biggestbopper

Recently, but before the big liquid ban, I took a flight from LAX on AA. Was rushing for the flight and did not check the bag with my Swiss Army knife (carried mainly for corkscrew, tweezers and scissors, but, it does a a couple of mini blades and a mini-saw). Just forgot it was in the bag. Security spotted it and gave me the "options" of missing flight or giving them my knife. So, on to the flight ...

But, who got my like-new, $50 or more retail knife? Where is it now? Do the TSA folks inventory and turn all the knives, etc. confiscated and store them in a giant warehouse on site 59. Or, perhaps, each TSA worker has a collection ...?

Where is my knifge. And, can I buy it back?

SixAlpha

According to Los Angeles World Airports , all confiscated items at LAX are sent to the LAPD for destruction. Sorry

I know that at many other airports these items are sent to warehouses and re-sold. Some states auction them, some eBay them. Here in KY, they are all sent to a warehouse in Frankfort, KY and sold in bulk. Items like scissors often get picked up by the school districts for pennies on the dollar.

obscure2k

Please continue to follow this thread in Travel Safety and Security.
Thanks..
Obscure2k
TravelBuzz Moderator

Athena53

I read the same thing SixAlpha did- that states are selling confiscated items. One state had gotten savvy enough to start selling the more elaborate knives individually, in order to maximize revenue. From there, I suppose the dollars all disappear into the black hole of "general revenues".

Last month my husband realized he had a small Swiss Army knife in his pocket- after we'd checked in but before we hit "security". I hid it in a corner of MCI. He was skeptical but when we landed at MCI on the trip home I picked it up again and handed it to him. A tiny victory, but it made my day.

AINITFUNNY

Actually, if you check e-Bay, you will see them sell our illegally confiscated property sold in lots of ten or fifteen.

Travellin' Fool

Nice, not only do we get our rights taken away, stolen property is also profited from. What's next, you have to give bone marrow to board the plane?

"sir you have a MMMMMMM on your boarding pass...."

thegeneral

That property you're complaining that they're selling shouldn't have been in your luggage in the first place. It isn't the TSA's fault that you packed it. It also isn't as if anyone here didn't know better. It was YOUR fault, not theirs. Next time you fly, put in a USPS Priority envelope in your bag with postage on it. That way, if you make the same mistake again, you can just mail it to yourself and get back in line.

L-1011

You've never been to SNA, have you? All mailboxes are removed; "security risk"!

Jeffie

You might find it on ebay

Several other posters have mentioned that the confiscated items are sold. IIRC, these confiscated (stolen?) gadgets are 'supposed' to be placed, immediately, into locked containers and taken away for destruction. Here's the quandry... do you want the stuff that was taken from you (uh, voluntary surrender ... do you want to fly today?) destroyed by the government, sold by the government or kept by a person not entitled to it? Some choice, huh?

Personally, I'd rather keep my 'baby leatherman' with the tweezers, scissors and little screwdriver. Oh wait, it has a 1.5" blade on it that couldn't cut butter if you heated it. Betcha someone who didn't buy one has it in his pocket now. I've noticed some 'uniformed non-travellers' out by the smoking area, using lighters, too. Wonder where that nifty zippo came from?

Travellin' Fool

Yeah always wondered that. Though it's not hard to get a lighter past security.