What's my obligation for packages for previous owner?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: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.

No obligation, perhaps. But your ethical self will feel better if you reach out and give the old owners a chance.

Karma works!

I wish karma actually worked -- either way!

[Anonymous]

After our last move we had many many packages delivered to the old address, for about a year. Gifts, kickstarters ordered long ago, purchases where my old address was auto populated. I'm very grateful that our buyers were patient about it.
We've also continued to get mail and packages for our sellers. I deliver the packages (they moved nearby) but its been 4 years so now I toss the mail.

All to say, 5 months isn't that long. I wouldn't mail them onward at my expense but I would tell the intended recipient.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I got several packages over the summer for the previous owners (18 months ago). I left them outside and they mysteriously disappeared after about a couple weeks. It's a quiet neighborhood so I am not sure who picked them up. Just got a package with some of those Bombas socks. I've been meaning to try those-am thinking of opening them!! I don't have contact details for previous people.

You should have long opened the previous ones too
I give you my blessing!