French begin reselling unwanted gifts as early as Christmas Day

More than seven million French people plan to resell their Christmas gifts this year, according to a survey, with more than 600,000 people who had hoped for something else already putting their presents up for sale on online platforms on Christmas Day.

The survey, conducted in October by the data company Kantar for eBay, represents an increasing trend in France of people who intend to sell on their gifts before they even receive them. This year, 18 percent of French said they would resell their presents, compared to 12 percent in 2018.

The figure is considerably higher than neighbours such as Italy and Spain, where 7 percent of the population planned to resell their gifts.

The survey also found that one in three French people were disappointed by at least one gift last year. In a press release issued by eBay, Sarah Tayeb, head of sales in France, is quoted as saying they were expecting at least 3.5 million new posts between 25 December and 3 January.

“Whether it's a question of purchasing power or circular economy, the French are more and more inclined to this type of practice every year,” Tayeb says.

Kantar's survey said it expected some 200,000 unwanted gifts to go up for sale online on Christmas Day – that figure was already far surpassed by Friday afternoon, with eBay France recording more than 600,000 new posts, and another 500,000 on Rakuten.

Tayeb says tech products such as game consoles and smartphones were among the top items resold from 25 December. The list also includes books, CDs, vinyls, clothes and perfume boxes.

The survey, conducted among 1,343 people aged between 16 and 64, found that among those keen on reselling their gifts, 39 percent would feel hurt if their gift was resold to offer themselves something to eat or drink while 38 percent of French people would be happy if the gift was resold to benefit a charity or to buy a gift they really wanted.