Though it may seem harmless to keep a package that wasn’t intended for you, legal experts warn that doing so may not be allowed under the law.

According to the Federal Trade Commission , if a consumer receives unordered merchandise sent by a company that was not requested or paid for, they are legally permitted to keep it as a free gift. No payment or return is required.

However, that rule applies only when the merchandise was intentionally sent to the recipient by a seller or company.

Is it legal to keep a package misdelivered to me?

When a package is addressed to someone else but mistakenly delivered to the wrong home, the situation is legally different. Keeping a misdelivered package that belongs to another person may be considered theft or “civil conversion” under common law princ

See Full Page