Should have been returned?

I gave person A something that I no longer need with the explicit intent for her to sell it to person B. Person B did not buy it. She kept it for herself, and kept it a secret from me until I asked person A about it, a week later.

She claims that since I didn't need it, she didn't give it back and instead used it herself.

This was a quite expensive item. I gave it to her so she could make extra money due to homelessness.

Do you think this was justifiable or should it have been returned?