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Where can I sell unwanted Christmas gifts?

Our Broadband Expert says...

Dear Alan,

I think we can all empathise with your position. Christmas is a time for celebration and indulgence, but also for discovering how little our family and friends know us! Surely, you can never have too many socks, but the books you’ll never read and DVDs you didn’t want certainly have a market online.

With eBay, Amazon and Gumtree, selling your unwanted gifts is really straightforward. Not everything will be snapped up in a hurry - you’re not the only one with a Jeremy Clarkson biography to offload - but not all sites will charge you to list things, so there’s often no harm in trying.

Whether you use eBay or not will probably depend on what you’re planning to sell. Books, DVDs and games, for example, are sometimes better suited to Amazon.co.uk Marketplace - but you might be put off by the fees. It’s also worth remembering that the internet provides alternatives to selling.

For instance, there are sites which facilitate the swapping of items between registered users. There are also websites for giving things away free of charge. Or if you’re feeling really philanthropic maybe you could donate the presents to charity.

Remember, if you know where the gift was purchased, you may be able to return it even if you don’t have the receipt. Lots of shops loosen their policy at Christmas, offering exchanges or refunds even without proof of purchase. If this isn’t the case, the guide below explains how to sell, swap or give away your unwanted presents online.

Can I sell unwanted gifts online?

The buzz around auction sites died down a number of years ago, but it’s birthdays and Christmas where they still come into their own. Sites like eBay would probably never have existed if it weren’t for our aunts and grandmas buying jumpers we wouldn’t be seen dead in. You’ve got to love a place designed for flogging unwanted gifts to people who might actually appreciate them.

Before you rush straight for eBay, it might be worth investigating other websites first. Some are more suitable for certain types of item and making the right or wrong choice could mean selling at a higher price or even not selling at all. It’s also important to consider all the costs involved. Most sites charge you to list each item, as well as sometimes taking a cut of the final sale price.

What are the best websites for selling?

When it comes to selling anything online, eBay’s still the daddy. But as well as being a registered eBay seller, you will also need a PayPal account to receive payment. This isn’t necessarily the case with other sites, so you may want to weigh up the advantages of each before getting started.

Some of the best websites for selling unwanted gifts:

eBay - By far the biggest and best known, eBay’s main strength is its sheer size and the number of people using it. At any given time there are on average 14 million auctions taking place and over 200 million buyers ready to take what you don’t want off your hands. Sellers create an eBay listing complete with images and descriptions of their item, the aim being to attract as many bids as possible. While it’s free to register with eBay, an “insertion fee” is charged for each gift you list, as well as a “final value fee” - a percentage of the eventual selling price - if your item sells.

Amazon - What essentially began as a discount book shop has morphed into a site that sells just about anything, you name it. Amazon allows sellers to advertise their own new or used copies of books, CDs, DVDs and games that appear in its own online catalogue. The main benefit is that you won’t pay a penny until your item is bought by someone - regardless of whether it takes a few hours, a week or two months to sell. Unwanted gifts sold through Amazon will carry a fee of 86p, as well as 17% on the sale price. You’ll also receive a set amount to cover postage.

Gumtree - Placing classified adverts on Gumtree is another good way of selling Christmas presents online. The website’s listings are categorised by region, so if it’s a washing machine or fridge freezer you’re flogging, it’ll only be local folk viewing your ad, meaning you won’t need to think about delivery or couriers, you’ll just need to arrange for whatever you are selling to be picked up. Gumtree is mainly used for larger, more expensive items, but there’s no hard and fast rule about that. The best thing is it’s completely free; the downside is having to meet buyers and barter in person, unless you arrange to deliver.

Fan sites - If you’re trying to sell something really specialist it’s worth searching around for appreciator forums and fan sites. Most will have a section for users to sell things and if your item is relevant and interesting enough you’ll probably have more luck than on mainstream sites. Examples include Comic Kingdom for comics and RareList for first-edition books.

Is it worth the effort?

There’s no definitive answer to this question. It entirely depends on what you hope to sell, and ultimately, how much money you expect to make. While there’s no denying it’s straightforward and simple to sell things online, it can be time-consuming, and dealing with difficult buyers can get quite frustrating. Before deciding to sell unwanted presents online, consider the following:

Value - Spending 20 minutes listing an item on eBay can pay dividends where the gift itself has some value - a £40 guitar amp or computer game, for example - but your socks are unlikely to sell for anything upwards of £1 or £2, so you might not think it’s worth the effort.

Delivery - Think about how you’ll get the goods to their new owner. Remember, they need to arrive in tip-top condition if you want to avoid having to refund dissatisfied buyers. That might mean extra padding or a trip to the Post Office for Special Delivery. It all needs factoring into your selling price.

Costs - As well as paying to transport your item, you may also be required to pay for the online listing. Some sites like eBay charge insertion fees at the start of the auction as well as a percentage of the final value.

Alternatives - For less valuable items you may decide it isn’t worth the effort. Let’s not forget though, these were gifts and didn’t actually cost you anything. You could always donate you unwanted present to charity - or even try swapping it for something else.

Where can I swap my unwanted gift online?

As people use the web to save money wherever possible - just look at how we compare prices and live off coupons - there are always new sites popping up, adding more penny-pinching potential to the pot. One type of website that’s becoming more and more common is the “swap shop”-style enterprise where you trade things you don’t want for other things you do.

Where to swap your unwanted presents:

Clothes - With sites like Bigwardrobe.com you can trade designer and high street fashion with freebie seekers across the globe. Like most of these websites, it’s free to become a member - the only cost you’ll incur is the price of postage for your item.

Books - Join a website like BookMooch or ReadItSwapIt and you’ll never need to buy a book again. They’re also useful for offloading Christmas gifts you’ve already read or wouldn’t look twice at yourself. Again, you won’t be making money, but at least you’ll get something you want.

CDs, DVDs and games - There are lots of sites for swapping music, films and computer games. One of the most popular is SwapShop.co.uk, but remember there’s a risk of getting scratched or damaged copies so you could be in danger of losing out. These days there are reputable shops on most high streets which allow you to trade unwanted CDs, DVDs and games for cash or other goods. Doing it in person, rather than online, allows you to inspect the items first.

And finally...

You might decide you don’t want anything in return for your unwanted gifts - just to find someone who’ll appreciate them. In this instance, sites like Freegle and Freecycle let you advertise your wares for anyone to take off your hands free of charge.

Alternatively, you could just take the item to your nearest charity shop, which should be more than happy to sell it on for vital funds. Again, you won’t be making money yourself, but you can feel good about doing something for others - Christmas is a time for goodwill as well as useless gifts after all.

Photo by www.metaphoricalplatypus.com

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