Luggage tag on eBay

This item is up for auction, starting at $4.00. No, it's not a Frequent Flyer tag - it's a plain red stiff paper tag. Grab a handful at any checkin.

 

There's a legitimate market for collectibles, and just because we can scoop up an armload of plain red paper luggage tags doesn't mean that some collector in the USA can do so. If they want such an item, then $4 plus postage is a lot cheaper than coming here.

I also see Qantas economy longhaul kits up for auction on eBay, and occasionally they go off.

The business and first class kits are guaranteed sales. They usually go for between $5 and $20 depending on what's inside.

I'm guilty of buying this stuff to some degree. I carry a red leather men's First Class kit in my carryon. I've augmented it quite a bit, and it does double duty as being my inflight amenities kit with better gear than I get in the economy pack, such as lip balm and stuff, and it's also my emergency toilet bag if my baggage is delayed or (more usually) I am between flights and I want to freshen up a bit. The small canister of shave foam is particularly good for this - it's a lot smaller and lighter than anything I can buy in the shops, and beats trying to lather up with the squirty soap in the gents.

Besides, it looks great. That soft red leather bag is really nice. I don't know how much something like that would cost in a specialty luggage shop, but I'm betting it would be closer to fifty dollars than the few dollars I paid for it on eBay.

 

There's no accounting for taste. Look at stamp collectors. Some manky old stamp from a hundred years back you can't even stick on a letter and they prefer it over (say) an AONE4.

If someone's collecting luggage tags from every airline, or they want every bit of Qantas kit ever issued, then the tag has quite a bit of value to them, and $4 is a bargain.

However, I doubt that there would be a great number of folk who would be such collectors. You couldn't sell a thousand red tags and wind up $4 000 to the good.

 

It costs about 35c to list an item IIRC. If he takes a few swings at it and finally gets a buyer, then he's ahead. If he's got the item loaded on Turbolister then it's only a couple of mouseclicks to relist it. And if it sells he can put another one straight up. From the box of a thousand in the back room.

In theory, it's money for old rope. But not a lot of money. And then there's the hassle of collecting the money and shipping the thing off.

This guy's got hundreds of items up for sale, but nobody's bidding on them. Looking at his completed items, he moves very little of his stuff, maybe 5% a bidding cycle. It's all similar collectable items - biscuit tins, old rail tickets and so on.

I'd say he gets it from markets and garage sales, lists it until it sells and makes some extra money on the postage. He's got a shitload of feedback ratings, most of them very positive.

Whatever floats your boat, I guess.

 

I had to laugh. I don't think these tags do anything at all except provide a warm feeling for the flyer.

I was at the checkin for my flight Honolulu-Syydney a few moments ago, and I realised that I had a Silver tag on my small bag, a Gold on my large bag and a Plat on my carryon. Just the way it's worked out. Nobody turned a hair.