What to do with an unwanted present

There will always be at least one gift you receive for your birthday or at Christmas, which, shall we say, is not your cup of tea. You politely smile, thank them for the present and then immediately shove it away in a cupboard when you get home. Sound familiar?

Fortunately, instead of filling your home with unnecessary stuff, there are other things you can do to ensure your home stays decluttered and you might even make a bit of money!

Donate to charity

If a sparkly jumper or set of bath bombs is not your thing, there are plenty of people who would love to own these items. Just make sure your item is in good condition, then it is perfect for a charity shop donation. Charity shops love to take any unwanted toys, books, toiletries, and more.

There are loads of charities available with the option to drop off donations at a store or send via post. You might even find a bargain for yourself too!

Make some money on eBay

Popular shopping platform eBay is most people's first port of call for ridding themselves of unwanted gifts. As the saying goes, one man's trash is another man's treasure, so you might make a few quid and you can buy yourself the present you really wanted!

You can publish up to 250,000 free listings a month on eBay, and there are paid options to help gain more attention to your product. It's easy to list an item on the website or via the app and eBay will recommend a price to sell your unwanted gift. It might seem more straightforward to only list your items locally for the 'buyer to collect' but if you're willing to ship your items, you'll have a much bigger market to advertise to, so more chance of a sale.

Advertise on a social media marketplace

Like eBay, Facebook Marketplace is another popular destination where people can browse, buy and sell items in their local area or further afield. It's excellent for selling toys, clothing, tools, and even furniture items. Best of all, it's completely fee free, so you can keep all the profits!

All you need is a Facebook account to access Marketplace. It won't be just your friends and family that see the listing and you can even hide the listing from them just in case the unwanted gift is from one of your connections.

Upcycle your unwanted gifts

You may look at the novelty t-shirt you got from your cousin over the holidays and think, actually, that would look better as a tote bag! Many tutorials on YouTube or Pinterest show how you can recycle items into something new. You might even discover a whole new creative side to yourself you didn't even know existed!

You never know, your recycled gifts might even turn into a side-hustle and you could sell your homemade crafts on global marketplaces like Etsy!

Regift to someone else

It's totally fine to regift, but don't get caught out and accidentally gift it to the person who initially gave it to you!

Choose your recipient wisely and think about whether they would actually want it. Things like socks, scented candles and empty picture frames are common gifts that are not always the top of everyone's wish list. Only regift something if the gift has never been opened before and again, only if you think your recipient will like it, not just because it is there.

Send with Interparcel

When your gift has sold and you've received payment, it's time to ship! It's tempting to send via the Post Office, but this is usually the most expensive option and who wants to queue in this cold weather!?

Instead, use our parcel comparison service for a quick and easy quote. Our shipping calculator compares all the best couriers so that you can book online in minutes. Put your feet up with a cup of tea and wait for your friendly courier to pick the parcel up.

So, whether its a small letterbox-sized package or a big and bulky parcel, we have the shipping solution for you.

When you use Interparcel to calculate the shipping costs, you can be sure to pocket more of the earnings. If you have any questions about the booking process, speak to our friendly parcel experts by phone, live chat, or email 8 am - 8 pm Monday to Friday, or 9 am – 1 pm at the weekend.