A 66-year-old woman in Shanghai bought a second apartment solely to store mountains of unopened parcels from her years-long online shopping addiction.
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| A lonely Shanghai woman has taken online shopping to the extreme—buying a second flat to hold her unopened parcels after spending 2 million yuan online. Symbolic Image: CH |
Shanghai, China — July 18, 2025:
In one of the most unusual consequences of online shopping addiction, a 66-year-old woman in Shanghai has reportedly purchased a second apartment just to store her ever-growing collection of unopened parcels.
Identified only as Ms. Wang, the elderly woman has been living alone for years, with limited contact with her daughter and virtually no interaction with extended family. According to media reports, her isolation led her to find comfort in online shopping—a habit that escalated until it completely overwhelmed her living space.
At first, parcels began stacking up in every room of her suburban home, eventually occupying the garage and any available floor space. Facing a literal mountain of boxes, she made an extraordinary decision: she bought an entire flat next door solely to house the flood of packages.
What makes the case more striking is that many of these items remain unopened. From food items and cosmetics to high-value goods like gold jewelry, Wang’s purchases span a wide range of categories. Some days, so many deliveries arrived that she didn’t have time to open them.
Local media estimate that Ms. Wang has spent more than 2 million yuan—approximately 30 million Bangladeshi taka—on online purchases to date.
The former downtown resident, who moved to the suburbs after selling a larger apartment, has no financial constraints and reportedly turned to online shopping as both an emotional outlet and a way to spend her surplus wealth. “No one wanted to borrow money from her, and she felt disconnected,” said a source familiar with her situation.
Mental health experts say that Wang's behavior may reflect underlying emotional distress, exacerbated by loneliness and a lack of social support. The case has drawn wide attention across Chinese social media, where netizens are debating the psychological toll of isolation and the impact of e-commerce on vulnerable individuals—particularly among the elderly.
The incident has sparked renewed calls for community-based mental health support systems, especially for aging populations living alone. It also serves as a cautionary tale of how technology, when unchecked, can deepen isolation rather than ease it.