The issue of reselling Christmas gifts is growing year after year, whether for financial or environmental grounds. Between December 25 and January 3, 2023, eBay expects to post 3 million adverts in France to sell undesired goods.
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| Christmas decorations in Paris, France |
According to barometers from eBay/Kantar and Rakuten/Ipsos, the French are increasingly eager to resale their Christmas gifts. Ebay expects 3 million new adverts to be published in France between December 25 and January 3, 2023 this year. According to its barometer, which is based on a representative sample of 40.8 million French people aged 16 to 64, and on an average figure of 1.2 unwanted gifts, nearly 50 million packages that will not satisfy (10 million more than 5 years ago), and 17% of the population concerned, i.e. 7 million people, who intend to resell these undesirables (500,000 more than last year).
In 2021, "one in three French people had ultimately been dissatisfied by at least one of their presents", remembers the Rakuten / Ipsos barometer, for which "1 in 2 French people is contemplating reselling one of their gifts this year. 'It didn't fit him,' i.e. an increase of 8% in one year. Indeed, at noon on December 25, Rakuten has already logged 380,000 new advertising on its platform since the start of the morning, or +8.57% compared to the same period in 2021.
This year's top resale categories for Rakuten are cultural objects, particularly books, and high-tech gadgets. Receiving a duplicate toy or an item of clothing in the wrong size is the most typical reason for eBay users to return a goods. "Reselling presents, like buying second or third-hand products for Christmas, is a method of safeguarding your purchasing power while also engaging in a responsible, circular economy," adds Sarah Tayeb, Deputy CEO of eBay in France.
"Given the present cultural, environmental and economic settings, we foresee a rise in the resale rate of gifts. This is a big win for the French, whose purchasing power is decreasing. "Our barometer shows the importance of online platforms in facilitating swift and secure resale," says Fabien Versavau, CEO of Rakuten France. 16% of those polled resale their Christmas gifts in this manner, not because they do not fit them, but due to financial constraints...
While giving second-hand presents at Christmas is getting more common (52% of French people), reselling is also growing more common. Thus, the number of people reselling their presents has climbed by 5 percentage points in 5 years (12 to 17%).
According to eBay, the resale of the presents would represent more than 336 million euros reinjected into the economy. Depending on the area, this practice is more or less tolerated. Thus, Ile-de-France people are the most dissatisfied, with an average of 2.2 undesired presents. On the contrary, Centre-Val-de-Loire residents are among the most happy, with only 0.5 disappointed presents. And, whereas three-quarters of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes residents approve of the practice, 43% of Normans do not.
This year's most popular resold gifts include decorative items, consoles (PS5, PS4, Nintendo switch, etc.), telephones and speakers, video games (Pokemon Violet, Fifa 23, Arcade Games, etc.), toys (miniature vehicles, Monopoly, Star Wars derivative products, Playmobil, Lego, board games, etc.), books (including the Goncourt Vivre vite and the Médicis The Thirteenth Hour -...), comic books (Le monde sans fin (Prada, Eau Sauvage by Dior, Hugo Boss Bottled).
Source: Les Echoes