So says a new study from https://thatsweetgift.com/christmas-shopping-statistics, which surveyed 2,005 over 16s throughout the UK.
The same study also shows many people will pretend to like the gifts we get, no matter how much we might hate them.
Only 8% of us have ever revealed to someone that we were disappointed with a gift, and over a third of us lied and the told the giver we liked it, even if we didn't really.
?So... what really happens to those unwanted presents?
- 1 in 5 (rising to 1 in 4 if we look just at answers from female respondents) Ebay their gifts without the seller being made aware.
- 1 in 3 of us keep the gift and leaves it sitting in a cupboard unused
- And 1 in 4 (23%) rewraps an unwanted gift and passes it on to someone else!
- 1 in 5 has returned or exchanged a gift without the giver knowing
There's even some people, 7%, who admit the sold the unwanted gift for more than it was worth!
Daniel Chabert Pfefferkorn, founder of Thatsweetgift.com, said: "The fact 1 in 5 of us sells unwanted gifts on Ebay without the giver knowing is great. And the fact that some even sell on for more than it’s worth is even better. Where are those people? I want to hire them!”
How to avoid disappointment in the first place.
If you don’t want your gifts ending up on Ebay, use a bit of insight about what men and women really want for Christmas
Thatsweetgift.com’s survey identified the most popular gifts amongst women (when asked, from a multiple choice list, which they would be happy to receive from their partner or spouse at Christmas) are the traditional ones:
- Jewellery tops the list (55% of women saying they’d be happy to receive it)
- Clothing is second with 48% approval
- A weekend break or holiday was a close third with 41%
- Chocolate got 42% of the vote
Men answered slightly differently:
- Clothing topped the list for men (40%)
- Footwear polled second (32%)
- Chocolate came in third (27%)
- Books came in 4th (23.70%)
For both men and women, traditional gifts best technology.
- Under 9% of men and women said they’d be happy to receive an ebook, a movie or TV download or a music download
- 28% of women and 24% of men would like to receive physical books
- 20% of adults in the UK would like to receive CDs
- 21% of women and 22% of men would like to receive DVDs
What We’re Spending
The survey also identified that we'll will give an average of 11 gifts each Christmas and will receive 7 in return.
And we’re spending varied amounts of different members of our family:
- We spend an average of £96.64 on gifts for our spouse or partner
- £24.56 on our best friend
- £49.30 on our Mum
- £40.65 on Dad
- £64.21 on an adult son
- £64.27 on an adult daughter
- £23.60 on Grandparents