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Solution: lock + ziptie/other mechanism that lets you know the suitcase was opened.

Some security works by defeating access.

Some by evidencing it.

Seals and zipties help evidence access, though not perfectly as the many references to ballpoint defeats of zippers on this article show.

That's why I always have a highly encrypted flash chip hidden in a false compartment of my checked luggage[1]. Really easy to know if they went through my luggage :-)

[1] Not actually true, but I did bring home a set of lock picks from a conference once that had been wrapped as a gift, and they had been unwrapped by "somebody" (and no, there wasn't the TSA leaflet in my bag)

I prefer hiding an usb killer. http://arstechnica.com/security/2015/10/usb-killer-flash-dri...

This is probably just for fun!

It serves the purpose of notifying you that TSA went through your luggage, as eridius pointed out.

They leave a card for you anyways. If it were something more targeted and covert I'm sure they kind find a replacement ziptie. Even if it took extra time they could have temporarily "lost" it.

Or they could just use a ballpoint pin to open the zipper, as another commenter on here pointed out.

Then use both!