Where Do All Those Lighters Go? The TSA & eBay
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Written By Reprise Media | December 15, 2005 | Share This
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As airline security increases, so does the number of items confiscated by the Transportation Security Administration.
Most travellers assume their pocket knives, cigarette lighters and nail scissors eventually wind up in the hands of some smarmy airport employee and quite often they’re correct.
However, as this article in Voice of America attests, that’s not always the case. Many of the 7 million items turned over at checkpoints each year wind up for auction on eBay.
“Transportation Security Administration spokeswoman Andrea McCauley says TSA officials deliver seized guns or serious weapons directly to local law enforcement authorities. But as for the hundreds of thousands of smaller items, she says, contractors can do whatever they want with them. Among the many items for sale on eBay are a three-blade pocket knife, which sold for $7.50, and a lot of 21 pairs of hair-cutting scissors, which sold for more than $30.”
Nice.
On a related note, 13 years ago today chess champ Bobby Fischer was indicted for violating economic sanctions against Yugoslavia by partcipating in a highly publicized match against Boris Spassky.
Today many of his personal effects are up for auction on eBay. See detailed photos and descriptions here.
Topics: Just for Fun |