That sounds unusual. A few possibilities come to mind, but identifying them depends on the details.
Could you describe or photograph the items? In particular:
- How long and wide are the glass tubes?
- Are the tubes sealed or openable?
- What size are the ball bearings (roughly)?
- Is there any label, writing, logo, barcode, or paperwork in the package?
- Did the package have a return address or seller name?
- How many tubes were there?
A few common explanations:
- Replacement parts: Small steel balls are often used as bearings in tools, fishing reels, bicycles, locks, valves, and mechanical devices.
- Check-valve components: Some kits include a steel ball in a small tube as a valve or calibration component.
- Laboratory or calibration samples: Precision ball bearings are sometimes shipped individually in protective tubes.
- Brushing scam: Sometimes people receive unsolicited packages containing inexpensive items sent by a seller to create fake “verified purchase” records. If you didn’t order it and there’s no obvious purpose, this is a possibility.
- Misdelivery: The package may simply have been intended for someone else.
If you can upload a photo of the tubes and the packaging, I can help identify them much more accurately.
