I'm I being unreasonable in expecting my friend to replace an item I lent her?

[Redbag123]

Backstory ( I am deliberately being vague as I think she's on mumsnet)

Friend came to my house and notice item,a few days later she asks to borrow item. I lend her my perfectly working item and the next day she gives it back saying she never got the change to use it. She said she should keep it for longer in order to do what she wanted to do, she insisted I take it. All was well until Sunday 2 weeks after receiving it back I went to use said item only to find that it's not working. I suspect friend broke item and gave it back in a hurry hoping I wouldn't notice ( it's not an everyday item). How do I move forward? Ask her to replace item? Or leave it?

I think I'd just tell her the item was broken and ask (not accusingly) whether she noticed the same and / or whether anyone else might have had access to it, so you can work out what's happened. If she insists it was untouched, accept her answer, even if you don't believe her, but don't lend anything again.
I wouldn't ask her to replace it, even if she offered, but I might be a bit wary about the level of trust in the friendship going forward.

'But maybe she was honest. Maybe she tried to use it and it didn't work (hence the number change) so gave it you back saying she hadn't used it (because it hadn't produced images for her)

I think you have to give her the benefit of the doubt. Has she broken things or lied to you before?'

This, definitely. If she's someone you know to be honest and trustworthy, then you should think carefully before immediately jumping to conclusions. But if she's let you down before that's a different matter (though even then you shouldn't just assume that she broke the Polaroid).

Well, if she was honest, and it just didn't work when she tried to use it, she would have said that she couldn't get it to work when she gave it back.

Instead, she said she never got the chance to use it, which OP has said is obviously a lie due to the numbering.