Frequently Asked Questions

Shopping FAQs

1.) Where is your store? What are the store hours? Is there a best time to shop?

2.) Can I shop online?

3.) What kind of products do you sell? Is this all really unclaimed baggage?

4.) What can I expect when I reach your store? Is it hard to sort through merchandise? Is it clean?

5.) Is it really unclaimed baggage?

6.) What forms of payment do you accept?


General FAQs

7.) Can you find me a laptop/pair of skis/size 10 trench coat?

8.) Is it worth a trip from across the country?

9.) What is your return policy?

10.) Can you find my lost (suitcase/glasses/laptop/jewelry/favorite sweater)?

11.) How can there be so much lost luggage?

12.) Does Unclaimed Baggage sell everything it receives in lost luggage?

13.) What are some of the oddest things you've found in luggage?

1.) Where is your store? What are the store hours? Is there a best time to shop?

The store is located at 509 West Willow Street in Scottsboro, Alabama 35768. The phone number is 256-259-1525. We're open Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. CT, Saturday 8:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. CT and closed on Sundays. Find complete driving instructions in the "How to Find Us" section.

Anytime is a great time to shop at Unclaimed Baggage Center! Everyday, our staff brings over 7,000 fresh items to the sales floor as soon as it's been sorted, laundered, and priced! You are sure to have an exciting new experience each time you come visit us!

2.) Can I shop online?

Sorry, but we do not offer the option to shop online.

3.) What kind of products do you sell? Is this all really unclaimed baggage?

Think of what people take on trips - clothes, cameras, books, luggage, golf clubs - and you'll find it here. And we're always amazed at some of the things people thought they must have along - a collection of South Sea pearls, diamond rings or even snowboards.

Those who are vacationing want to look their best and executives on business trips must dress impeccably. That's why much of the merchandise is like-new and in excellent condition.

In addition to unclaimed baggage, we also handle lost and unclaimed cargo. This is merchandise normally sent from business to business, such as a manufacturer retailer or parts company manufacturer.

4.) What can I expect when I reach your store? Is it hard to sort through merchandise? Is it clean?

Unclaimed Baggage Center has continually been expanding and we now occupy a 40,000 sq. ft. store that covers more than a city block! Our store is large. This allows us to offer a wide range of product that will be sure to satisfy the wants and needs of every personality. Over 7,000 items are introduced to the floor throughout the day, giving you huge possibilities for the perfect find! The attractive displays throughout will inspire you to create the ideal outfit, seek a new favorite household accessory or discover a few unexpected items at a great value.

After our merchandise is processed and priced, it finds its way to its appropriate department to ensure that you will be able to easily prowl our spacious retail complex. Just as any other department store, if you were looking for shoes you would look in the shoe department. If electronics strike a chord with you, you can be sure to find them in our electronics department! At Unclaimed Baggage Center anything is possible! A few unexpected items have been known to surprise and delight many visitors along the hunt. Tour the store for a great sneek peek.

You can be sure the clothing you buy is fresh. We operate the busiest laundry and dry cleaning facility in the area. You'll find clean, pressed clothing - including crisply starched men's shirts - arranged on well-marked racks, just as in any quality store. The jewelry department is a boutique within the store where you'll be sure to find something for every occasion, just as you might expect in the mall.

Stop at the Concierge Desk for friendly help to any question about how to find your way around the store or even where to stay in Scottsboro. And no one has to shop on an empty stomach. Cups Espresso Café is located within the store and serves fresh Starbucks Coffee and offers a variety of delicious meals ranging from deli sandwiches to savory homestyle dishes. Its a great place to relax and take in all the possiblities that await you.

Also, don't miss our other departments also located on our campus. Our recently renovated 111 year old southern home is now The Book Nook! You will be impressed with its quaint southern charm. Inside the Book Nook you will be able to find a large selection of art, collectables, and books galore! Also, don't forget to visit our Annex. It holds a constantly changing array of products including automotive items, crafts, textiles, cosmetics, household goods and more.

5.) Is it really unclaimed baggage?

Merchandise at Unclaimed Baggage Center really is from lost or unclaimed luggage and carry-ons. Occasionally someone is traveling with new clothes and we discover the tags still on the garments when we open the bags.

We also have products from Unclaimed Cargo. These unclaimed items originated from cargo received from various freight lines. Normally, all these products are new items which were lost while being shipped from distributors to wholesalers and retailers, or assemblers to manufacturers.

6.) What forms of payment do you accept?

We accept cash, personal check with valid driver’s license, Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover cards.

We sell gift cards at our Concierge Desk in the Scottsboro store.

7.) Can you find me a laptop/pair of skis/size 10 trench coat?

The nature of our store prevents us from fulfilling specific requests by phone, fax or email. To answer these requests, we would need teams of personal shoppers combing through the thousands of products that come to the floor daily to catch the specific items requested. And the "treasures" would no longer be bargains.

But there are two ways to discover your own treasures. First, of course, is to visit the store in Scottsboro, Alabama. The inventory changes every day and you'll never know what "finds" you can make. And you can also shop at our UBC, etc. store located in Boaz, Alabama.

8.) Is it worth a trip from across the country?

Some shoppers watch for special airfares on the Internet or in the newspaper. The great savings from just a few of your purchases (cameras, designer frames, etc.) will have you saying "It's worth the trip!"

To get the most enjoyment and value from your trip - whether you fly or drive in - you must understand the truly unique nature of Unclaimed Baggage Center. Our staff is constantly rolling out a fresh selection of product to the floor throughout each day-nearly 7,000 items daily. Many of the items are snapped up within hours. Unclaimed Baggage Center is literally a whole new store with a whole new array of lost treasures every single day - Monday through Saturday.

And while we have many new exciting items in every department every single day (often every hour!), if you have your heart set on finding a specific designer's clothes in your size or a particular new electronic gadget, they may or may not be on the sales floor at the exact moment you are there. But luckily, there's always something to surprise and delight the savvy shopper. (You may not find the perfect digital camera for yourself but pick up a great watch you weren't expecting to find for your spouse.) This store is about the thrill of the hunt! And when you bag a bargain, there's no feeling like it!

9.) What is your return policy?

Here is our General Return Policy: We will gladly EXCHANGE or ISSUE STORE CREDIT upon these conditions:

• Sales receipt is included
• Tags are on merchandise
• Return is within 14 business days of purchase

Non-returnable items include

Sorry NO Cash Refunds
Special Camera Return Policy ** Any camera over $25 is covered by a special refund policy to make sure your camera works properly. Please ask about it when you shop at the store.

10.) Can you find my lost suitcase (glasses/laptop/jewelry/favorite sweater)?

We regret that there is no way we can help you find anything you lost while traveling. By the time luggage reaches us, every effort has been made by the airlines to find the rightful owners. Usually the bags have no identification on (or in) them. The airlines use clues they find in the luggage, such as an itinerary or other personal documents, to try to find the owners. This effort by the airlines to return the goods results in a three to four month lag before we receive the baggage.

That means the baggage that arrives at Unclaimed Baggage is anonymous and up to 120 days past the travel date. And of course, many items we receive are unmarked belongings left behind in overhead bins or seat pockets. Further, the volume of products coming through our store on a daily basis - much of it bought by shoppers within hours of reaching the sales floor would make it a virtual impossibility to track any particular item.

11.) How can there be so much lost luggage?

Actually, there is far less lost luggage than you might think. Airlines use sophisticated global tracing systems and over 99.9% of all bags checked are returned. But there are far more people traveling today. Billions of bags are checked with the airlines every year. In the past few years, the airlines have dramatically reduced the number of lost bags.

Also, many items are simply lost or left behind without identification, which adds to the unclaimed baggage.

12.) Does Unclaimed Baggage sell everything it receives in lost luggage?

No. Unclaimed Baggage Center donates one-third of the items to a wide variety of charities. We are a strong supporter of charitable organizations, locally, regionally, and globally. On a regular basis, we donate clothing, car seats and strollers for displaced children along with luggage to foster care programs. We also donate wheelchairs, walking aids, and eyeglasses that aid programs in the U.S. and abroad.

13.) What are some of the oddest things you've found in luggage?

You can find some of our neat discoveries in the "Newly Discovered" Section. Or visit our "Unpack the Bag" section to see what we've found.