Christmas 2022: over half of Brits are happy to receive a pre-owned or refurbished gift, study shows

The research also shows that 46% of Britons would be happy to send a pre-owned or refurbished gift for Christmas this year.

The cost of living crisis, with rises in inflation and fuel prices, have certainly put the budget for many families at Christmas in a pinch. But research from Amazon Warehouse has shown that Brits this year are not too proud to receive a pre-owned gift this year, nor are people above gifting pre-loved and upcycled gifts either.

Amazon Warehouse’s research also showed that 37% of people surveyed have already given a pre-loved present in the past, compared to 55% of people who have never bought a family or friend a pre-owned gift - because the thought had never passed their mind. Only 26% believe that there is a stigma attached to pre-owned or refurbished gifts, but also don’t believe that there should be.

OnePoll, who conducted the survey on behalf of Amazon Warehouse, shared that some of the main reasons adults have refrained from gifting second-hand or nearly new items are concerns the quality may not be as good as new (27 per cent) or that they can’t be returned (18 per cent). But sustainability has also played a big factor in the shopping habits of consumers this Christmas.

38% of those surveys plan to take sustainability into consideration when shopping for presents this upcoming festive season, with the most popular pre-owned items people are looking to gift including books, jewellery and artwork; items that can retain their value or appreciate in value in some cases.

For the more technologically minded or those gadget-heads who love to tinker with things, the most popular tech gifts to get ‘nearly-new’ were mobile phones, laptops and tablets. Ebay is still considered the e-commerce king (or queen) of thrifty, second hand shopping with 55% who took part in the survey still consider the website a worthwhile investment of time, with the tried and tested charity shop pilgrimage over the festive months coming second and, surprisingly, Amazon only coming in third.

John Boumphrey, UK country manager at Amazon, said: “As a nation, we’re becoming more conscious consumers and it’s exciting to see so many people are open to shopping for nearly-new products. Especially this year with the rise in living costs adding even more pressure to gift buying, there is even more reason to consider shopping from nearly-new products.”

“Pre-owned doesn’t have to mean worn or outdated,” he continues, “often products have simply been unboxed but still work as good as new. We believe that every refurbished, pre-owned or open box purchase helps extend a product’s life, while being great value."