Lost luggage hauls are the internet’s strangest new trend

Ever wonder what happens to the bags that never make it to baggage claim? Some of them are now turning up in influencers’ lost luggage hauls.

It’s every traveler’s nightmare: You land, but your suitcase doesn’t. Across social media, creators are buying unclaimed luggage and unboxing the contents on camera.

Most of the time it’s just piles of unwashed clothes, but the chance of uncovering valuables—or simply something bizarre—has fueled a viral trend.

In one viral video, a TikTok creator pulled out hair straighteners, Pokémon cards, and an iPad. In another, the haul included a ziplock bag of an unidentified brown substance and a plug-in air freshener.

Nearly 92% of lost bags are eventually reunited with their owners. But if a bag goes unclaimed for three months, it’s sold off to third-party resellers. In the U.S., the Alabama-based Unclaimed Baggage store is the only retailer specializing in lost luggage, where items can be purchased individually or in mystery boxes.

In the U.K., shops auction off suitcases to the highest bidder, sight unseen. That element of surprise makes for good content, and many unboxing videos rack up millions of views from curious onlookers eager to peek inside a stranger’s life.

If you’re worried about your own belongings being unboxed online, know that the risks are highest if you’ve been on an international flight, where mishandling is five times more likely than on domestic routes, according to a 2024 report from the International Society of Aeronautical Telecommunications. Of the 33.4 million mishandled bags reported that year, 8% were lost or stolen.

If your missing suitcase ever does resurface in one of these mystery hauls, you might get to retrieve your items, though sometimes only by buying them back piece by piece.