What do a goalie mask, a pair of scissors and a Swiss Army knife have in common?

They were all surrendered by passengers at airports and subsequently sold on eBay (EBAY) by a state agency for a modest profit.

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Unbeknownst to the millions of passengers that are forced to abandon items like lighters before boarding a commercial jet, some states bundle surrendered items and sell them online to people around the world.

Say you are on line at Boston’s Logan Airport or Ohio's Cleveland-Hopkins Airport and you’ve inadvertently left your nail file or pair of scissors in your carry-on luggage. After receiving some extra attention from the security officials (and probably some unwanted stares from fellow passengers) you’re supposed to be given three choices: give up the item to a friend/relative waiting at the airport, return it to your car or voluntarily abandon it at the checkpoint.

Not surprisingly, many passengers opt to relinquish their property rather than miss their flight. In fact, the Transportation Security Administration said it collected 5 million items at security checkpoints around the nation in 2007. TSA typically lets San Diego-based SAIC (SAI) handle hazardous items like mace and hair spray and donates non-hazardous items like screwdrivers to a division of the General Services Administration called State Agencies for Surplus Property.

That’s where Edward Myslewicz’s employer comes into play. Myslewicz, a press secretary for Pennsylvania’s Department of General Services, said his agency picks up giant 50-gallon drums of surrendered items from airports across Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Ohio and Massachusetts and delivers them to a warehouse in Harrisburg, Pa. Various other state surplus agencies have similar agreements with airports in other parts of the country.

From there, many state surplus agencies are free to sell the items.

Thanks to the Internet and eBay, state agencies like this one can bundle a dozen scissors or an assortment of tools and sell them anywhere in the world for a profit.

“We are able to market our products worldwide and very cheaply. We do business with virtually every state in the nation,” said Myslewicz. Since June 2004, Pennsylvania’s state coffers have been cushioned with $405,000 made by selling passengers’ surrendered items on eBay.

While Myslewicz said they sell 96% of their newly acquired merchandise and there’s “virtually no waste,” some items are less than…sellable. They have a “wall of fame,” for those items, which include a four-foot machete, wedding cake servers, blenders, deer antlers, numchucks and grenades. It’s not clear why someone would even try to bring deer antlers on a four-hour flight (or what would happen to their already limited legroom if they did), but Pennsylvania is happy to have them.

“We have an assortment of fuzzy handcuffs. That’s one of the most famous ones on the wall…You name it, it’s on there,” said Myslewicz.

While they might not turn a profit on fuzzy handcuffs, states like South Carolina, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Oregon and others do bring in a relatively small amount of cash by selling passengers’ items. South Carolina’s state surplus property program has an unofficial agreement to collect nail clippers, lighters and other banned items from the state’s airports. The state makes an estimated $30,000 to $40,000 a year by selling the items, many of them online, said Michael Sponhour, director of public affairs.

With that knowledge, some passengers might even think twice before giving away their baseball bat to TSA officials.

“Many passengers feel as if they aren't given enough of an opportunity to make other arrangements -- either to ship their property back home or put it in their checked-in luggage," said Christopher Elliott, a travel expert and ombudsman for National Geographic Traveler. "When they discover their belongings have been sold online they are upset. And rightfully so.”

TSA, which doesn’t profit from the surrendered items, argues passengers are already given a chance to do something with their possessions and that it’s now fair game. Pennsylvania’s surplus operations unit is more than up to the job of getting rid of them. “We try to be innovative with our marketing techniques,” said Myslewicz.

How creative? They often have a Stanley Cup package during the summer, featuring two hockey sticks, a puck and a goalie mask for $30. They would probably even throw in a pair of scissors, they’ve got plenty.