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.

[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]

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

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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!

[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.

[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.