Christmas is a time for giving, but no matter how much we love our family and friends at some stage we’re bound to get a present we dislike.
Whether it’s another dodgy hand-knitted jumper from Aunt Betty, or yet another useless gadget for the office desk, there’s no need to grin and bear it.
We’ve come up with some ideas of what to do with those unwanted presents so they don’t just end up gathering dust in the attic.
Sell it:
There is a wide range of ways to sell your unwanted gifts. One of the quickest is through the ‘buy and sell’ section of your local newspaper – and you don’t even need to leave your armchair. Just log on to your regional newspaper’s website and click on the ‘buy and sell’ tab. There you can upload your pictures and item description at any time, day or night. Items under £100 are free to advertise and the sites do not charge commission. An added bonus is that your buyer is likely to be local, so collection arrangements can be made rather than you having to pay postage. Alternatively, log on to the Local World generic site and choose the area in which you’d like to advertise, then upload the details of your item to sell. Simple!
Return it for a refund or exchange:
Shops are not obliged to give exchanges or refunds on non-faulty goods but most will do so. If your unwanted present came with a gift receipt it should give a date for the last day of return or exchange. Some stores will offer refunds or exchanges without receipts but only at the most recent price. If your present is now in the sale the value of what you get back will be discounted accordingly.
Hold a gift-swapping party:
Liven up January by inviting your friends round for a gift-swapping party. Tell them to bring along their unwanted gifts and you can either just pick and choose your swaps between you, or play a game. To play you’ll need two packs of cards. Hand out the same number of cards to each player to match the number of gifts they’ve brought. Then, with the second pack, turn over the first card and see if anyone matches it. If they do, it’s their turn to pick a gift they fancy from someone else. Keep going until all the cards are used up. Gifts may change hands several times adding to the fun!
If a party sounds like too much hassle, there are a number of clothing and accessory swapping sites online.
Hold a car boot sale:
Earn a little pocket money by selling your unwanted gifts at a local car boot sale. Obviously you’ll need more items than just a few gifts, so it’s a great opportunity to have a New Year clear out of cupboards and drawers for any other unwanted clutter to sell.
Save it for a gift next year:
Hold on to it as a present to give away next Christmas, or on a birthday. Handy hint: remember to write down who gave it to you in the first place to avoid the embarrassment of giving it back to them next year.
Give it to charity:
If you’re feeling generous why not donate all of your unwanted presents to charity? The high street branches of your favourite charity are always on the look out for good quality items such as clothes, DVDs and books that they can sell on to fund their work.
