Years ago, the question about shopping lists for folks at home came up here:
As for me, I’ve always thought that it would not be appropriate to ask a friend going someplace to bring me something. But if they offer to, that’s another matter.
One time, a friend went to Cuba. He doesn’t smoke, but he knew I enjoyed a good cigar, and asked if I’d like a box of Havana cigars. Not as a gift; he made it clear that I’d pay him for them, but they’d be less expensive than what I was paying for them at home. I said “Yes” and told him the brand and size I’d like. When he returned, he had the box of cigars I had requested, told me what they cost, and I paid him the Canadian dollar equivalent in cash. (I’m in Canada, so the cigars were perfectly legal.)
But he asked, I said “yes,” and he delivered. That’s a lot different than saying “Bring me a box of cigars,” clear out of the blue.