What's my obligation for packages for previous owner?

[Anonymous]

We received a package for the previous owners that is clearly a (not very perishable) food item. Can't tell if it's a business or personal gift. We've sent a bunch of mail and items to them already (it's been 5 months) and Christmas feels like a good time to break the cycle of paying to mail things 1000 miles away to people who lived here half a year ago. They're nice, but I feel like if I send this it'll never end.

I took the package back to FedEx to return to the sender.

Today it showed up again on my doorstep.

What's my obligation? Tell the previous owners? Find the sender (that's pretty easy, actually, but awkward). Take it BACK to FedEx with my address blacked out (which I already did out of frustration, but I'm sure the scan will show it)? Throw it out? It's a small annoyance but I don't want to be dishonest.

[Anonymous]

Dear John,

Another package arrived for you. I’m happy o send it among but you may want to check that usps has your forwarding address.

Merry Christmas.

[Anonymous]

You've been doing this for five months? At this point, I would just throw it out.

[Anonymous]

Contact previous owners and tell them to update their address w all these people who are still sending them items to your address. I’d also tell them that I’ll mail this last one but going forward any mail or packages they receive is going in the trash.

[Anonymous]

I’d eat it

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Contact previous owners and tell them to update their address w all these people who are still sending them items to your address. I’d also tell them that I’ll mail this last one but going forward any mail or packages they receive is going in the trash.

And I say this as someone who has moved many times and always careful to let everyone know our new address and update it on all official accounts. Sometimes someone still messes up but given you’ve received so many packages for the previous owners, I’m guessing previous owners didn’t update their address.

[Anonymous]

We still get mail for the prior owners. And an occasional box of goodies. Sometimes an official looking notice. It’s been five years. They clearly don’t want to be found.

[Anonymous]

It's Christmas, and they probably have no clue that people are still sending them stuff at the old address. I would contact them with the list over this Holiday season and ask them to please notify the senders. I would return to Fedex as well, with "NOT AT THIS ADDRESS" in big marker.

[Anonymous]

IS IT A HAM?

[Anonymous]

You already tried to return it once. At this point your obligation is done. I would now open and enjoy the package.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's Christmas, and they probably have no clue that people are still sending them stuff at the old address. I would contact them with the list over this Holiday season and ask them to please notify the senders. I would return to Fedex as well, with "NOT AT THIS ADDRESS" in big marker.

Not OP but I have done this before! I have written in sharpie on packages “wrong address” “return to sender” “xyz does not live here” etc. doesn’t work…no one is reading what you write on the package—it’s all done by machines and they just scan the barcode on the shipping label. So writing on it in sharpie has no effect.

[Anonymous]

We still get Christmas cards for the old owners and we have lived here for 12 years. Every year I write “return to sender, not at this address” and put back in the mailbox and every year they are redelivered to me. At which point we open them and enjoy reading about the adventures of these mystery families we have followed for 10 years.

Finally this past year I wrote notes to all the people who sent them saying the recipients moved over a decade ago but I don’t have their forwarding address, I’m sorry. So far this year no cards!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's Christmas, and they probably have no clue that people are still sending them stuff at the old address. I would contact them with the list over this Holiday season and ask them to please notify the senders. I would return to Fedex as well, with "NOT AT THIS ADDRESS" in big marker.

Not OP but I have done this before! I have written in sharpie on packages “wrong address” “return to sender” “xyz does not live here” etc. doesn’t work…no one is reading what you write on the package—it’s all done by machines and they just scan the barcode on the shipping label. So writing on it in sharpie has no effect.

The trick is to take a black marker and black out all the barcodes. Then a human will have to read it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:IS IT A HAM?

[Anonymous]

Yay! I love sequels so much!

HAM ALONE? 🤷🏻‍♀️😂❤️

Ham Alone 2: Lost in DC