5 things to do with unwanted gifts this Christmas

A toilet seat, out-of-date bucks fizz and a second-hand tumble dryer were among the worst presents received last Christmas, according to Which? research.
One in five Christmas gifts was unwanted last year, a Which? survey* of 2,048 people who received gifts during 2023's festive season has revealed.
Most people who received an unwanted present last year decided to keep it anyway. Three in 10 believed they would use that unwanted gift at some point, but one in six knew they wouldn’t.
This year, there's no need to hang on to any gifts clogging up your cupboards. Instead, you might consider returning, regifting or recycling your unloved item.
Here, we take a look at what your options are if you did receive an unwanted gift.
1. Return it

One in seven managed to return their unwanted gift last year.
Gift receipts are one of the easiest ways to exchange an unwanted gift for something else or possibly for store credit without telling the gift-giver that you weren’t thrilled with their choice.
Check if the retailer offers an extended Christmas returns policy, as some are more generous than others.
For online returns, the buyer often has to be the one to initiate the return, and the money usually gets reimbursed to the account used to place the order. However, Amazon allows you to request a refund or credit note if your item was marked as a gift at the time of purchase.
If you don’t have a receipt, some retailers may allow you to exchange the item without proof of purchase, but they will likely offer you the most recent sale price for the item, which could be a lot less than the gift-giver paid.
You could ask the gift-giver to return the item for you. This was the preferred choice of 3% of people last year.
If the item is faulty or not as described, you have the right to a refund, repair or replacement under the Consumer Rights Act 2015. Use our free faulty goods tool to make a complaint.
2. Regift it

Regifting can be a great option for an unwanted present. If your child's received two of the same toys, for example, consider using one as a present for one of the birthday parties they're likely to attend this year.
Be careful when choosing what to regift as perishable goods may have a sell-by date - not only do you not want to gift something out-of-date, you may also be caught out doing so.
One person told us that ‘a bottle of bucks fizz from M&S that was way beyond the use-by date and had obviously been gifted to a friend 12 months before and then passed on to me.’
It might be wise to take note of who gifted you that unwanted present to avoid accidental insults. Another person told us the worst present she had had was 'bought my mother-in-law, she gave it back to me the next year’.
3. Donate it
Donating gifts was by far the most popular option when we asked our Which? Members Facebook community about what they do with unwanted gifts.
Beyond your typical high street charity shops, you may find that a local fundraiser needs donations. One person told us they donated unwanted gifts to their local primary school to use for their annual raffle.
Don’t forget that if you donate anything and you’re a UK taxpayer, you can Gift Aid the item to allow the charity to boost your donation by up to 25%. Find out more about gift aid.
4. Sell it

After the expense of Christmas, you might be looking to make a bit of extra cash in the new year to replenish the coffers. Selling unwanted items on a marketplace can be a good way to do that.
Some marketplaces allow you to list items for free, but depending on what you’re selling you might want to consider which platform is best for you to use.
Take a look at our guides to buying and selling on second hand marketplaces and how to sell second hand online.
5. Recycle or freecycle it, but don’t bin it!

Did you know that other than recycling your unwanted goods with your local authority, you can trade them in with some high street retailers for various rewards?
H&M, M&S and John Lewis are just some of the retailers that offer a reward in exchange for your unwanted goods. H&M, for example, offers a £5 voucher for a bag of any brand of clothes donated.
If you have some unwanted or old tech, you can recycle that at Currys in exchange for a £5 voucher.
Some commercial recycling schemes, such as We Just Recycle, will also pay for unwanted clothes, shoes, belts and bags.
If bagging it up and taking it to a shop is too much hard work, you could offer it up to a neighbourhood community group to see if someone would collect it from you. Neighbourhood WhatsApp and Facebook groups can be a straightforward way to pass on unwanted items to your neighbours.
*Methodology “Which? surveyed 2,048 adults in the UK between 2nd and 5th February 2024. Fieldwork was carried out online by Deltapoll and data has been weighted to be representative of the UK population (aged 18+).