There isnt a finders keepers exception. If you take possession of property that is lost or delivered by mistake, that can be a theft.

If they ship you extra stuff, by law in most places it's yours.

Most states have a law against exactly that. Here is an example from NJ:

https://law.justia.com/codes/new-jersey/2013/title-2c/section-2c-20-6/

2C:20-6. Theft of property lost, mislaid, or delivered by mistake
A person who comes into control of property of another that he knows to have been lost, mislaid, or delivered under a mistake as to the nature or amount of the property or the identity of the recipient is guilty of theft if, knowing the identity of the owner and with purpose to deprive said owner thereof, he converts the property to his own use.

Federal Law prohibits this. It's called bamboozled, and can be a scam. Technically, I think it's his TV.


See the FTC...


https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0181-unordered-merchandise

The FTC is federal and the regulation clearly is aimed st unsolicited merchandise being sent to a consumer who is then billed.

This guy ordered a TV, accidentally got sent two, then refused to return the second TV knowing that it didn’t belong to him. It is against the law in his state to keep that merchandise and he has been arrested for violating that law. The law there is very clear.

Even after the state has arrested you for what appears to be a clear violation of state law?

Period.

He knew he didn't buy the larger TV. I'd have contacted the company that sent it and told them there had been a mistake. The guy got the TV he ordered. The more expensive one got shipped by mistake. That doesn't mean he gets to keep it for pete's sake. An honest person would try to correct the mistake as soon as possible. A MAGAT wouldn't. And that's the difference.

in the dawn of computers Coleco made something called the Adam. It was sold through Montgomery Ward where my wife worked. I ordered one as a word processor. It came with a daisy wheel printer. That seemed to be the weak link. Anyhow the printer failed Coleco sent a whole new unit and I shipped the other one back. About two weeks later another new unit showed up. I called them and told them they said return it which I did. That scenario played out a couple more times. Eventually I gave up. I ended up with two brand new units in box. Plus the one I was using. Next time printer failed I opened one and used printer threw the rest away. I had a new unit in box for years and finally sold it on Ebay to a collector a few years ago.

who send unordered merchandise hoping you’ll pay for it, sometines with threats of prosecution by the sender. This is not that situation. Law inapplicable.

But it does not have to be an intentional scam for the law to apply. If a company sends you goods addressed to you in your name, they are yours to keep, even if the company made a mistake. They have to be addressed to you. If they were intended for someone else and were mistakenly sent to you, that's a different story.

And that's now his TV!

he'd be okay. Sorry, buddy. You're a peon so you're screwed.

But does merchandise