Millions of gifts are exchanged across Europe during the holiday season, but many are ultimately deemed unwanted and unnecessary. In fact, according to a survey of 5,000 Europeans commissioned by Adevinta, a classifieds group, two-thirds (66 per cent) of people state that they have received a brand-new gift that they’ve had no use for or simply not liked.
Encouragingly, only 6 per cent of these respondents say that they’ve thrown unwanted items away, and nearly a quarter (23 per cent) have turned to online platforms to sell them on. France tops the re-commerce leaderboard with 27 per cent of consumers having sold online compared to 20 per cent of consumers in Spain and 19 per cent of consumers in Italy.
The survey also found that among those that have received a brand-new gift they didn’t like:
- 28 per cent have kept an unwanted gift, knowing it would never be useful
- 30 per cent have repurposed gifts by ‘gifting’ them to someone else
- 17 per cent have given an unwanted gift to charity
- 33 per cent report keeping the item “just in case”
Paul Heimann, Head of Re-Commerce for Adevinta, and CEO of Kleinanzeigen, commented: “For many people, showing love and appreciation for friends and family during the holiday season revolves around the giving and receiving of gifts. But putting sentiment to one side, we all know that presents are not always received in the spirit in which they’re given. Rather than holding onto unwanted gifts, re-commerce marketplaces allow consumers to give these items a second life and clear clutter, while also presenting an opportunity to generate some extra cash in the post-holiday period when budgets are tight.”
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