Media Release
26 December 2012
Gifts that keep on giving hit Trade Me
The Boxing Day ritual that sees thousands of Christmas presents re-emerge on Trade Me is under way, as Kiwis seek to
find a new home for unwrapped items they don’t like, won’t use, or already have.
More than 20,000 items had landed on Trade Me since lunchtime on Christmas Day, and spokesman Paul Ford said the online
marketplace provided people with an opportunity to recycle a gift, and make some pocket money along the way.
“Yesterday most of us will have received at least one gift that made us groan inwardly, but if you can’t exchange it
then selling it to someone who genuinely wants it is often a better option than hiding it in the back of the wardrobe,
sending it off to the dump, or awkwardly passing it on at Christmas next year.”
Mr Ford said there were “regular offenders” that routinely turned up onsite having missed the mark on Christmas Day.
“These are often over-ambitious purchases on the lingerie front by both men and women, and items like books, ties,
handbags and kitchen appliances all commonly crop up.”
A British poll had named the Fifty Shades of Grey book trilogy as the least popular Christmas gift, followed by Olympics and weight loss DVDs, and onesie jumpsuits.
“We’ll be keeping a close eye out for these items on Trade Me over the next few days, as they sound like decent
contenders for the Kiwi ‘not hot’ list too,” Mr Ford said.
The social taboo about recycling unwanted presents still remained, but was felt more keenly by gift receivers than by
gift givers, according to research from the London Business School. “Receivers often over-estimate how offensive
regifting is to the initial giver,” Mr Ford said. “But for givers, selecting and offering a gift is much more important
than getting bitter and twisted about what happens to it after it’s been unwrapped.”
For those who still had an attack of the guilts, Mr Ford said Trade Me provided a veil of anonymity. “Unless you’ve been
broadcasting your member name to the people who gave you presents yesterday, you’re a good chance of selling your
unwanted item to a happy buyer at the other end of the country without getting noses out of joint.”
Recycling gifts: 3 hot tips
1. If you’re selling, include the words “unwanted gift” in your listing to make it easy for buyers. It was one of
the top searches onsite last December.
2. Don’t sell handmade items, especially if your name is carved, embroidered or etched on the side.
3. Only sell brand new items, and keep the packaging as intact as possible.
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