The Original Lost Baggage Center Located in Scottsboro Alabama

If you are thinking, Scottsboro Alabama, does not readily come to mind as a #1 vacation destination, you are correct. Its only claim to fame is that it is the home of the Unclaimed Baggage Center. Ever wonder what happens to the items the airlines, airports, and passengers have lost, found, forgot, left or dropped? (I’m sure my Earth,Wind and Fire CD ended up at the Unclaimed Baggage Center when I unknowingly dropped it on the way home from a Florida vacation.) Think of the Center as the final resting place for any and everything that can be found in and around planes and airports.

An impressive array of stuff is sorted, cleaned and then neatly displayed for sale at the Unclaimed Baggage Center.The prices are competitive to put it mildly. If you enjoy finding bargains and buried treasure, you will love the Unclaimed Baggage Center.

Here's what you need to know about the Scottsboro store:

The store is located at:
509 West Willow Street, Scottsboro, Alabama 35768.
256-259-1525.

Hours of operation: 
Monday - Friday 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. CT
Saturday 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. CT
Closed Sundays.

Note: Pets are not allowed in the store.

Payment Terms
Accept cash, personal check with valid driver’s license, Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover card

Gift cards are also available at the Concierge Desk in the Scottsboro store.

• There is only one Unclaimed Baggage Center!
• Unclaimed Baggage Center covers more than a city block! You should be sure to allow yourself plenty of time.
• They stock over 7,000 items DAILY in the store.
• Everything is clean, fresh, and ready for you to take home!
  
• General Return Policy

The Scottsboro unclaimed luggage store will be receiving serious competition from the producers of the hit show, Auction Kings. A show featuring auctioning unclaimed luggage will begin during May, 2012.The show is entitled Luggage Wars. Auctions will be held in various places and the winners hope to find hidden treasures left at airports accidentally. Hopes are that attache cases containing valuable electronics or lap tops will be found and purchased by auction enthusiasts.

Professional auctioneers buy luggage in bulk and auction the possessions to the highest bidder.

To emphasize the nature of the store I have included a review that dates February, 2010 along with UBC management's response.

Reviewer's comments:

The first time we went at that UBC we found great buys.. We recently went back hoping to get lucky. The selection this time was not as good. Basically this place is either a hit or miss for folks. You either get lucky and find a great buy, or fall short of finding anything at all.

Management's Reply:

Management Response (Management representative) Mar 29, 2010 Dear Kyliemom23,
I’m glad to see you made your way back to the store, but I’m sad to see you didn’t leave with goodies like you did on your first trip. Even though we stock thousands of new items daily, some days you find things in particular that you want, other days you don’t. I experience that same shopping dilemma when I shop other stores as well (grocery stores are a whole other deal-I can always find something I didn’t need or necessarily want-usually cookies). At UBC, we strive to stock as many quality products daily as we can, but keep in mind we are at the mercy of the travelling public whose bags were lost or unclaimed. Unlike other retailers who can order their inventory months in advance and order exactly what they want to sell in their store, we receive items that we have no idea on the initial onset if what they will be or high enough quality to even sell. However, for the most part of our 40 year history we do get great items to sell or we wouldn’t be in business today. But, we do throw a huge volume away and donate nearly 40% of what we receive as well. So, as you can see, we are very particular about the quality of the items we stock, we just can’t dictate the variety or the categories that you may have been interested in. All that being said, yes we are sometimes “hit or miss” depending on what you were looking for. I hope you make it back this way again and you leave with a great “hit” that you will write back and tell us about. Sincerely, B. Cantrell This review was found on Trip Advisor. I believe it is typical of the hit or miss type of deal typical at such places. Whether it is worth a special trip for a hit or miss opportunity is debatable. However if a trip to UBC can be taken without going far out of the way, it might prove interesting and profitable.

You can actually put together a vacation package and stay at least one night iin one of the motel/hotels in Scottsboro, 

• Day's Inn
• America's Best Value Inns & Suites
• Jameson Inn
• Hampton Inn
• Comfort Inn

All have accommodations right in Scottsboro itself, with very affordable prices.

Unfortunately there is no guarantee that you will be able to find a lost item simply by travelling to the UBC.

Some items are "found" and taken home with the founder.

Other items can be destroyed in one way or another.

Sometimes your item can even be returned to you, if the proper identification is included inside your luggage or item. It is not enough to have an ID tag on the outside of your luggage. Identification must also be placed inside your bags just in case the outside tag is lost or breaks off unexpectedly.

Airlines insist most bags are returned to their rightful owners and that what ends up at UBC are those hard or impossible to return items often abandoned by the owner.

UBC proudly announces that it donates a large amount of the found items to charities and other groups. In addition, all items are thoroughly cleaned before they are placed on the show room floor and that the prices are excellent.

Clothing is always dried cleaned before being placed on sales racks.

Here are the details of an actual purchase made at UBC. It is from the UBC website but unfortunately it is dated 4/09, which makes it a year old. Hopefully this portion will be updated with a more recent sampling, as soon as one becomes available.

Unclaimed BaggageCenter
Scottsboro, Alabama
256.259.1525

Lost treasures from around the world

-Sale-
Salesman # 37 459830 Date

4-21-09

Men's T-Shirts . 4.00

Ladies shorts

2.00

PANASONIC DMC-FZ1 Digital Camera 150.00

GARMIN STREET PILOT I2 GPS

165.00

Schwinn double jogging stroller
(excellent condition)

40.00 Gap ladies yoga jacket 4.00

Ann Taylor slacks (new)

20.00

Ralph Lauren sweater (new) 25.00 Children's Tommy Hilfiger outfits
2 @ $8.00 each 16.00

Subtotal

426.00

9% Tax

38.34

Total

464.34

Balance due

464.34

Check

500.00

Change due

35.66

Thank you for shopping with us at
UnclaimedBaggageCenter,
home of Lost Treasures From Around the World!
Please come again!

Some Other Items Sold at UBC

In a FAQ section of the site, the following Q&A was provided:

What kind of products do you sell? Is this all really unclaimed baggage?

Think of what people take on trips - clothes, cameras, books, luggage, golf clubs - and you'll find it here. And we're always amazed at some of the things people thought they must have along - a collection of South Sea pearls, diamond rings or even snowboards.

Those who are vacationing want to look their best and executives on business trips must dress impeccably. That's why much of the merchandise is like-new and in excellent condition.

In addition to unclaimed baggage, we also handle lost and unclaimed cargo. This is merchandise normally sent from business to business, such as a manufacturer retailer or parts company manufacturer.

So, if you are ever in the South, specifically in the Scottsboro, Alabama area and you are in a curious mood, stop in at the Unclaimed Baggage Center and do some treasure hunting.

Who knows what you could come away with?