By Jenny Suo

It has only been a day since Christmas but thousands of unwanted gifts have already been listed for sale on Trade Me.

“Sometimes I get presents that I don’t really like myself so I think maybe I can regift it to someone else that might like what I got. So it won’t go to waste or anything,” says re-gifter Shilta Maharaj.

And Shilta is not alone, there are plenty of Kiwis willing to find their unwanted presents a new home and they are Trade Me to get rid of them.

“We’ve saw 12,000 added to the site since Christmas day, the majority coming from 8pm-11pm so obviously parents finishing dinner and putting the kids off to bed, and then figuring out how to re rid of those presents that didn’t quite hit the mark,” says Paul Ford from Trade Me.

That figures risen 20 percent from last year, so what are people passing on?

 “This year we’ve seen a surge around the number of women’s clothing, perfume, it think it shows men aren’t doing very good research before they buy the presents,” says Mr Ford.

The world re-gifting was first used on Seinfield and it has caught on in New Zealand and around the world.

A Trade Me poll revealed 65 percent of Kiwis think it is okay to re-gift.

The idea has become so popular that logistics company UPS even started a re-gifting website two-years-ago.

But is it alright to re-gift?

Etiquette experts give it the thumbs up saying there is no point in letting a gift go to waste and it is a great way to save money.

So, if you are unsure about a present you gifted this Christmas never fear, because it may make a Trade Me user very happy.

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