Originally Posted by
merrickdb
The value you assign to the bag (and that you seek from the carrier that lost the bag) should be the replacement cost, not the original purchase price, so you shouldn't need to worry about the premium to what you'd pay if you could wait for a sale, etc. as the carrier should reimburse you for the market price.
Have you EVER lost a bag???
This is completely not how you get reimbursed from airlines.
This is more how it goes:
Item - price paid - date purchased
Then the airline decides WHAT the depreciation should be....so that "lifetime" travelpro bag you bought for $200 3 years ago now only has a $30 value-THAT is what you get paid!
I know-I have had a LOT of bags lost (almost every one of them on US).
Back to the point the OP had....if you buy interm stuff-and CO finds your bag in 23 hours-you get paid nothing. If CO never finds your bag, you get paid what the airline feels like paying you (after THEIR figures of depreciation are calculated) which is usually no where near enough to get your items back. The traveler takes it on the chin in both ways!