Money Moral Dilemma: Should I pay my friend for a smashed bottle of wine?

For the sake of your friendship, pay up without arguing and don't ask again. I would probably draw the line at the cost of replacing damaged items.

Pay your friend. They were kind enough to try and bring it back for you and as others have said, it may have damaged some of their posessions. It's a financial loss but it was a risk you were clearly willing to take (that it could be broken on arrival) when you asked your friend to get it for you. Life is not like a returns policy! Your friendship is more important than a bottle of wine x

What was the circumstance in which a bottle of wine was so important that it had to come from a place where you were not going yourself, rather than you ordering similar from a wine merchant or supermarket here? And why didn’t you give the money to your friend before they left? It must have been a good friend to spend holiday time shopping for it and packing it. It’s foolish to transport that kind of thing in luggage. Unless purchased in the airport, your friend had no option but to put it in a suitcase where it was at the mercy of baggage handlers, trolleys, automatic carriers etc. It will have wrecked other stuff in the suitcase. Of course you should pay for it. And the cleaning!

The quick answer is yes. The longer answer is you need to find a way to come up with the best answer yourself. When I can't decide on something I find it easier to switch tables and put myself the the other persons shoes. Imagine...you had £2500 for a holiday - but £500 was for a friend who asked you to buy an even more expensive bottle of wine. You agree. You take time out of your holiday to go to the shops - you take out your money which you can't use on your holiday to buy it - you cart it around and it's heavy but you do it anyway because it's a good friend. You pack it neatly and then some !!!! throws your case around and breaks your friends bottle. It goes all over your non-waterproof watch, your clothes and the inside of your case has splinters of glass in - weaving their way into your clothes so you have to spend an hour or more painstakingly cleaning and rinsing everthing - you may even get a glass splinter in your finger for your troubles. You see your friend and explain. Would you most prefer the response to be: Blank irritated stare, arms crossed with the words..."well don't expect me to pay you for it" OR a warm smile with the words "oh no...what a disaster...sorry that happened, I really appreciate you trying for me - tell me all about it; let me get you a drink and square up with you though".