This Website Lets You Buy Confiscated TSA Items

If you're someone who flies often, you know the terror of getting in line for airport security and wondering if there's something in your carry-on that you forgot. Most of the time there's nothing to worry about — but once in a while, there is, and in those cases, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) steps in. But did you know that some of the items that never make it past security are then available for sale?

TSA screens between 1.6 and 2.6 million passengers a day at each travel checkpoint, so that's a lot of scanning, carry-on luggage, and items that TSA won't let past security. Getting stopped by the TSA doesn't usually mean you can't continue on your flight — it just means you may lose whatever was in your luggage that shouldn't have been there.

TSA exists to keep people safe, so all of the items prone to be disallowed provide some type of security risk. Most commonly these are every item like liquids and aerosols over the TSA limits, nail clippers, scissors, pocket knives, different types of batteries, and multitools. And while not all of them are up for grabs, some of them very well might be. Below, we'll explore what TSA does and doesn't let through security and what kind of items appear for sale on its website.

If you're wondering what happens when TSA finds an item, well, they are pretty blunt about the process. The statement on the TSA website about retrieving prohibited items reads, "There are no provisions for returning prohibited items removed from checked baggage. Passengers should contact their airline with further questions about possible hazardous materials."

One thing you are allowed to do is mail your item out. TSA won't do this for you, but if you travel to the airport with a self-addressed stamped envelope on your person, you can use the airport's mailing service to send it home. Depending on what the item is, you can also choose to check your bag instead of carrying it through. The regulations for checked luggage are different and often less strict (except, notably, with regard to electronics, which the TSA does recommend to travel in a carry-on, due to the risks of lithium-ion batteries catching fire.)

But if you're in a time crunch and can't risk missing your plane, or if you don't have the time to check your bag or mail your item, then you can consider it lost. Many of the items will end up on the government surplus marketplace GovDeals.

GovDeals houses auctions from a number of government entities, and that includes discarded property left at airports by people. It's interesting to note that none of these are actually confiscated items, since TSA does not confiscate items. But, if a traveler can't take something through security, they're forced to leave it.

This now abandoned property is gathered up at the end of every day and may be sold off for surplus bidding. Not all of these items are actually forbidden from TSA. Some are just left abandoned at the airport when someone forgets to put them back on after their screening or absent-mindedly walks away from them.

A lot of the auctions are done in bulk, meaning it isn't strange to find a lot of hundreds of pairs of eyewear or 10 pounds of assorted Swiss Army knives (which, if you're curious, can sell for upwards of $500). Other common items sold in bulk lots are belts, scissors, children's toys, toy weapons, power banks, tools like screwdrivers, and self-defense tools.

Those with a keen eye for deals might be able to make some money by buying and reselling from these TSA treasures. For instance, there are seven sets of AirPods up for grabs right now. There's also lots of jewelry sold by the pound. If you want to scope out what's up for auction and see if you can grab any hot deals, you can visit the GovDeals website. Just make sure you verify if a location does shipping. Some of these auctions are local pickup only, and the seller locations can vary anywhere in the country.

Let's take a moment to appreciate exactly how wild some of the contraband taken by TSA actually is. Every year TSA releases its "best catches," and here are some of the items that made it onto the 2024 list.

The list starts with drugs, which shouldn't be that surprising, but whoever tried to sneak them in really did the TSA dirty by hiding them in a peanut butter jar. This goes along with the popular theme of trying to hide forbidden items in something odd, including a gun inside a combat boot which was then placed inside a LEGO "The Avengers" box, or a gun inside of a teapot.

At the SeaTac airport TSA checkpoint, someone attempted to bring a knife blade hidden inside their laptop, and at the Chicago Midway airport, drugs, and paraphernalia were tucked away inside a toothpaste tube. These sneaky flyers aren't even afraid to try and mask their contraband behind a disability, with Portsmouth airport TSA finding meth inside of a set of crutches. 

Here's something a little different: Miami airport discovered someone trying to slither through TSA with live snakes inside of their pants. Meanwhile, the El Paso TSA also had to teach someone that bringing a replica IED (improvised explosive device) to an airport is still a bad idea.

Topping out the list of TSA's best catches is a gun. Not too surprising, right? Well, the shocking part is how they tried to sneak it in. This loaded handgun was tucked into a pocket of a baby stroller, complete with a baby in it.

If you're not sure what makes it through TSA and what doesn't, the agency actually offers a really helpful prohibited item list. Most of the things that wouldn't be allowed to pass through the security screening make a lot of sense.

There's a different category of things that you can travel with, but that require you to follow a specific set of instructions. This means items like an air mattress with a built-in pump, but it's up to each airline to determine what to do if the pump triggers the security screening. If you fear you may not be able to make a smoothie at your destination and really need to bring your blender, you're allowed — as long as the blades are removed. Some sharp objects (like cigar cutters) are allowed, but only if they're sheathed or security wrapped.

When trying to figure out what to pack in your carry-on and what to put in your checked luggage, consider carefully what you can stand to lose and what you can't. Checked bags are generally well tracked, and with AirTag technology cheap and readily available, you can even track it yourself.

But if you pack something in your carry-on luggage that TSA decides you can't take on the plane, be ready to say goodbye to it forever. It might end up being sold in bulk alongside other items just like it.