# Why would TSA collect surrendered watches? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 17, 2019, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-tsa-collect-surrendered-watches/827909 "2019-01-17T02:15:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2019, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-tsa-collect-surrendered-watches/827909/1 "2019-01-17T02:15:04Z")
There is [web site where a liquidator sells items](https://www.govdeals.com/index.cfm?fa=Main.AdvSearchResultsNew&searchPg=Location&inv_num=&category=00&kWord=&kWordSelect=2&sortBy=ad&agency=3553&state=&country=&locID=10852&timing=bySimple&locationType=state&timeType=&timingWithin=1&rowCount=10&StartRow=1) that were surrendered by passengers at TSA checkpoints on the east coast and stored in a Harrisburg, Pa., facility. (TSA says “surrendered” instead of “confiscated” because if a passenger does not wish to give up their item, they may put it in checked baggage or not board the plane.) They sell them in lots by the pound. Among these items are countless Swiss army knives, buck knives, Leatherman tools, power tools, what-have-you. But there is also jewelry, rings, and watches. Is there any reason to take them, or do people just walk away and forget them in the trays? It’s astonishing how much stuff gets left behind. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2019, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-tsa-collect-surrendered-watches/827909/2 "2019-01-17T03:25:21Z")
> [@](#): > > TSA estimates that approximately 90,000 to 100,000 items are left behind at checkpoints **each month**. (Bolding mine.) [https://www.tsa.gov/contact/lost-and-found](https://www.tsa.gov/contact/lost-and-found) ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2019, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-tsa-collect-surrendered-watches/827909/3 "2019-01-17T04:01:42Z")
We spent about three hours in the Miami airport coming back from vacation a couple weeks ago; during that time there were at least half a dozen announcements asking people to return to the security checkpoint to retrieve an item they had left there. Cellphone, wallet, keys, tablet…there seems to be no end to the things that people will leave behind. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2019, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-tsa-collect-surrendered-watches/827909/4 "2019-01-17T04:08:13Z")
They gotta fund their payroll somehow… ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2019, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-tsa-collect-surrendered-watches/827909/5 "2019-01-17T04:21:44Z")
Who buys that stuff? Or more specifically, why is it sorted that way? I I was going to buy, I’d want 2 pounds of truly mixed for $100, not 14 lb of swiss army knives for $700. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2019, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-tsa-collect-surrendered-watches/827909/6 "2019-01-17T04:34:44Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > Who buys that stuff? > > Or more specifically, why is it sorted that way? I I was going to buy, I’d want 2 pounds of truly mixed for $100, not 14 lb of swiss army knives for $700. Perhaps you are overestimating the skills of the (currently unpaid) TSA… ---
**Author:** ![Alpha\_Twit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpha_twit/32/265_2.png) [@Alpha\_Twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpha_Twit)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2019, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-tsa-collect-surrendered-watches/827909/7 "2019-01-17T05:00:25Z")
I’m surprised at the size of the bids they’re getting. $600 for fourteen pounds of assorted Swiss army knives. Granted that’s a fraction of new retail value but it’s still a big roll of the dice. I have to assume these are being resold on eBay or similar and that the buyers think (possibly correctly) that that can make a profit on it. More power to them, I’m not gonna fight them for the opportunity. ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2019, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-tsa-collect-surrendered-watches/827909/8 "2019-01-17T06:05:50Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > Who buys that stuff? > > Or more specifically, why is it sorted that way? I I was going to buy, I’d want 2 pounds of truly mixed for $100, not 14 lb of swiss army knives for $700. It’s probably easier to search through a box of “fixed blade knives”, when someone tries to recover the item they left behind, than to search through “everything left on December 18th.” ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2019, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-tsa-collect-surrendered-watches/827909/9 "2019-01-17T06:57:27Z")
> [@Melbourne](#): > > Who buys that stuff? > > Or more specifically, why is it sorted that way? I I was going to buy, I’d want 2 pounds of truly mixed for $100, not 14 lb of swiss army knives for $700. It looks like it’s aimed at people who sell particular categories of stuff, not curious individuals. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2019, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-tsa-collect-surrendered-watches/827909/10 "2019-01-17T13:44:37Z")
It’s also pretty well picked over before it is sold. I was told by a TSA that they take what they want, then the airport police take what they want, then maybe the cleaning staff go through it, and so on. What eventually makes it to sale is basically junk and selling it by the pound makes sense. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2019, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-tsa-collect-surrendered-watches/827909/11 "2019-01-17T13:51:36Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > It’s also pretty well picked over before it is sold. I was told by a TSA that they take what they want, then the airport police take what they want, then maybe the cleaning staff go through it, and so on. What eventually makes it to sale is basically junk and selling it by the pound makes sense. I heard about this site on a podcast (Every Little Thing episode) about what happens to items that TSA takes. The ex-TSA officer who was interviewed said that TSA agents are not allowed to keep any of the items for themselves. I assume the rationale is that if TSA agents (and airport police, and cleaning staff) could take stuff home, that gives TSA staff a motive for being very aggressive about what they disallow on board. If your TSA contact is really doing this I wonder if it’s against the rules, or even illegal. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2019, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-tsa-collect-surrendered-watches/827909/12 "2019-01-17T13:51:57Z")
The first thing I see when looking is that a Swiss Army Knife is about 5oz. 14 pounds would be about 45 knives. If you had a thrift or pawn shop or put them on ebay for $30, you’d about double what you spent. Even with some selling for less, I think you’d come out ahead, provided you could sell them. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2019, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-tsa-collect-surrendered-watches/827909/13 "2019-01-17T14:45:53Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > I heard about this site on a podcast (Every Little Thing episode) about what happens to items that TSA takes. The ex-TSA officer who was interviewed said that TSA agents are not allowed to keep any of the items for themselves. I assume the rationale is that if TSA agents (and airport police, and cleaning staff) could take stuff home, that gives TSA staff a motive for being very aggressive about what they disallow on board. > > If your TSA contact is really doing this I wonder if it’s against the rules, or even illegal. Who watches the TSA and Airport Police? Airport personnel have a long history of stealing. Baggage handlers are notorious for it. I doubt this stuff is documented item-by-item, in any case. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2019, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-tsa-collect-surrendered-watches/827909/14 "2019-01-17T15:11:23Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Who watches the TSA and Airport Police? Airport personnel have a long history of stealing. Baggage handlers are notorious for it. I doubt this stuff is documented item-by-item, in any case. That’s what I’ve heard in the past. People get things stolen (or missing from their luggage) and nothing ever becomes of it, even when it’s caught on camera. I feel like I saw something where someone tracked their iPad right from the airport (checked in her luggage) all the way to a house that was owned by a TSA employee. > [@CookingWithGas](#): > > If your TSA contact is really doing this I wonder if it’s against the rules, or even illegal. I’d be willing to bet all those items are considered TSA property and that an agent taking them, without permission, would be considered stealing (from the TSA). Might not be enforced, it might even be encouraged, but it still seems like stealing. If, for no other reason, so they have something on the books that they can use if they need to. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2019, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-tsa-collect-surrendered-watches/827909/15 "2019-01-17T16:52:16Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > It’s also pretty well picked over before it is sold. I was told by a TSA that they take what they want, then the airport police take what they want, then maybe the cleaning staff go through it, and so on. What eventually makes it to sale is basically junk and selling it by the pound makes sense. I highly doubt that thievery could be that organized and yet kept secret from the media. You are talking about a minimum of three different groups of people, with not one honest person spilling the beans. Could your TSA friend be trying to justify the thievery she/he indulges in by claiming “Everybody does it!”? ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2019, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-tsa-collect-surrendered-watches/827909/16 "2019-01-17T17:10:09Z")
I had my pocket knife confiscated at the airport once. I forgot I had it in my backpack. TSA told me I could throw it in the trash, or else they could mail it back home for me for the bargain price of $45. Since the knife only cost $30 brand new, I tossed it. Unless they dug it out of the trash, I don’t know how they could have sold it. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2019, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-tsa-collect-surrendered-watches/827909/17 "2019-01-17T17:13:11Z")
People make decent profit reselling that stuff at swap meets, for example. Although not on that second lot of Leatherman tools (#18928). Whoever wins that bid is going to take a bath. But the watches and SAKs should sell quickly and easily at decent prices. ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2019, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-tsa-collect-surrendered-watches/827909/18 "2019-01-17T23:35:14Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > Who watches the TSA and Airport Police? Airport personnel have a long history of stealing. Baggage handlers are notorious for it. I doubt this stuff is documented item-by-item, in any case. London Heathrow used to be notorious for it. And if anyone in authority took any action the baggage handlers would come out on strike - they had the labor unions sewn up tight. ---
**Author:** ![Scumpup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@Scumpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scumpup)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2019, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-tsa-collect-surrendered-watches/827909/19 "2019-01-18T00:30:04Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I highly doubt that thievery could be that organized and yet kept secret from the media. You are talking about a minimum of three different groups of people, with not one honest person spilling the beans. Could your TSA friend be trying to justify the thievery she/he indulges in by claiming “Everybody does it!”? I’ll take his personal statement of what happens over your suppositions. Why don’t you go find a TSA and ask hir what goes on at hir airport and get back to me? ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2019, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-tsa-collect-surrendered-watches/827909/20 "2019-01-18T02:07:08Z")
> [@Scumpup](#): > > I’ll take his personal statement of what happens over your suppositions. Why don’t you go find a TSA and ask hir what goes on at hir airport and get back to me? [Here is the podcast](https://www.gimletmedia.com/every-little-thing/tsa-treasure-chest-what-happens-to-your-confiscated-stuff#episode-player). Listen starting at 9:00 for about 2 minutes. Then again, there is [this](https://www.rt.com/usa/tsa-stealing-from-travelers-358/), although from 2012. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-tsa-collect-surrendered-watches/827909.md?page=2)