We bought misplaced baggage from Heathrow – it belonged to a household
It’s not every day you get to delve into the contents of a lost suitcase and keep what’s inside it, so when I was given the chance to rummage through someone’s abandoned luggage for work, I jumped at the chance in the hope I might bag some second-and goodies. Sadly, I was left bitterly disappointed.
We spent £80 to replicate the excitement drummed up by TikToker Becky Chorlton when she purchased luggage abandoned at London Heathrow Airport earlier this month.
The lucky thrifter found a Guess bag, ‘stunning’ sundresses – with tags on – and a Tommy Hilfiger jacket all wrapped up inside a shiny blue Delsy suitcase, which retails for around £275 at Selfridges.
But I wasn’t so lucky. Instead, I was met with crotch-stained shorts, sand-beaten budget t-shirts and a load of used male and female underwear. On the bright side, a pair of worn children’s crocs were super cute.
It was clear my suitcase belonged to a family who would now be forever separated from their personal items. I admit, I felt [slight] sympathy for them.
MailOnline purchased a lost suitcase abandoned at London Heathrow Airport and this is what happened when our reporter Maria Okanrende looked inside (pictured: Maria finds a pair of worn adult undies)
London Heathrow Airport holds onto lost property for three months from the date it was found. The suitcase we received was filled to the brim and appeared to contain at least a week’s worth of clothing for a family-of-three
After realising everything inside the box was both worn and dirty, our reporter was left far from impressed and branded the whole thing a rip off
London Heathrow Airport holds onto lost property for three months from the date it was found or handed in and can charge you up to £25 to retrieve misplaced items.
However, cases left unclaimed are sometimes given to auction houses which then sell off the bags (and all their contents) to the highest bidder.
We purchased ours from Undelivrd for £80. The company states that personal details and digital devices are removed from the luggage before they’re sent out, but apart from that everything is left as is. The size and brand of the suitcase you receive is decided at random.
Brimming with extreme excitement, I opened the suitcase in the office, and the contents – as well as my unimpressed reaction – were caught on camera.
Donning a pair of disposable gloves for safety (which I ended up feeling very grateful for), I eagerly ripped open its black nylon casing with my hands. Applause goes to Undelivrd for securing the luggage so tightly.
My hysteria soared when I discovered the plastic grey suitcase was bursting at the seams, for it apparently contained too many goodies to for the case to bear.
It was so jam-packed that the suitcase was only zipped halfway, leaving me an easy job accessing its contents.
The thrill of opening someone else’s suitcase – legally – was a wonderful feeling and I wasted no time in rummaging through it. But I can only describe the next few moments as painfully tragic.
We purchased the lost suitcase – originally abandoned at London Heathrow Airport – from Undelivrd for £80. Donning a pair of disposable gloves for safety, Maria eagerly ripped open the suitcase on camera
One of the first things Maria discovered were a cute pair of blue children’s crocs. This may have been the only item in the suitcase Maria approved of
Although some may argue that worn bikini bottoms are what you might expect to find in a lost suitcase haul, Maria had hoped to find something to the tune of ‘stunning’ sundresses – as found by TikToker Becky Chorlton earlier this month
I first laid my eyes on what appeared to be children’s clothing, including a small t-shirt with dinosaur images, baby shorts and a tiny pair of crocs. Although adorable I quickly realised the money spent was on its way down the toilet.
I had hoped to uncover my own pot of treasure similar to online vintage clothing seller Becky Chorlton. Perhaps even a few things I could wear myself.
Brushing aside my sympathy for the poor child who had lost their holiday gear, I continued on my now desperate search for something – anything – to make me feel the purchase was worth it.
The contents’ value was further diminished by the fact that all the clothing in the suitcase was not only worn, but overwhelmingly dirty.
I spotted a trio of what appeared to be men’s shorts all equally marked with very prominent cream and brown liquid stains near the crotch area. Thank goodness I wore gloves.
She also came across three pairs of men’s shorts, including this purple pair which contained a brown stain near the crotch
A second red pair was also dirty and featured cream-coloured stains at the centre – which Maria quipped were signs of a ‘very good time’
At one point she thought she’d laid her hands on a phone – but unfortunately for her it was some sort of mosquito repelling device
One of the passengers – presumably a father – had clearly prepared for hot weather as he’d also packed a t-shirt decorated with palm tree logos.
I also found skincare bottles and children’s medicine jars covered in German writing. I began to wonder if this family were originally from Deutschland and had lost their suitcase during a stopover in London.
And after finding a tot’s t-shirt emblazoned with a welcome message from Egypt, I stitched together a background story – one which pointed to the family visiting a resort in North Africa.
Back to my newly acquired luggage – things had gone from bad to worse.
Everything inside it had been worn, used and was soaked almost entirely in sand.
Crumpled up and stained underwear filled many corners of the box, while worn children’s socks filled the others.
Next I found a few dresses folded together. And while one male t-shirt bared a Primark label, intriguingly most of the female clothing bore no labelling.
Not only were the clothes dirty, but so was the suitcase itself. The entire box was filled with sand
Maria said the financial value of its contents became clearer after she discovered items from shops like Primark, such as this men’s shirt
Our reporter also found a woman’s white shirt dress from budget fast fashion retailer Shein
Body and skincare items were found to be written in German – perhaps giving a clue as to where the family were from
The mother opted for an off-the-shoulder floral gown, a white shirt dress, a mismatched bikini as well as other worn summer essentials.
The suitcase also contained two adult toothbrushes, a visibly overused child’s toothbrush and various tropical insect repellents.
Although some might say it was filled with the kinds of things you would expect from a travelling family, I couldn’t help but hide my disappointment.
Needless to say purchasing lost luggage is a gamble, and what you’ll receive simply comes down to the luck of the draw.
I personally think the whole thing is a rip off and isn’t worth the money spent.
However, I am pleased to have learnt how to make better use of suitcase space. Whoever packed almost a week’s worth of clothing for three people into one box is a genius.
