1.7 million people will likely exchange $233m worth of presents with others this year: Survey
Straits Times 4 Jan 09;
London - Swopping is likely to become a major trend this year, reported a survey which expects some 1.7 million people to exchange £110 million (S$233 million) worth of unwanted Christmas gifts with others.
About 5.5 million people exchanged goods with others last year. A further 11 million planned to swop items in the New Year, according to the survey conducted by pollster ICM for broadband provider TalkTalk.
Clothing topped the list of the most unwanted presents (19 per cent), followed by cosmetics (9 per cent) and books (8 per cent), in the poll of 1,040 adults between Dec 11 and 14, the London-based Telegraph reported on Friday.
Belt-tightening amid the worsening economic crisis has prompted many to turn to 'swopping' websites which have seen record levels of interest.
Several new 'recycling websites' have been launched since last month, said the newspaper.
One site, www.recycleagift.com, said that thousands have registered to get rid of unwanted Christmas presents.
Said Mr Luke Taylor, head of PlayTrade, which runs the site: 'We never expected it to be so popular. It was set up more as a gimmick - to show that you can easily, and for free, recycle your unwanted gifts and get what you wanted instead.
'It's great to think that the presents are actually finding a home rather than just gathering dust.'
The most heavily traded item on the site is the Mamma Mia! DVD, said Mr Taylor, who reckoned that 'some people must have received more than one copy'.
eBay, the online auctioneer, claimed to have listed about two million unwanted Christmas gifts on its website on Dec 27.
Sites like www.swapz.co.uk and www.swapXchange.org have also witnessed spikes in online traffic since Christmas, the Telegraph reported.
Mr Paul Kay, managing director for Swapz, said: 'We have already had half a million visits this month and we have 90,000 items listed. Post-Christmas, our traffic levels are up 70 per cent which is significantly more than last year's.'
One of the most popular searches on Swapz.co.uk has been for
PC and video games and consoles such as the Xbox, Nintendo Wii and PlayStation.
Charities are also urging people to recycle their unwanted Christmas presents, said the report.
Oxfam and The Environment Agency have launched a campaign asking the public to help both charities and the environment by making sure they donate their unwanted gifts to charity shops.
The Environment Agency estimated that more than a million tonnes of clothes and other textiles are sent to the landfill every year - contributing to the greenhouse gases that cause climate change.
Oxfam generates more than £20 million each year by selling donated items through its 730 shops in Britain.
Mr Barney Tallack, Oxfam's deputy director of trading said: 'We are in urgent need of clothes, books and household items - and as the credit crunch takes hold, we need them more than ever.'
So you want to re-gift? Lifestyle
WHAT'S HOT, WHAT'S NOT
# Most unpopular
Clothing topped the list of the most unwanted presents (19 per cent), followed by cosmetics (9 per cent) and books (8 per cent), according to a survey by pollster ICM.
# Most wanted
Computer and video games and consoles - such as the Xbox, Wii and PlayStation - were among the most sought-after items at British swopping website Swapz.co.uk
