A grab bag for adults. That’s how you could call the trade of 22-year-old Raymond Roskam from Meeden. He sells the contents of lost mail packages.
In his own words, he is the only dealer in unopened packages in the North. According to Roskam, these are packages that are left with the courier service because of a wrong or illegible address, because they have not been picked up or because returning the package to the country of origin is too expensive.
De Meedenaar stores the packages, divides them into bags of 5, 10, 20 or 50 kilos and sells them via Marktplaats and Facebook. Customers, from all parts of the Netherlands, pay 60 euros, 100 euros, 200 euros or 475 euros respectively. According to Roskam, things are going like clockwork. It is a surprise to people who buy the bags what they get. Roskam describes it as ‘Sinterklaas evening or a grab bag for adults’.
question marks
Nevertheless, both the Consumers’ Association and PostNL have doubts about the state of affairs. The Consumers’ Association because it is not exactly clear where the packages come from. PostNL has the policy that if packages cannot be delivered, they are returned to the sender where possible. If that is not possible, or if the shipper renounces the return, the shipment will be destroyed and the contents recycled.
What do you think? Is it indeed a shame to destroy the contents of postal parcels when they contain good products? Has Roskam discovered a gap in the market with which he can make people happy and earn money at the same time? Or is this trade not acceptable and perhaps more should be done to trace the original addressee?