A gamer wanted to stock up on supplies and ordered new RAM. Instead, he accidentally received a whole box of 50 pieces. In the meantime, he has contacted the seller and reported the mistake.
We already reported on MeinMMO that Amazon buyers sometimes receive too much merchandise. For example, a gamer received 10 SSDs instead of just one, which was also an oversight.
Such mistakes happen at Amazon and other sellers repeatedly. Now, a user has received way too much RAM. But instead of secretly keeping the stuff, he has reached out to the seller.
Gamer contacts Amazon, wants to return excess received merchandise
A gamer posted several images on reddit. These show how he has a whole box of neatly arranged RAM packages sitting on his table. He himself explained that he sells entry-level systems in his shop and wanted to reorder RAM for that. Instead, he received a whole box of it.
How does the buyer react? In a further post, he explained that he had already contacted Amazon and reported the error. He personally feels guilty if he keeps the whole box. At the same time, he somehow hopes that he can keep the stuff if Amazon doesn’t care.
His behavior is rather rare, as many users who experience such a double delivery often keep the items without caring whether they might hurt someone in the long run. And reporting the mistake is right, as legally the excess received goods do not belong to him at all.
What are the reactions? Many are pleased with the honesty of the “finder” and that he has reported to the seller. However, there are also some users who are surprised and explain that Amazon has enough money anyway. It wouldn’t really matter about the box of RAM. For example, the user “Kanone” writes on MeinMMO:
In this society, you are not rewarded for honesty. I used to be like that as well. Society has taught me otherwise. Lying, cheating, that’s how you get ahead in this society. Politics shows it.
Some also scoff: “If you receive the wrong item or more than you ordered in the USA, then you can keep it as a ‘gift’.”
Excess delivered or incorrect goods officially do not belong to you
Can I just keep the goods? No, because the excess delivered RAM (or double processor or whatever you received too much) does not belong to you. After all, you only entered into a purchase agreement with Amazon for a specific quantity.
The well-known lawyer Christian Solmecke explained that one can quickly get into trouble. He says (via rundschau-online.de):
If the seller has erroneously delivered too much, you are obliged to inform him. Otherwise, you could run into legal problems. If it’s a mistake, you must proceed as described above. Selling, giving away or disposing of the item can lead to the entrepreneur claiming damages.
Do I have to run directly to the post office now? No, no one should expect that you will run directly to the post office and return excess received goods. First, contact the seller and set a deadline for the return.
This can then either pick up the goods themselves or provide you with a shipping label. Because you must not return anything at your own expense. After all, it’s the seller’s mistake and not yours.
It is definitely important that in the end, you do not pay for the return or are left with costs.
Problems with returns: Not always do sellers like Amazon show generosity or helpfulness with returns. This is shown by the story of a family father. He received an incorrect GPU on Amazon, but the seller refused a refund:
