGPT, Google's Gemini or Microsoft's Copilot. Ask it to rank suitcase brands by price or highlight lots that could have higher resale value.

• Plan to resell. Got something you don't want? You can always flog it online – see our Ebay Selling Tips and Facebook Selling Tips for help.

• Don't forget tax. If you're reselling for profit, you'll need to pay tax if you earn over a certain amount. See Do I Pay Tax on Online Earnings? for a full guide.

Help! The airline lost MY luggage – what should I do?

Before you leave the baggage reclaim, go to the luggage or airline counter and fill in a 'property irregularity' report, keeping a copy for yourself. You can claim without one, but it will be easier with it. 

You then need to put in a claim with the airline, usually within seven days – check with your airline for how to claim. If they don’t find it within 21 days, it’s officially lost. 

How much compensation could I get? 

There are no rules that set the amount – the maximum will be about £1,000, though it's very rare to get this much. You are likely to get more by going via your travel insurer, so check your policy. See the Travel Insurance guide.