Almost everyone, at one time or another, has received an unwanted holiday gift, such as a gift card for a place you never frequent or isn’t available in your town. The undesirable gift could be something quite nice, but it just isn’t your style. Other types of unwanted gifts could be so totally inappropriate and garish that you wonder what the gift giver was thinking. Luckily, it’s easy to sell the unwanted gift and replace it with something you will use.
Online Auction Sites
Online selling sites, such as eBay and Amazon, are smart places to get rid of gifts you prefer not to store while waiting to recycle them during the next Christmas season. Some sites even sell only certain items, such as uSell for electronic goods and Cardpool for gift cards. It is a relatively simple process to open an account and sell an item on these sites, and you will likely get a good price for it.
Consignment Stores
Consignment stores are available in almost every town, but the catch is they take a certain percentage, typically around 30 percent to 50 percent, of the sale price. Many places give the item at least 90 days to sell before you have to remove it. The fact that the item is new and still in the package will likely help it sell quicker.
Social Media
Social media sites, like Facebook or Twitter, are excellent places to sell used or new items such as unwanted holiday gifts. Typically, all you have to do is post a picture and the price that you want for the item. Ask friends to send a private message to you if they are interested in buying it. This is safer than using a barter site where the buyer is a stranger. Be careful if the gift giver is also one of your friends on the social media site. If this is the case, you can private message certain groups of friends to let them know this item is available for a bargain or the best offer. This prevents you from hurting the feelings of the person who gave it to you.
You don’t have to let unwanted items gather dust in your home. You can get rid of them quickly by using any of the above ideas, and then use the money to pad your wallet or buy a gift you will adore.