I bought some small tubes of Ahava hand cream really cheap at a stand at Kikar Shabbos. When I looked at them on the bus, they said Hilton on them. I was afraid they might be, chas v shalom, stolen goods. My friend says a lot of places change ownership/names and maybe that is what happened. May I use them? Do I need to do more follow up?
Answer:
Your friend’s explanation is fairly likely, and one can probably think of several ways by which Hilton hand creams finally reach the market. It is unlikely that the hand creams were stolen from the Hilton in large quantities, and also unlikely that they should be sold in public (at a semi-formal stand) on Kikar Shabbos.
Therefore, you don’t need to worry, and can use the creams.
Note that even if the creams are stolen, after their sale they become the property of the buyer, provided there was ye’ush before their sale. Yet, buying “stolen propery” is forbidden, because it contributes to the theft of the item from its owner.
