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Every Christmas, thousands of disappointing gifts end up for sale on the Internet. Books, perfumes or unexpected objects, adults are the most numerous to resell their presents, transforming an inconvenience into a few hundred euros, while questioning the spirit of Christmas.
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Who hasn’t made a face, at least once, on a beautiful Christmas morning when opening a disappointing gift? A special hat, a questionable apron… For several years, the trend has been clear: these gifts often end up being resold online.
“Yes, I happened to resell a Christmas present. It was a book, in this case,” confides a passerby. Another adds: “I received a perfume for Christmas and I didn’t like it. Perfumes are quite special, though, and so I sold it.” For some, it is even a blessing in disguise: “It’s very practical because when you have gifts that aren’t necessarily well targeted, it allows you to use them and prevent them from rotting under the bed and gathering dust.”
This year, the day after New Year’s Eve, more than 900,000 ads were published in France on resale platforms such as eBay. Rakuten even recorded 2% more announcements compared to last year. “There are people, indeed, who will put it online immediately after unpacking. So we will unpack it, we will see that it is something that we already have, well we will put it online. Besides, a tip: you should definitely not open the blister, you should definitely not open the box”, explains Thérèse Duhameau, Rakuten France customer relations and payment method director.
It is mainly adults who resell their gifts. “The children ordered Santa Claus and it was really the toy that they wanted and that they received. So, we are not in this phenomenon of ultimately saying: it’s nice, the intention is there, but I’m not interested in the gift”explains Franck Mathais, spokesperson for Jouéclub.
In 2024, those who resold their gifts earned an average of 100 euros, with amounts that could exceed 300 euros for some. But doesn’t this practice betray the spirit of Christmas? “I find that taking the step of going to a resale site really provides a return on investment for a gift. I feel uncomfortable with that”explains a passerby. Sentiment shared by another: “I think that’s not happening.”
To reassure yourself, one certainty remains: a resold gift will always make someone happy.
