According to Pierre Kosciusko-Morizet, president and co-founder of the e-commerce site PriceMinister, online sales of unwanted Christmas presents will rise to around 3 million this week, compared with 2 million last year. Most of it is desirable stuff that has been heavily promoted – smartphones, the last Harry Potter DVD, Steve Jobs’ biography…
The reasons for immediate sale are :
- Receiving more than one of the same thing.
- Not getting the model that suited them best.
A week or so later, people start selling off stuff they have enjoyed but realise they will not use again, like the DVD they’ve watched ten times, and things they have never tried before but now realise they will not ever use, like smartphones and tablets.
Although traditionalists may find this shocking, it has its positive side. Instead of getting lost in the back of a cupboard, or ending up in the dechetterie, these brand-new items will be bought for around 20-40% below list price, and give real pleasure to someone else.
Since the French distribute presents on Christmas Eve rather than Christmas Day, the online sales start early. Kosciusko-Morizet says his site registered it first big surge of selling at 9:00 p.m. on 24 December, and was back in full swing around 8:00 a.m. on Christmas day.
