If a Christmas present left you feeling slightly underwhelmed yesterday, you’re not alone. For many Kiwis, it’s a familiar feeling — and one that often leads to a Boxing Day clean-out.
While much of the country is recovering from a food coma and navigating post-Christmas sales, thousands turn to a different tradition: reselling their unwanted gifts.
From novelty items to eyebrow-raising misfires, a wave of rejected Christmas presents hits Trade Me as New Zealanders quietly offload gifts that didn’t quite deliver.
Trade Me's Emma Bacon says Boxing Day has become one of the site’s busiest days of the year, with listings flooding in early.
"Generally speaking, we see a large spike in listings on Boxing Day," she said. "It then cools off over the New Year holiday period before picking up again from January."
In 2024, more than 4600 unwanted gifts were already listed on the site before 10am, a figure that continued to climb steadily throughout the day.
What Kiwis ditch first
Certain gifts make a swifter Boxing Day exit than others, and in 2024, clothing topped the list by a mile.
Women’s Clothing & Fashion was the category with the most listings last year, with women’s tops and shirts taking out the number one spot. Dresses followed closely behind, while women’s shoes rounded out the top three.
Lego came in at number four on the list, proving that not even fan-favourite toys are safe from the Boxing Day purge. Gardening gifts also struggled to find a permanent home, with plants and trees completing the top five.
Beyond that, the Boxing Day clear-out included a wide mix of items that failed to win over Kiwis. Among the top 10 most discarded gifts were Hot Wheels toys and Pokémon trading cards, alongside women’s pants and shorts, men’s shoes and DVDs.
In terms of overall popularity on the site each year, women’s clothing, health and beauty, jewellery and watches, kitchenware and toys consistently remained among the most searched categories.
The weirdest unwanted gifts
Some unwanted presents are stranger than others — and each year Trade Me sees listings that leave shoppers doing a double take.
Among last year’s quirkiest unwanted gifts were a second-hand Epilady shaver, car jumper leads and a ceramic unicorn pen holder.
Other entries from Trade Me surveys over the past two years paint an even more unhinged picture of what ends up unwanted on Christmas morning. Kiwis have reported receiving:
- A ‘fart in a jar’
- Nose hair clippers
- A Christmas ham gifted to a vegan family
- Chocolates for diabetics
- A petrol voucher for someone without a car
But the most talked-about weird listing was an "artwork" consisting of a banana duct-taped to a wall, a tongue-in-cheek nod to Maurizio Cattelan’s infamous piece Comedian, which once sold for over US$6 million (NZ$10.4 million).
In 2023, even stranger listings hit the site, including a $500 vintage cast-iron chicken and a bike gifted to someone who didn’t actually know how to ride one.
Thousands of shoppers eagerly jumped online that year to hunt for the most entertaining and oddly specific listings. Trade Me recorded 131,000 searches for ‘unwanted gifts’ on Boxing Day alone in 2023 - a sign that bargain-hunters and curious onlookers alike revel in the spectacle.
Despite the bizarre nature of some listings, Kiwis are largely unfazed by the idea of their gift being resold.
A Trade Me survey of more than 3500 members last year found just 3.3% of respondents would be upset if a gift they gave was onsold.
"We reckon this comes down to loved ones wanting people to get the most use out of the gifts they give," Bacon said.
Still, most Kiwis would rather keep quiet than admit disappointment. Only 4% said they would be brave enough to express their dissatisfaction, while 73% said they would pretend to like a gift they didn’t want.
Why Boxing Day keeps booming
While Trade Me has seen huge volumes of unwanted gifts in recent years, Bacon said the numbers don’t follow a neat pattern.
"We do tend to see fluctuations in how many gifts are listed each year, and it’s not always straightforward as to why," she said. "Gift givers could be getting better at buying, or not."
She said the ongoing cost-of-living pressures were likely a major driver.
"Some people may not be spending as much on gifts, while others may be more inclined to offload something that missed the mark in the hope of making a little extra holiday spending money."
Despite the ups and downs, the trend shows no sign of slowing. Trade Me expects thousands of items to hit the site again this Boxing Day as Kiwis clear out the things that didn’t quite land.
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