Who (if anybody) is being unreasonable here?

[DuvetDayEveryday]

Person A ordered an item worth £100 which went to the wrong address and was therefore lost. The company sent another one, and then typically the original one was located. So she has two items.

Her sister asked if she could have the spare one. She was told she could have it for £50. She declined, saying that it was wrong of her sister to be profiting from the mistake and unless she was happy to give it away for free she should send it back to the company.

Who IBU?

I am neither of the people involved but do have an opinion. I was interested to see if it's the majority opinion.

[AugustaFinkNottle]

I'd suggest sister A ask her mother when she's going to pay her for the bin, given that it wasn't the mother's to give away.

[LyndaNotLinda]

Why do you doubt it Gide? Arranging collection and return is probably going to eat up most of the profit they'd make on the bin by reselling it.

[LogicalThinking]

What if sister B now puts this bin on Ebay?
Your mum was completely out of order.

I'd love to know what's so special about these bins!

[Gide]

If the company said keep it (which I doubt at £100), then A should've ebayed it.

Your mother, having permanently deprived A of what was rightfully hers, is now a thief. A could, if feeling particularly arsy, report this to the police and get your mum into trouble. It was a very bad move on your mother's part to do this.

[BoomBoomsCousin]

If A spoke to the company and they said to keep it and your mother has given it to B anyway, it's your mother that's a thief now!

You asked if A having talked to the company makes any difference to how people think. I think it makes B's position worse - in that she said it was "wrong" of A to profit from the company's mistake (it was this wording that made me assume A hadn't told the company) when A had only done what the company had asked her to. Attempting to make A feel bad for doing something perfectly normal so the B could get all the benefit.

It would certainly have been nice of A to give the bin to B, given their relative circumstances. But it was pretty nice of her to offer it for half price too. B just sounds really bratty. Your mother sounds like a bit of a nightmare.

[Inertia]

SISTER A HAS TOLD THE COMPANY THAT SHE RECEIVED TWO BINS. THE COMPANY TOLD HER TO KEEP BOTH BINS. IT ISN'T THEFT AS SHE HAS REPORTED THE EXTRA BIN AND BEEN TOLD TO KEEP IT.

OP, your mum ought to have minded her own business.

[Hagrid3112]

RTFT, Sneeze. OP said that SisA rang the company and they said to keep it

[Sneeze182]

It's not 'morally sketchy' to keep it- it's theft. Send it back. These little losses can be crippling for small businesses.

[Hagrid3112]

Ha! My brother and I are really close, and have always looked out for each other and helped out where we could. It's not like I'd be out of pocket, and tbh selling stuff online is far more effort than I can usually be bothered with

[CathemeralChild]

I have a Brabantia bin.
I used a plastic supermarket bin for years until one day I decided to treat myself and buy a stylish one. Let's face it, you use it a dozen times a day!
What's the point in spending £100 on an outfit for a wedding, wear it once, then leave it hanging in the wardrobe, but making do with boring everyday items because they're cheap?

[Smurfnoff]

It wouldn't have been illegal to keep both bins even if the company hadn't said to keep it. Sister A ordered an item that didn't arrive. She complained, they sent another. They could easily have said it was their policy to wait X days before sending another. It was their incompetence that caused the mistake.

[LyndaNotLinda]

Hmm ... you've made me think Hagrid. Would I give my sister my spare £100 bin? No. Would she give hers to me? No.

We're not as nice as you are :o

[Hagrid3112]

Yes, I get that, Lynda, but if it were my brother, and his bin had broken and he was going to get a new one, I would give him my spare £100 bin (that I haven't paid for) without thinking about it and the most I would ask for is £20. Regardless of price, I would help him out, especially as I earn more money than him.

[dowhatnow]

I'd be very angry at B and DM if I was sister A.

What do you think will happen now op?

[DuvetDayEveryday]

Thank you TheCat. What a lovely thing to say.

[FuckOffJeffrey]

Your mum is out of order as it was not hers to give to sister B. I think since the company has said to keep the item then she is well within her rights to want to sell the spare bin. If it was me and the company had said to keep the duplicate then I would want to sell it to recoup some of the initial large spend.

£100 on a bin does seen at bit excessive to me though.

[dowhatnow]

I dont use special bags for mine. I just use black bin bags. Have I committed a mn sin?

[thecatfromjapan]

But you have a lovely sense of humour and the ability to gain a wide perspective, Duvet. Those are strong scapegoat gifts.

[LyndaNotLinda]

No one 'needs' a £100 bin Hagrid. And I wonder how sister B is going to afford the special bags that fit inside those bins? They cost ££. Perhaps the OP's mum will make sister A buy those too

[DuvetDayEveryday]

Sister B is very much the golden child at the moment. It used to be sister A but then she fucked up by leaving her husband and working full time (her poor children, you see).

I am and will always remain the scapegoat.

My family is fucked up

[NannawifeofBaldr]

I hope B isn't exile ting a birthday or Christmas present this year.

I'd post a card with a little picture of a bin in it

[blimeyalldecentnamesaregone]

Your mum is completely out of order to do that. It had nothing to do with her and assuming everyone is adult, she can no longer assume the 'mum's in charge' role. I would be furious at that.