Unwanted Christmas Gifts Statistics 2026: 50 Facts on Returns, Regifting and Waste

Every January, millions of presents go back to the shop, onto Vinted or into a cupboard.

Some people regift them. Some bin them. Many simply smile and say thank you. A Which? survey found that about one in five Britons got a present they did not want.

This page collects the most reliable numbers on unwanted Christmas gifts in Britain: how many there are, what happens to them, what returns cost and what your rights are. Every figure links to its source. It is part of our Christmas statistics for the UK.

How many people get gifts they do not want

1. One in five got an unwanted gift for Christmas 2024

In a Which? survey of 2,047 UK adults in January 2025, 21% said they had received an unwanted or unsuitable gift at Christmas 2024.¹

2. The same share a year earlier

A Which? survey of 2,048 adults in February 2024 also found 21% had received an unwanted or unsuitable gift, this time for Christmas 2023.⁵

3. In early 2022, it was 24%

When Which? asked 1,792 adults in January 2022 about Christmas 2021, 24% said they had received an unwanted or unsuitable gift.⁶

4. 58% have received an unwanted gift at some point

A Censuswide survey of 2,000 adults in Great Britain in November 2024 found that 58% had received an unwanted Christmas gift, about 31 million people.⁷ The higher share compared with Which? reflects a broader question, not a different reality.

5. Gen Z gets the most unwanted gifts

In the same survey, 80% of Gen Z had received an unwanted Christmas gift, against 74% of Millennials, 54% of Gen X and 35% of Baby Boomers.⁷

6. Northern Ireland tops the regional table

Northern Ireland had the highest share of people with an unwanted gift (81%), followed by Greater London (72%). Wales had the lowest (47%).⁷

7. Only 18% love every present

In research by Markettiers for eBay in December 2024, 18% of UK adults said they love every gift they receive at Christmas.⁸

8. Four in ten get one to five unwanted presents a year

A OnePoll survey of 2,772 UK adults for Oxfam, published in January 2023, found that 40% receive between one and five unwanted Christmas presents each year.⁹

What people do with them

9. Almost half keep the gift, but 15% never use it

Of those with an unwanted gift for Christmas 2024, 33% kept it and planned to use it, and 15% kept it but would not use it.¹

10. A third get rid of it

In the same survey, 34% got rid of the gift: 12% gave it to a friend or family member, 11% to a charity shop and 8% sold it on an online marketplace. Only 1% gave it back to the giver and 2% threw it away.¹

11. The 2024 wave looks much the same

For Christmas 2023, 31% disposed of an unwanted gift: 12% donated it to a charity shop, 10% gave it to someone else and 5% sold it. 3% returned it to the giver.⁵

12. A third hide them in a cupboard

Oxfam found that 31% store unwanted presents out of sight, 10% discard them and 6% hand them back to the giver.⁹

13. Half of us pretend to love it

In the same survey, 49% said they pretend to love an unwanted gift, while only 11% honestly tell the giver they do not like it.⁹ That small awkwardness is part of a wider picture, covered in our statistics on Christmas stress and loneliness.

14. Charity shops are the quiet winner

Of Britons who received unwanted gifts, 57% said they donate some of them to charity, and 30% said they do not mind getting unwanted gifts because they can donate them.⁹

Regifting

15. 57% say regifting is acceptable

In a YouGov survey from 15 December 2020, 57% of Britons said passing on a present to someone else is acceptable (19% very, 38% fairly). 37% said it is not.³

16. Four in ten have done it

In the same survey, 40% of Britons said they had used an unwanted present from one person as a present for another, and 55% had not.³

17. Women regift almost twice as often

YouGov found that 52% of women had regifted a present, against 27% of men. 64% of women find it acceptable, compared with 50% of men.³

18. Most would not mind being regifted

60% of Britons said they would not be upset if their present was passed on, while 32% would. Among 18 to 24 year olds, 42% would be upset.³

19. A third regifted in 2019

In a YouGov survey for Barnardo's in 2019, 34% of people with unwanted gifts had regifted them, and another 24% intended to.¹⁰ Office gift swaps add their own share, as the Secret Santa figures in our workplace Christmas statistics show.

20. Regifting as a money saver

DHL eCommerce UK found in December 2024 that more than a third of consumers regift unwanted items to save money.⁴

21. In Ireland, 32% would regift without a receipt

A 2025 Ipsos B&A survey of 1,012 consumers in Ireland found that 32% would regift an unwanted present if they had no receipt, and only 5% would ask for a receipt to exchange it.¹¹

Reselling on eBay and Vinted

22. More than two in three have given away or sold a gift

In research for eBay in December 2024, 68% of UK adults said they had given away or sold a gift they knew they would never use.⁸

23. 57% want extra cash in January

In the same research, 57% of UK adults said they wanted to make extra cash in January, rising to 82% of Gen Z. The hoped-for sum was between £440 and £500.⁸

24. Listings triple on the first Sunday of the year

Vinted says listings on the first Sunday of each year run at about three times the normal daily rate. It named Sunday 4 January 2026 as the busiest day for post-Christmas reselling.¹²

25. Toiletries and perfume lead the listings

The top post-Christmas resale categories on Vinted are women's toiletries, perfumes, jewellery, nightwear and make-up.¹²

26. 18% sell unwanted presents on

In the DHL eCommerce UK survey of 2,000 consumers in December 2024, 18% said they sell unwanted presents.⁴

What is wasted: value and typical gifts

27. The average unwanted gift is worth £41

Finder puts the average value of an unwanted gift at £41 per person in 2024, and the total estimated spend on unwanted gifts at £1.27 billion.⁷ To set that against the whole budget, see how much Britons spend on Christmas.

28. £83.40 per person each year

In the DHL eCommerce UK survey, more than half of consumers had received unwanted presents, worth £83.40 per person on average each year.⁴ The two surveys use different methods, so treat the figures as a range, not a single truth.

29. Clothes, deodorant sets and soap lead

Among adults with an unwanted gift, 29% had received unwanted clothes, 21% deodorant gift sets and 20% soap gift sets.⁷

30. Soap, bath bombs and moisturiser

In the Oxfam survey, 28% had received unwanted soaps and bath bombs and 22% unwanted moisturiser.⁹

31. A burial plot, a toilet seat and a second-hand tumble dryer

Among the gifts Which? respondents named as disappointing for Christmas 2023 were a burial plot offer, a toilet seat, a second-hand tumble dryer and roast beef given to a vegetarian.⁵

Returns after Christmas: volume and timing

32. £1.51bn came back in January 2025

Parcelhero estimated that £1.51bn of clothing, electrical goods and toys were on their way back to UK retailers after Christmas 2024.¹³

33. £1.55bn in the first working week of 2026

Parcelhero forecast £1.55bn of unwanted Christmas gifts returned in the first working week of 2026, with sales values up by around 3% that season.²

34. Nearly half of early January shipments were returns

Parcelhero says around 47% of all shipments it saw in the first week of 2025 were marked as returns.²

35. Returns can cost small sellers up to 66% of the price

For small online marketplace traders, returns can cost up to 66% of a product's value, according to Parcelhero.²

36. Royal Mail expected half a million returns on one day

Royal Mail named Tuesday 6 January 2026 as its peak returns day, with about half a million items expected and returns up about 25% that week.¹⁴

37. Evri expected four million returned parcels

In December 2024, Evri said it expected more than four million parcels to be returned in January 2025, and that returns more than double after Christmas.¹⁵

38. Online still takes 28.2% of retail

ONS data show that online shopping made up 28.2% of retail sales in Great Britain in January 2026, and online spending grew 14.7% on a year earlier, the biggest rise since April 2021.¹⁶

39. A third planned to return or give up gifts in 2022

Opinium found in early 2023 that one third of UK consumers planned to return or give up Christmas gifts. It estimated the value of gifts to be returned at £232 million.¹⁷

Return rules and friction

40. Online orders: 14 days to cancel, 14 days to send back

For online, phone and mail orders, you get a 14 day cooling-off period from the day after the goods arrive. You then have another 14 days to send them back.¹⁸

41. Shops do not have to take things back

For goods bought in a shop, returns are a matter of the shop's own policy. Many retailers voluntarily offer 14 to 30 days for unused items, but there is no legal obligation.¹⁸

42. A refund is due within 14 days

The seller has to pay the refund within 14 days of receiving the goods or proof of posting, whichever comes first.¹⁸

43. Nearly half of returners hit a problem

Which? found in January 2025 that nearly half of people who tried to return an unwanted gift had a problem: 14% had trouble posting items back, 12% received a damaged replacement and 11% could not get a refund despite having a receipt.¹

44. 26% found no replacement available

In the 2024 survey, 26% of those who tried to exchange a gift could not do so because no replacement was available, 14% had problems reaching customer service and 13% said the retailer would not accept the item.⁵

45. 74% got no gift receipt

In the Which? survey of January 2022, 74% of people who received an unwanted gift had not been given a gift receipt.⁶

46. Only 7% ask the giver for a receipt

DHL eCommerce UK found that 7% of consumers have asked the sender for a receipt to return an item. Almost a quarter think returning a gift within five days is acceptable.⁴

47. More than half of fashion retailers charge for postal returns

Which? found that more than half of the 20 biggest online fashion retailers did not offer free postal returns in 2024. Fees included £1.99 at Boohoo, £2.50 at Next and £3.95 at Asos for high returners.¹⁹

Gift cards and vouchers

48. 11% had a voucher expire

An Ipsos survey of 1,096 adults in Great Britain in July 2023 found that 11% had at least one voucher expire unused in the past year, losing £75.30 on average.²⁰

49. Young adults lose more

In the same survey, 20% of 16 to 34 year olds had an unused expired voucher (£86 on average), against 3% of those aged 55 to 75.²⁰

50. A quarter of gift cards had no clear expiry date

In a Which? survey of 2,000 adults in October 2021, 27% of gift card recipients said the expiry date was not clear. 38% of those holding cards for retailers that went bust could not spend the full balance, losing £25 on average.²¹

What the numbers mean for businesses

Unwanted gifts are mostly a fit problem. People get something generic, with no receipt and no choice, and then spend January queueing, posting or reselling. Brands that send small, relevant gifts in December avoid being part of that pile. If you want to see what people do spend on presents first, read our Christmas spending statistics.

A digital advent calendar cannot be returned, regifted or left in a cupboard. It reaches customers or employees as a link, with one small surprise per day, and needs no postage. You can also run it as a marketing campaign with coupons and giveaways people actually use.

My take

Frequently asked questions

How many people get unwanted Christmas gifts in the UK?

In a Which? survey from January 2025, 21% of UK adults had received an unwanted or unsuitable gift for Christmas 2024. A Censuswide survey for Finder in 2024 found that 58% had received one at some point.

What do people do with unwanted Christmas presents?

According to Which? (2025), 33% keep the gift and use it, 15% keep it but never use it, 12% give it to friends or family, 11% donate it and 8% sell it online.

Is regifting acceptable?

In a YouGov survey, 57% of Britons said regifting is acceptable, and 40% had done it. Women (52%) regift almost twice as often as men (27%).

How much do returns cost after Christmas?

Parcelhero estimated £1.51bn of goods went back to retailers after Christmas 2024, and forecast £1.55bn for the first working week of 2026.

How long do I have to return an unwanted gift?

For online orders, the buyer has 14 days after delivery to cancel and another 14 days to send the item back, according to Citizens Advice. Shops set their own policies. Only the buyer has these rights.

Where can I use these statistics?

You are welcome to quote them in articles, reports and presentations. Please link to this page as the source.

Sources

1. 1Which?, Most disappointing Christmas presents (Deltapoll, January 2025) (which.co.uk)
2. 2Air Cargo Week, citing Parcelhero, post-Christmas returns January 2026 (aircargoweek.com)
3. 3YouGov UK, Is it acceptable to re-gift presents? (December 2020) (yougov.com)
4. 4Logistics Manager, citing DHL eCommerce UK survey of 2,000 consumers 2024 (logisticsmanager.com)
5. 5Which?, Most disappointing Christmas presents (Deltapoll, February 2024) (which.co.uk)
6. 6Which?, Most disappointing gifts (Opinium, January 2022) (which.co.uk)
7. 7Finder, Unwanted gifts (Censuswide survey, November 2024) (finder.com)
8. 8eBay UK, Post-Christmas selling research (Markettiers, December 2024) (ebayinc.com)
9. 9Oxfam GB, Unwanted Christmas gifts (OnePoll, January 2023) (oxfam.org.uk)
10. 10Civil Society, citing Barnardo's survey by YouGov 2019 (civilsociety.co.uk)
11. 11CCPC Ireland, Post-Christmas research 2025 (Ipsos B&A, October 2025) (ccpc.ie)
12. 12ChannelX, citing Vinted, Sell-It Sunday 2026 (channelx.world)
13. 13Retail Gazette, citing Parcelhero, post-Christmas returns January 2025 (retailgazette.co.uk)
14. 14Insight DIY, citing Royal Mail, Takeback Tuesday January 2026 (insightdiy.co.uk)
15. 15Evri, Four million gifts to be sent back in January 2025 (evri.com)
16. 16ONS, Retail sales, Great Britain: January 2026 (ons.gov.uk)
17. 17Opinium, Third of consumers plan to return or give up Christmas gifts (February 2023) (opinium.com)
18. 18Citizens Advice, Changing your mind about something you've bought (citizensadvice.org.uk)
19. 19Which?, Online fashion retailers and postal returns fees 2024 (which.co.uk)
20. 20Ipsos UK, Gift vouchers survey 2023 (ipsos.com)
21. 21Which?, Gift card survey (Opinium, October 2021) (which.co.uk)