Updated:
Readtime: 5 min
Every product is carefully selected by our editors and experts. If you buy from a link, we may earn a commission. Learn more. For more information on how we test products, click here.
- Sydney Airport’s 2026 Lost Property Auction includes more than 2,300 unclaimed items, with bids starting from $10
- Proceeds will fund free swimming lessons and water safety programs through Bayside Council
- Five themed online auctions will close between Monday, 6 July and Wednesday, 8 July
Airports do strange things to the human brain. In between weighing bags and finding the right gate, most of us are worrying about leaving behind a pair of sunglasses, a phone charger or that one water bottle we swore we would not lose this time around. But take one look at Sydney Airport’s latest lost property auction, and it appears some travellers have managed to part ways with far more expensive items, from laptops to jewellery, ski boots, an air fryer and, against all odds, a wedding dress.
The Sydney Airport Lost Property Auction is back for 2026, with more than 2,300 unclaimed items going under the hammer online through Theodore Bruce Auctioneers & Valuers. Bidding starts at $10, with the catalogue spread across five themed auctions, covering tech, gaming, jewellery, watches, bags, sunglasses, clothing, beauty, alcohol and homewares.
And to help us all feel a little better about the misery of misplacing your belongings, proceeds from this year’s auction will support Bayside Council’s Community Learn to Swim and Water Safety Program. Sydney Airport is aiming to raise $200,000, which is enough to fund more than 8,000 free swimming lessons. Suddenly, the board shorts and swimwear in the catalogue feel a little more useful.
What’s Up for Auction?
While there are plenty of oddities in the mix, it’s the more useful stuff that will draw the most bidders. Sydney Airport says this year’s auction includes around 120 laptops, 250 lots of earbuds, 100 headphones, 350 lots of jewellery and watches, 150 pairs of sunglasses, 100 bags, 40 cameras, 40 e-readers and five gaming consoles. I’m sure there’s a partridge in a pear tree somewhere around here, too.
But do yourself a favour and take a look at the weird and wonderful. The items that make you stop and picture the airport terminal where they were left. The 2026 catalogue also includes a guitar, ski boots, three skateboards, boxing gloves, tennis and badminton racquets, a fishing reel, a circular saw, an air fryer, a rice cooker, an electric heater, a picnic basket, hula hoops and a Batman Lego set.
Of course, the headline-grabbing item is the most unusual item to leave behind at an airport: a wedding dress. Honestly, it raises more questions than the auction is likely to answer, leaving us to wonder, who got cold feet before boarding?
And then there are the lots that might save you a bit of money on things that usually cost plenty. The catalogue already includes 22ct gold jewellery, designer handbags marked Gucci and Goyard, Apple headphones, Patagonia outerwear and everything from Veuve Clicquot champagne to Ki No Bi Japanese gin, alongside a few bottles of whisky here and there.
Which is why these auctions are so fascinating. You’re not just bidding on forgotten objects. You’re browsing the strange little aftermath of thousands of rushed departures, delayed flights, bags put down for only a second and travellers convincing themselves they definitely checked the seat pocket.
How Lost Property Works at Sydney Airport
The auction also offers a brief glimpse of the scale of Sydney Airport’s lost-property operation. According to ABC News, Sydney Airport sees more than 40 million passengers each year, with around 120,000 people passing through daily. Hundreds of items are handed to the airport’s dedicated team of five lost property workers every day, which works out to roughly one lost property worker for every 24,000 daily passengers.
Sydney Airport spokeswoman Liz Seatter told ABC News that more than 7,000 items were returned to their owners last year. The airport only manages items left in the terminal, not on planes, with all goods catalogued, entered into a database and stored securely.
If you happen to leave something behind in a terminal, car park or express pick-up area, contact the airport’s lost property office as soon as possible. If you leave something on board a plane, it’s usually handled by the airline.
How To Bid in the Sydney Airport Lost Property Auction
The auction is being run across five timed online sales with catalogues and bidding available from Sunday, 28 June. Closing times are staggered across the week:
- Tech & Gaming closes on Monday, 6 July at 11am
- Jewellery & Watches closes on Tuesday, 7 July at 11am
- Bags, Sunglasses, Scarves & Accessories close on Tuesday, 7 July at 2pm
- Clothing closes on Wednesday, 8 July at 11am
- Beauty, Alcohol and Home closes on Wednesday, 8 July at 2pm.
Theodore Bruce says all bidders need to register online, with each auction lot closing 30 seconds apart after the published closing time. Bids placed in the final 30 seconds will extend that lot by five minutes, so keep an eye on your bids if you have something specific in mind.
Items can be shipped, with delivery fees applying, or picked up by appointment.
Oh, and a word for those worrying about the ethics of bidding on lost property: the auction only includes items found at Sydney Airport that could not be reunited with their owners.
To browse the Sydney Airport Lost Property Auction, head to Theodore Bruce Auctioneers & Valuers, where bidding is now open.
Comments
We love hearing from you. or to leave a comment.