Would you?

[Red-Coat]

This is novel. For years it has been possible to buy lost unclaimed luggage from major airports such as Heathrow, but all of the suitcases have been opened and things like high value electronic goods and jewellery have already been removed. Normally what you get are clothes, shoes, cosmetics and holiday souvenirs that may or may not be worth what you’ve paid (usually not.)

Now we have a new viral retail concept from a company called ‘King Colis’. They bulk-purchase undelivered or lost internet-ordered parcels from delivery companies such as Evri and re-sell them as ‘mystery packages’ at pop-up events in shopping centres around the country. The outer packages are unmarked with respect to contents and guaranteed to be unopened. You get ten minutes to dig though the pile of offerings and can squeeze, shake or judge the weight but not open them.

Any that you want are priced by weight at around £2.50 per 100g, with no limit on quantity. If you can’t get to an event, you can also purchase a ‘lucky dip’ assortment from their website, which states: ‘When you buy lost packages, you never know what you’re going to receive : High tech? Jewelry? Clothes? Shoes? Handbags? Gadgets ? Video games? Collector’s items? Every unboxing is a new adventure!’

Inevitably, the small number of buyers that find valuable items get more publicity than the much larger number who are disappointed. Reporter Paul Drury chanced his arm and forked out £100 for a selection of items. What did he get?

- A bunch of inflatable inner tubes for very small tyres.
- Two thin metal rulers and some brightly-coloured electrical wiring.
- Some metal hooks of the kind you see hanging off a butcher’s shelf.
- Three door handles (with screws).
- Two packages of thin plastic discs similar to those used in ‘Spirograph’ art toys.
- A number of XXL casual shirts for men, several ladies’ tops and T-shirts.

I’m not inclined to try my luck. How about you?

 

[robertk]

Pass. Considering you can buy just about anything online, the odds of hitting something I want/need vs the VAST assortment of stuff I have no interest in is slim.

 

[camichael]

Amen to that... I can't see buying a storage locker that's just boxes that you can't see inside of...crazy...1 in a 100 find something worth something.

 

[russau]

Like y0u mentioned , not unless it was VERY CHEAP since " they've " removed all the valuables and only if I had a place to sell/ unload it ! I've been to a lot of auctions and bid on "lots"and I bid is always LOW and sometimes I did get it . One time I bid on a bunch of 3 drawer fileing cabinets and no other bids were coming in and I did'nt hear the auctiooer double the caimets ! Most people did'nt hear it either and I got it ! Then poeple realized what happend and were pzzed ! I sold off a lot of them and the rest were free after that ! GOOD THING because I just had enough room in my truck for what I could haul ! I used all I needed and sold the rest of them for a nice profit ! BUT thats not the case in all events !

 

[Red-Coat]

Like y0u mentioned , not unless it was VERY CHEAP since " they've " removed all the valuables...

Unlike the airline suitcase sales where the valuables have been removed, these parcels are guaranteed to be unopened, but... even so...

 

[DizzyDigger]

If I was looking for something I needed, odds are I would have already
bought it. This kind of thing is for "entertainment only"..kinda like playing
a slot machine. Spend enough and you'll likely get one or two things worth
keeping, but otherwise you're going to end up with stuff you'll either give
way or toss in the bin.

 

[ToddsPoint]

I have so much “stuff” I’m starting to downsize. I need to box up my stuff and offer it in “mystery boxes”. Thanks for the idea!👍🏻

 

[k0bgalan]

One of my neighbors does a lot of storage locker auctions and does quite well. He did try an Amazon auction, but had to drive back east to get it. He came out ahead, in spite of the round trip. Sometimes, you get lucky, and sometimes you get trash—just like metal detecting!!

 

[pepperj]

The old is new again.
Meaning back in the 1960s they used to have luggage auctions in town at the railway depot.
Unclaimed luggage.
25cent to a $1.50 was the price.
My father paid the price of coffee and donuts (for the auctioneer and 5 workers)for a trunk.
(Donuts were 13 for a dollar- coffee was a nickel)
In the trunk was a pair of miner's rain slickers and boots and this Deer all wrapped up in the coat.

 

[WoodsDigger]

This is novel. For years it has been possible to buy lost unclaimed luggage from major airports such as Heathrow, but all of the suitcases have been opened and things like high value electronic goods and jewellery have already been removed. Normally what you get are clothes, shoes, cosmetics and holiday souvenirs that may or may not be worth what you’ve paid (usually not.)

Now we have a new viral retail concept from a company called ‘King Colis’. They bulk-purchase undelivered or lost internet-ordered parcels from delivery companies such as Evri and re-sell them as ‘mystery packages’ at pop-up events in shopping centres around the country. The outer packages are unmarked with respect to contents and guaranteed to be unopened. You get ten minutes to dig though the pile of offerings and can squeeze, shake or judge the weight but not open them.

Any that you want are priced by weight at around £2.50 per 100g, with no limit on quantity. If you can’t get to an event, you can also purchase a ‘lucky dip’ assortment from their website, which states: ‘When you buy lost packages, you never know what you’re going to receive : High tech? Jewelry? Clothes? Shoes? Handbags? Gadgets ? Video games? Collector’s items? Every unboxing is a new adventure!’

Inevitably, the small number of buyers that find valuable items get more publicity than the much larger number who are disappointed. Reporter Paul Drury chanced his arm and forked out £100 for a selection of items. What did he get?

- A bunch of inflatable inner tubes for very small tyres.
- Two thin metal rulers and some brightly-coloured electrical wiring.
- Some metal hooks of the kind you see hanging off a butcher’s shelf.
- Three door handles (with screws).
- Two packages of thin plastic discs similar to those used in ‘Spirograph’ art toys.
- A number of XXL casual shirts for men, several ladies’ tops and T-shirts.

I’m not inclined to try my luck. How about you?

My luck i would be the guy who got the confiscated bushmeat suitcase.

 

[GaRebel1861]

I'm pretty sure the contents were at least x-rayed and identified before being approved for resell. I could see someone get a mystery package, open it, and 1/4 kilo of cocaine drops out. Or, what if little Timmy gets one for his birthday and it's an inflatable sex doll? I guess it could be worse, and it's a big red rubber slong with a five speed manual transmission!

 

[releventchair]

At cents on the dollar costs a few might be resold.

A family ran a second hand store near me that bought storage locker contents and more.
They had a place to sort goods and discard.
More importantly they had a place in a village to sell it and did so at reasonable enough rates to keep turning over inventory.
Yes there are competitive online sales for the most valued stuff.
But the bread and butter was in keeping a flow through the store to get rid of it.
Unlike second hand sellers too proud of what they hold to sell it ; and setting on unwanted inventories.

 

[pepperj]

I did an airport confiscations 20 years ago. Just smalls that were taken out of carry on luggage/purses/pockets.
Toronto International Airport would take 4 tons of sharp objects from passengers every 3 months.
In the 80-100lb bins I sold them off as is $100 each.
What each one contained was over 300 pocket knives 75% Swiss Army, high end Henckels manicure sets. Small tools, box cutters, nail care items.
I stripped a bunch of the bins when I sold the company, and in 2008/9 sold 3000 knives to a guy that resold some on Ebay then funded his detecting holiday to England.
Last year I sold off another 700 knives to a local antique junk store.
I still have probably a few hundred kicking around.

 

[Digger54]

Buying suitcases that have been picked through? If the suitcase is relatively new and brand name then it might be worth it.