Airport's confiscated goods end up on eBay to churn profit.

[Skel3tor1]

I stumbled upon this article tonight and I was rather shocked. This explains why the airports still have that stupid ban on items that shouldn't even matter with them being on a plane. For pete's sake if someone wants to hijack a plane, they can stab your eye out with a freaking pencil.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20070224/tc ... _ck6cjtBAF

But... nooooooo. Our airports have to keep this mentally challenged ban on items in place so they can sit there, confiscate it all, and turn around and put it on eBay and so far, they've amassed almost half a million dollars in profit from these goods.

Discuss.

[Wrider]

Yeah, it sucks, but I do have to admit, they do have good prices on the things they do sell on ebay... You can get 10 lbs of pocket knives for like 15 bucks...
Wrider

[Ninja Geoff]

hmmm... link to said auctions? anyone?

[Logitech105]

It is down right rediculus what some people try to bring on planes, but you do have the option of mailing it to yourself. I guess if you dont want it taken away then don't bring it. But if you'r going to cry why the police took away your machete, well wha'd you expect!!

Well i say if the companies are going to confiscate something, they might as well sell it on ebay... but it is a motive to confiscate unnecessary or expensive items, I would also like to throw the corruption notion in there.

[Apollofrost]

Last time I was in the US I talked to a guy that worked in a local knife shop and he told me that people were getting their knives "confiscated" from their check-in luggage, aren't you allowed to keep them in your check-in?

[Wrider]

Well yeah, you're allowed to have them in check-in baggage, but sometimes they use any reason they can to confiscate anything!
Wrider

[flynrider]

Last time I was in the US I talked to a guy that worked in a local knife shop and he told me that people were getting their knives "confiscated" from their check-in luggage, aren't you allowed to keep them in your check-in?

That's not "confiscated", that's "stolen". Yes, you're allowed to transport a knife in checked baggage. If someone is taking it out, they are stealing it. Not surprising, though. Baggage handlers stealing from checked luggage is not new. Just about every news network has done an expose' about it over the years.

Now, with the increased use of x-ray machines for checked baggage, the thieves can more easily target bags that have the items they want, instead of having to randomly open and rummage through bags like they used to do.

[Johnj]

Anytime I fly all my checked luggage has duct tape wound around it, with my name across the tape, so I can tell if anybody was in the luggage. I've never lost anything.

[Apollofrost]

Well seems I'll be heading back in a car, rather than flying. Much easier to fit all of my s*** in a mini-van than two little check in bags.

It was strange though, I think they were just stealing the knives and not anything else. I guess they figured nobody would report it, I mean who in the US would willingly say "Knife" and "Airport" in the same scentence?

I would be royaly brassed-off if they jacked my knives, they already trashed my video camera and my external HD.

[Shorts]

I say GUN and AIRPORT in the same sentence. There is no fear. Follow the regs and you're fine. I'm so tired of the airline/airport bullshit in America. Idiots. All of them.


Don't get me started on thieves tonight. For further explanation, read my blog entry.