# Why would TSA collect surrendered watches?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-tsa-collect-surrendered-watches/827909>\
**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:** 2\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![SamuelA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@SamuelA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SamuelA)\
**Post date:** [January 19, 2019, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-tsa-collect-surrendered-watches/827909/21 "2019-01-19T16:47:10Z")

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It’s probably easier to do than it sounds. I recently took a trip, and I brought with me 2 laptop computers (personal + company), some headphones, a USB power bank, a couple of mice for the laptops. Nothing at all unusual, but since each laptop needed it’s own tray, my stuff in my wallet needed a tray, my backpack needed a tray, my coat did, my shoes…at least 5 trays I needed.

I could easily have dropped something and forgotten it.

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**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\
**Post date:** [January 20, 2019, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-would-tsa-collect-surrendered-watches/827909/22 "2019-01-20T03:35:48Z")

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A few months back I went through Newark. My normal PSA Pre didn’t get printed, and I figured it was a wash between waiting in the United line to change the boarding pass and going thru normal TSA line. Except, I left my MSFT Surface Pro work laptop behind.

Called TSA Newark. Got a vmail asking me to email details. Maybe 48 hours later they emailed me back and had found it. Options were to pick up in person, sign a form and have someone go pick up on my behalf, or send a prepaid UPS label. I did the prepaid UPS label with overnight shipping. All told, it took about 2 weeks to get it back. Not unreasonable service.

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