AITAH for donating packages i didnt order.?

A Reddit user recently shared an unexpected situation after receiving three large packages addressed to their home, which they weren’t expecting. When they called the number on the boxes, the recipient claimed not to want them.

After holding on to the items for a couple of weeks, the user donated them, only to later find out that the packages actually belonged to a neighbor. The situation quickly escalated into accusations, threats, and even a visit from the police. Read the full story below to learn how everything unfolded.

‘ AITAH for donating packages i didnt order.?’

Start of October, I came home to 3 large boxes with the same last name addressed to my house. I called my mom to confirm whether we were expecting anything from overseas relatives. When she confirmed we weren’t expecting anything, she called the number provided on the packages.

They stated they didn’t want it and to do whatever I wanted with it and provided no information. The 3 boxes contained misc items like jars of spices and lots of packaged clothes. I wasn’t a fan of the clothes so after putting off the donation for 2 weeks, I dropped off the clothes at a donation box.

Today, October 27, my mom called asking if I still had the contents of the boxes and my neighbor called her to say it was theirs and they wanted it back. I told her I either donated or tossed everything. During the evening at 9, I return to my house to see a group of 7 people crowding my yard.

They demanded to know what happened to their package and that I essentially stole their stuff. If I wasn’t expecting a package then I should’ve left it outside and I had no right to throw their stuff away. The situation was escalating and they were getting very aggressive.

I showed them the shipping label that showed my address on the box but their only concern was I stole their stuff. They threatened to give me 1 day to return their stuff or they would pursue legal action. I had called the cop at this point as they were causing a ruckus and yelling.

When the cops arrived they talked to us and our neighbor. That neighbor was accusing us of stealing the expensive jewelry in the boxes. The boxes had no such items and looked to be from a dropshipping company. In any case, I’m starting to question whether I am at fault.

Our neighbor confirmed the phone number on the boxes was hers but during the call, they said they wanted our address to pick up the stuff. Since they lied about the content of the boxes I have little reason to believe in what they say.

In hindsight, I could’ve done other things but what’s done is done. If this does happen again then I know what to do. I talked to friends after this happened and they said if they were in their shoes they would also be upset if someone donated their items. Am I the a**hole?

Here’s what Redditors had to say:

Excellent-Count4009 −  NTA – They used your adress for some shady purposes. **”If this does happen again then I know what to do.” … DON’T give it to the neighbor. Don’t allow them to use your adress.

** You would share responsibility for their b**lshit – there are a lot of shady reasons to use your adress, adn no good ones. – Storing it, sending it back, keeping it, donating it – all is fine.

– This could be anything from evasion of import taxes to using you as their d**g dropoff – or even stolen credit cards or some other fraud, or evan establishing residency at your home – all of it would point to YOUR home. **If their activites were completely legal, they would use their own adress.**

_s1m0n_s3z −  NTA. They’re running a con. Notice how they show no interest in discovering where you donated the packages, to see if they could recover the goods.

East_Parking8340 −  No one sends packages to another someone else’s address unless it is part of a s**m.

Pristine_Ad5229 −  NTA guess you found who the scammers are in your neighborhood.

Sea-Tea-4130 −  NTA-Made no sense for them to use your address. Sounds s**m-ish to me. You made a good call and did right to call the police. I’d step it up and see about an order of protection or a no-trespass against them so they can’t come onto your property again.

Nonrandom_Reader −  I would just took packages to past office with my marking “Return to Sender” and with visibly crossed out my adress. Do it all the time with letters addresses to previous tenants

hazelowl −  This is 100% some s**m. Also it makes no sense that the number was the neighbor’s and they were called and didn’t want it and now they do? Also, why would your family’s name ands address be on a box that was your neighbor’s? It doesn’t add up and they’re either trying to s**m you out of money or running some fencing operation.

mdthomas −  They are mad because now they can’t say “oh, my packages were delivered to the wrong address, I have no idea where they are!” and get their money refunded. They were stupid enough to use your address. You didn’t order them. Not your problem if they get upset.. NTA

cookerg −  NTA. They (1) deliberately sent it to the wrong address and name, (2) refused it when you called them, and (3) lied about the contents.
The whole thing could be a s**m intended to intimidate you into paying more than the garbage was worth.

Zahrad70 −  NTA
This sounds like a s**m. I’m not sure if your “neighbors” are running the s**m, or if they are also victims of it. While it appears you are not the AH, the problem the authorities will have is the problem we have.

It’s your word against theirs as to what was in the packages. You might want to get an attorney, here. Actually, definitely get an attorney, and ask them what you should have done to document and protect yourself, at the very least.

Was the Redditor justified in donating the packages after the initial phone call, or should they have taken more steps to find the rightful owner? How would you handle a similar situation if unexpected packages showed up at your doorstep? Share your thoughts below!