Story of the baggage carousel.

Rio-De-Janeiro, Brazil

The best way to head from the US to Brazil is to take a direct flight out of Miami, DC, or any other major US city. To save some money on the tickets, I took an Avianca flight with a layover at Bogota. After landing at Sao Paulo airport early in the morning, while waiting for my baggage to arrive, I saw a wide variety of things tumbling down the baggage carousel. Usually baggage carousel’s have bags big and small, suitcases hard and soft moving around, but in Brazil you see more than that.

Baby strollers, electronics, home decorations, bridal supplies and many other items which I have never seen in the baggage claim area at airports in 9 years of living in the US. Some of these are gifts and some will be sold informally for a profit. When international flights land in Brazil the baggage carousels are the supply chains feeding this informal economy. I have done more research on what things are in demand here and you can make use of the information I provide here to pay for your future trip to Brazil. Please do send me a royalty check on the profits you make here!



Victoria secret lingerie is definitely in demand here, or so I hear. Women here are completely smitten by American and European luxury and beauty products but they are prohibitively expensive here. Not that it stops people here from buying them. A walk around any shopping mall in Rio de Janeiro or Sao Paulo, you will notice that these American and European brand boutiques are doing roaring business. Bring in beauty products from the US and Europe, sell them cheaper that the ones in the boutiques and you will have enough profit to pay for your trip down here.

My Brazilian friends in the US are experts at this. They even book orders prior to heading down to Brazil. Friends and acquaintances make a wish list of things they want and transmit them across Facebook and chat. This is usually followed by frantic trips to malls and squeezing in every last gram of baggage allowance allowed on flights. Weight is money, the more you pack, the more you earn.

Bridal dresses are a guaranteed money maker. Take a trip down to any bridal store in the US or order a bridal dress of every size from David’s bridal. Brazilian waistlines are trimmer than the ones in the US. So order accordingly. Pack all of them in a suitcase, come down here and sell them on e-Bay. You will make enough money to pay for your flight tickets, hotel accommodations and money to splurge on few drinks by the beach.

Laptops are a big money spinner but I suggest you don’t try this. Customs officials here can be very difficult when it comes to letting laptops pass. One laptop maybe, but two, you are definitely pushing your luck. You can try small electronics which can fit into your carry on and suitcases.

What’s the deal about baby strollers which I mentioned earlier? It’s too bulky and you have to check it in as an item. So it doesn’t make much sense from a profit perspective. Usually people bring this in if someone in the family is having a baby and they requested a stroller.

So hurry and start planning for your free trip to Brazil! Check out your nearest Brazilian embassy website for visa requirements.