Johannesburg – If you’ve ever received an unwanted Christmas gift, you’re not alone. A survey has revealed that last year, 59 percent of South Africans received a Christmas present they didn’t like.
The survey by Gumtree.co.za also found that about 40 percent of these gifts were worth between R100 and R500.
Gumtree head of communications Estelle Nagel said those who participated in the survey indicated that 40 percent of the worst gifts were novelty items, 35 percent were toiletry sets, 7 percent were clothing, 7 percent were decor items while 5 percent would prefer not to receive perfume, and 3 percent indicated their disdain for kitchen appliances.
“Perfume, clothing and gadgets are the items that most often end up on Gumtree still in their original packaging and entirely unused,” said Claire Cobbledick, the head of Gumtree South Africa.
She added that 27 percent of participants said they had sold their gifts online because they already owned the item.
“We tend to purchase items that we are interested in ourselves, and not everyone is attuned to what their loved ones would appreciate,” Cobbledick said.
She added that well-thought-out items or experiences, such as a weekend away, could be a better gift than anything you could find in a store.
“A little bit of effort can often go a long way,” said Cobbledick.
But she added that a poor gift choice was not necessarily a bad thing for the recipient.
This was as 64 percent of the participants said they were willing to sell an unwanted gift if they received one this year.