8 things to do with unwanted Christmas gifts
One in four of us received an unwanted or unsuitable Christmas gift last year, Which? research has revealed.
Used deodorant, rubber gloves and out-of-date chocolates have been named as some of the worst gifts that readers found under the Christmas tree.
Other unwanted gifts included an advent calendar on Christmas day, a book about the wrong football team, and more than £100 of dairy chocolate despite the recipient being allergic.
If you receive an unwanted present this year, you don’t need to hoard it at the back of an already-cluttered cupboard. Instead, you might think about how you could rehome or recycle the gift - or even turn it into cash for the new year.
Here, we look at eight things to do with your unwanted gifts.
1. Return it
One in seven people exchanged their unwanted gift last year, while fewer than one in 10 made a return.
If you know where your gift came from and have a gift receipt (or are comfortable asking the sender for the receipt), you might consider getting a refund or exchanging the item. Most retailers extend their returns policy during the festive period, so if you've received a disappointing gift it’s worth checking when the deadline is.
For online returns, the buyer often has to be the one to initiate the return, and the money usually gets reimbursed to the account that was used to place the order.
Some retailers, such as Amazon, may allow you to return gifts in exchange for a gift card, voucher or credit note, as long as the item was marked as a gift at the time of purchase.
2. Give it to a charity, shelter or food bank
One in four people who received an unwanted gift last Christmas gave it to a charity shop or friends and family.
One less-than-impressed respondent told us they received a set of clown ornaments despite being afraid of clowns. They were quickly donated to a local charity shop.
If you want to donate an unwanted gift this year, you could also check local refuge centres and shelters, which might be looking for jumpers, coats or other warm items for the colder months. Food banks might also be accepting donations.
For toys, it's worth checking whether your local library will accept them.
- Find out more: 12 ways to make your Christmas more sustainable
3. Sell it on a marketplace
Second-hand shopping has boomed this year, with more apps and platforms than ever to choose from if you’re looking to sell misjudged jumpers or already-read books.
‘I received a blouse last year which wasn’t my style from my daughter-in-law, but rather than tell her I sold it on eBay’, one participant told us.
If you’re looking to rehome clothes, shoes, accessories or homewares, Vinted could be the app for you. It came top of the table in our recent research into the best and worst second-hand platforms, scoring well with both buyers and sellers.
If you’re looking to rehome other items, Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree, eBay and Freecycle offer an almost exhaustive number of categories. All of these platforms received three or four stars for most ratings in our survey.
- Find out more: where to buy and sell second-hand online
4. Regift it
Received the same book twice? Or unwrapped yet another toiletries set you don't need? Regifting to a friend or family member is a good way to find a new home for your unwanted item.
One participant told us they regularly rehome toiletries sets to others: ‘I can’t use them as I have very sensitive skin, so whenever I get given one I regift it.’
If you have the space to hold onto the present for another year, you could regift your items as part of the shoebox appeal for Christmas 2023.
5. Sell your gift card
If you received a gift card for a retailer you don’t shop with, you might think about selling it to someone who could make better use of it.
Check with friends or family who might be willing to help you out by buying it from you.
You can also use a website such as Cardyard, which will pay you a percentage under the value of the card to take it off your hands.
If you do decide to keep it, make sure you spend the voucher quickly. If the retailer goes bust, it may decide to stop accepting gift cards entirely. Always double-check the expiry date too.
- Find out more: what are my rights with gift vouchers and cards?
6. Rent it out
Instead of selling or rehoming your gift, you might be able to make money from it in the new year by renting it out.
Websites such as FatLlama allow you to rent out pretty much anything, helping you reap the rewards of your unwanted gift throughout 2023.
For clothes or accessories, you could try By Rotation, Hurr or Rotaro.
7. Take it to a car boot sale
One man's trash is another's treasure.
Never has this rung more true than at a car boot sale, where all the weird Christmas presents you've been hoarding can find a new home.
Boot sales are a great way to declutter and make some extra cash in the process.
From odd visual merchandising tactics to strategic discounting, take a look at our 10 top tips for first-time sellers.
8. Recycle it
Recycling unwanted items is a great way to start 2023 more sustainably.
Retailers including H&M and Adidas have recycling schemes that allow you to exchange unwanted clothes and trainers for a voucher.
Marks and Spencer has partnered with Oxfam to give you a £5 M&S voucher when you hand in old clothes. Your donation must include at least one M&S item, and the voucher can only be used on clothing, homeware, and beauty products worth £35 or more.
We Just Recycle pays for unwanted clothes, shoes, belts and bags. You'll get up to 50p per kilo, and it offers a free pick-up service.
For unwanted books, games, CDs and electronics, you can use websites such as MusicMagpie or WeBuyBooks to sell your items for an agreed amount of cash.
And if you get some new tech for Christmas this year, it’s well worth looking into how to recycle any obsolete or unwanted electronics you no longer need.
- Find out more: how to recycle your old smartphone, tablet or laptop
*Which? surveyed 1,569 adults in the UK about Christmas gifts in January 2022. Fieldwork was carried out online in January 2022 by Opinium, and data has been weighted to be representative of the UK population (aged 18+).
