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Home / Business

Christmas gift clangers flood Trade Me

NZ Herald
25 Dec, 2018 09:58 PM3 mins to read

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Someone listed a ceramic unicorn desk lamp. Photo / Trade Me

Someone listed a ceramic unicorn desk lamp. Photo / Trade Me

From bizarre ornaments to socks and daggy clothing, Kiwis are flooding Trade Me with their unwanted Christmas presents.

The online auction website already has 3,000 unwanted gifts listed, according to Trade Me's statistics.

And while some may perceive the practice as ungrateful, there are just some Christmas gift clangers that leaving recipients and others alike scratching their heads.

One of the more unusual items listed on Trade Me today was a ceramic unicorn desk lamp.

The product description describes the lamp as "affordable inspirational living – on trend, quality products to style your home".

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The auction has a starting no reserve price of $30.

Other auctions include 52 boxes of Sampler biscuits, a mystery box of women's clothes, a handmade kite and a gift pack of chutneys and jams.

Millie Silvester, a spokeswoman for Trade Me, said in a survey of over 1,000 New Zealanders, most Kiwis said they unwrap between one and three unwanted presents each Christmas.

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"Sometimes Santa gets it wrong or you get a double-up. Our philosophy has always been that it's better to get that gift to someone who wants it and get yourself some cash to get something you really want," Silvester said.

"It makes no sense to have it gather dust in the drawer or under the bed or, even worse, thrown out unused and unloved."

But savvy Kiwis are using the opportunity to grab a bargain too, with more than 40,000 searches for unwanted gifts on Christmas Day alone.

"It's become a bit of a Kiwi tradition to check out unwanted Christmas gifts on Trade Me and we start seeing presents that didn't make the cut appear onsite before Christmas lunch has even had time to digest," Silvester said.

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Silvester said the practice of on-selling Christmas gifts was becoming more acceptable, with 60 per cent of Kiwis all for it.

"This was a bit of a surprise. We thought there'd be a stigma around selling unwanted gifts but 60 per cent of Kiwis are all for it."

According to the survey, 83 per cent of Kiwis said when they unwrap a gift they don't like, they'll avoid awkward silence and pretend to like it.

"It's reassuring to us to hear most New Zealanders will at least attempt to remain polite and respectful in the face of a present they can't abide," Silvester said.

Trade Me has a dedicated unwanted gift section to make it easy for members to find and buy Christmas presents that missed the mark.

Five odd unwanted gifts on Trade Me so far today:

1. 52 boxes of Sampler biscuits

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2. Ceramic unicorn desk lamp

3. Handmade kite

4. Barkers gift pack of chutneys and jams

5. Mystery box of women's clothes

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