eBay Survey: Re-gifting is In

As the holidays draw near and the economic outlook remains bleak, people are warming to the idea of re-gifting this year, according to a recent study by eBay.

Of the people surveyed, 54 percent of adults who have resold gifts online in the past are planning on doing so this year, up 9 percent from 2007.

Of U.S. adults who receive gifts during the holidays:

• 83 percent receive unwanted items
• 46 percent of those adults resell or re-gift
• 64 percent of adults feel that re-gifting or reselling gifts is more socially acceptable now than it was several years ago

“We’re seeing the trend in re-gifting and reselling unwanted presents becoming more commonplace in this economic climate,” said Marsha Collier, author of “Santa Shops on eBay” and “eBay for Dummies.”

According to eBay’s survey, the most popular items adults would re-gift include:

• Wine, champagne or spirits (21 percent)
• Trinkets or collectibles (21 percent)
• Beauty or bath products (21 percent)
• DVDs, CDs or books (16 percent)
• Electronics/appliances (14 percent)
• Fruitcake (14 percent)

Gaining in Popularity

Not only is re-gifting perceived as an economical choice, but many also see it as a “green” alternative to wasting unwanted presents. According to the survey, 73 percent of adults “view re-gifting or reselling as a form of recycling, up from 69 percent.” And while some may perceive re-gifting as a negative, one-third of those surveyed said they would rather receive a gift that they could re-gift or resell than not receive a gift at all.

Of those adults who have re-gifted, their top reasons for doing so included:

• The item was a better match for someone else (68 percent)
• They didn’t think they would use the item (66 percent)
• It wasn’t their taste (61 percent)

If you are really looking to get in the “Re-gifting” holiday spirit, Regiftable.com is hosting National Regifting Day on December 18. They even have a customizable re-gifting tag you can print up for all your “green” re-gifts.