Hyderabad: Bargain hunters in the city could soon walk away with brand-new electronics, luxury garments, or rare finds — all thanks to an unusual auction organised by the Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC).
Faced with overflowing storage at its cargo hubs, TGSRTC is preparing to sell off hundreds of unclaimed parcels that have been sitting in its warehouses for weeks. Items range from high-end smartphones and smart TVs to silk sarees, books, and automobile parts.
At Jubilee Bus Station (JBS) and Mahatma Gandhi Bus Station (MGBS) alone, between 400 and 500 shipments go unclaimed every single day, out of the nearly 5,000 received and dispatched.
Officials say the main culprits are wrong delivery addresses, unreachable phone numbers, and customers refusing cash-on-delivery (COD) orders.
Currently, 542 parcels at JBS and 302 at MGBS have crossed the 45-day holding period and are now listed for auction. “Once we confirm no claimant is coming forward, the items are assessed and auctioned,” explained an official from the cargo division.
Before every auction, TGSRTC forms a committee to oversee the process. Parcels are opened, contents checked against shipping records, and then assigned a value. Bidding starts at around 70% of the estimated worth, and the highest bidder gets the item.
Electronics are the most popular category. One recent bidder bought a smart TV worth ₹75,000 for just ₹40,000. But not every lot is as enticing — many parcels contain clothes, medicines, documents, or perishable goods, which often lose value over time. These are eventually discarded under official supervision.
The next unclaimed parcel auction will take place in two weeks at JBS. With hundreds of items up for grabs, TGSRTC officials expect a strong turnout from residents hoping to land a great deal from somebody else’s forgotten delivery.