One would think that Amazon would have a good handle by now on which addresses are its own return depots, and which are its residential customers. Apparently not, at least in the U.K., as packages that were meant as returns to Amazon have instead ended up on the doorstep of a student in south London. How does that happen? No one is quite sure. Including Amazon.

The student says that the strangeness began last week, when items ranging from a large television to a baby carriage began arriving at his house with return shipping labels pasted on them. He contacted Amazon, and the company knew nothing about why he might be receiving piles of stuff that he didn’t order. Maybe they were gifts, a company representative asked? No, that would only make sense if the student actually knew any of these people. He doesn’t.

“I was worried that people were losing out on their stuff so I phoned Amazon again and said I’m happy to accept these gifts if they are footing the cost,” he told national tabloid the Sun, “I’m not happy if these people are going to lose out. But Amazon said ‘it’s on us.'”

We hope that he recorded the call or got that in writing. If he does get to keep everything after all, so far he’s received an impressive selection of gifts that he plans to keep, sell (on Amazon, naturally), or give away for Christmas. He says that he will use the proceeds to pay for a vacation with his girlfriend, and to work on his invention of an “electrical cannabis grinder.”

Meanwhile, when he last spoke to the media, Amazon had not yet sorted out this problem, and new items were still arriving at his house. He has received more than 50 items worth 3,600 ($5,653 USD) which include a leaf blower, a few large pieces of furniture, an ironing board, and a few Android tablets.

Student sent £3,600 worth of gifts from Amazon because of ‘computer glitch’ [The Telegraph]

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