Researchers have found that more than half of Americans (53%) will receive a gift they don’t want.
According to the new forecast from Finder, unwanted presents will reach an all-time high in both volume and cost this year, with an estimated $10.1 billion being spent on gifts headed for the regifting pile.
One in 20 people expect to receive at least five gifts they won’t want to keep. The average cost of these unwanted items is expected to rise to $72 this holiday season, up from $66 last year. That represents a billion-dollar surge in wasteful holiday spending.
Clothing and accessories top 2024′s list of the most unwanted gifts people receive. Specifically, 43% hope to avoid these personal items. However, that number is actually down from the 49% who didn’t want clothes for Christmas in 2022. So, maybe some Americans need a new pair of socks this year.Household items follow clothing as the least popular holiday gifts (at 33%), while cosmetics and fragrances round out the top three at 26%.
Interestingly, technology gifts are skyrocketing in unpopularity. Since 2022, the dislike for tech gifts has risen by 10%, going from 15% in 2022 to 25% this holiday season.
The Season of Re-Giving
The survey found that regifting is the most popular solution in 2024. Nearly four in 10 Americans (39%) plan to pass their unwanted gifts along to someone else. That’s the most popular option this year, surpassing the awkward choice of keeping a bad gift. 43% of Americans kept their unwanted presents in 2022, but that number has now fallen to 35%.
Another 32% take advantage of post-holiday exchange policies to swap their unwanted items for something more desirable. However, more and more people are just opting to sell their sub-par presents for cold hard cash. Over one in four (27%) plan to sell unwanted gifts after the holidays, up significantly from 17% in 2022.
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