5 Tips For Returning Or Reselling Your Christmas Gifts

With the boom of online resale sites, it has become common to resell Christmas gifts on the web. The resale of gifts, steadily increasing since the 2000s, is no longer taboo. Here are 5 tips for giving a second life to gifts you do not wish to keep.

Preserve the object in its original state.

The first of the 5 tips for returning or reselling your Christmas gifts is to keep them in their original condition. If you think about getting rid of an item as soon as the wrapping paper is off, you must not touch it.

Do not remove the packaging around perfumes or the shrink wrap on video games! And of course, do not cut off the tags from clothes that are not to your taste or size!

If you are close enough to the person who gave you the gift, ask for the receipt so you can make an exchange. This practice has now become customary and should not shock those around you. Exchanging prevents the item from going unused, which would be wasteful...

2- Return the item in store or online.

In stores, the return policy for items is freely set by the seller. Generally, you need to bring back the receipt and the item in perfect condition to receive an exchange, a refund, or a credit note.

Online, it is easier to return Christmas gifts provided they were not purchased long in advance. The legal 14-day cooling-off period allows you to send back the item within 14 days of its purchase and get a refund.

Resell the item on resale websites.

In the aftermath of the holiday season, websites specializing in the resale of items (toys, clothing, or appliances) experience record traffic because they meet a real demand from consumers. Today, one in two French people thinks that reselling their unwanted Christmas gifts is a good idea.

Resale also includes gifts received in duplicate (like video games, for example) or those considered unnecessary or superfluous. It is now easy to resell all kinds of tangible goods as well as intangible gifts such as concert tickets or sports event tickets online.

Moreover, more and more barter platforms are popping up on the Internet. They allow for the exchange of poorly chosen gifts or even gift cards when they pertain to stores that are of no interest to you.

4- Care for the description.

Whether you're considering swapping or reselling Christmas gifts online, you must carefully craft the item's description to attract buyers. Take the time to write a detailed ad, accompanied by one or more high-quality photos.

It's best to photograph items against a neutral background, describe them accurately, and reduce the new price by 15% to 20% if you want to sell them quickly.

5- Visit second-hand stores.

For those who are not familiar with digital tools and online resale sites, another option to resell your Christmas gifts is to visit a consignment store. Consignment stores offer to take items you no longer want or need off your hands and sell them on your behalf.

You can drop off clothing, shoes, jewelry, as well as home decor items. Similar to thrift stores, these shops do not necessarily accept all the items that individuals bring in but instead make a selection.

To get rid of the remaining items, you can choose to sell them at a flea market, bring them to a recycling center, or donate them to a charity such as Emmaus or Secours populaire, for example.