airport contraband sold on ebay

[Dectek]

I was listening to NPR yesterday when a news report kind of shocked me. California law allows the objects that airport security takes away from passengers to be put up for sale on eBay.

The articles like pocket knives, grooming kits, multi tools (leatherman) and any other Item that does not make it through final check-in does not get returned. The news reports stated that it would cost too much money to return the articles to the passengers because there is so much. So far $16,000.00 have been raised by the sale of these articles on eBay. They compared it so some insignificant percentage to offset the cost of security.
It was not stated, but I would have to believe that this was unclaimed goods. Has anyone had anything removed and given a claim slip or anything?

Have you seen a large amounts of dive computers or cannister lights up for sale lately? NAHHHH we would have heard about it.

 

[scuberd]

I think its good that that stuff is being sold, it was just being throwen away before, and I think that we need as much money as we can get after all of the budget cuts Grey Davis proposed

 

[dsgobie]

I would like to see a better effort to return the stuff... A friend of mine just returned from vacation and had a pocket knife he had forgotten about. I know he should have thought about it but it happens. His grandpa had given him that one, and he wouldn't of traded it for the would.. He told me that they did NOT give him a slip for it. Just stuck it in the box and away it went. Now someone on ebay will get it for a couple bucks..

And being a government employee, I HIGHLY DOUBT the money will actually go where they are saying it will go. IMO, the government is so good at not using money on things that it is supposed to, they have set up a whole agency to keep record of it. Called FWA or Fruad, Waste, and Abuse... Wonder how much they waste? Not much of a checks and balance there..

 

[Hallmac]

Taxation without representation.

Hallmac

 

[Dectek]

There are some things you deserve to loose if you try to take them on a plane. The list of strict no-no's is plastered all over the place. It is the Gray area things that you should be able to get back. If I carry a home made oxy analyzer in my carry-on and the TSA takes it away because they do not know if it is safe and I can not prove what it is....then I should be able to get it back later.
If you put a dive knife into your bag I think they should be allowed to use it on you.

 

[Bob3]

The knives/scissors/corkscrews etc that get confiscated here in CA do indeed get ebayed.
Here's the state's "surplus property" ebay page. Not all the goods sold are confiscated, much is just state surplus: http://cgi6.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.d...niagold2000&include=0&since=-1&sort=3&rows=25

 

[scuba-sass]

"Mountain of Miscellaneous Used Hand Tools"

OR, even better:

"30 Pounds of Scissors, + or - 660 Scissors"

What the heck would you do with 30 pounds of scissors????

Scuba-sass

 

[scuberd]

all those pocket knives, a mountain of tools, I can't resist =-)

 

[dsgobie]

I guess you could buy em' and sell them a dollar each at a dollar store.. But I don't think he make out much on it.. It's got to cost a lot to ship 30lbs of steel.

 

[Northeastwrecks]

scuba-sass once bubbled...

What the heck would you do with 30 pounds of scissors????

Put them in my check bag and see what happens????

:wacko: