Ahh Christmas. Don’t you just love it? The brightly-wrapped presents sitting under the twinkling tree, the laughter, the merriment, the time spent with loved-ones. As Cliff Richard so aptly put it, it’s "a time for giving, a time for getting".
But did the moment of unwrapping your presents secretly fill you with dread? Did you get yet another hand-knitted woolly jumper from your aunty Dot that you wouldn’t be seen dead wearing? Or yet another completely useless gadget for your desk at work?
Without wanting to sound too Bah Humbug about the whole thing, if you have received a present you really didn't want, you don’t have to just shove it in the loft to gather dust. Why not swap it?
The benefits of swapping
The problem with selling items is that it can often be more hassle than it’s worth. Half the time you don’t even make as much money as you’d hoped, or it’s a lot less than the item was originally bought for – particularly when fees are taken into account.
So why not swap your items for something of equal or even higher value?
General sites
If you head to swapz.co.uk you can apparently swap anything for anything! There's also Don't Bid Barter where you can barter for items in exchange for swaps, cash or a combination of both.
Swap books
Been given the same book twice, or you simply don’t want it? No problem. You can swap it for one you do want at either readitswapit.co.uk or bookmooch.com. It’s as simple as that!
Swap clothes and accessories
Similar to swapping books, if you want to get rid of some clothes, you can swap them on Swishing.co.uk or Swapstyle.com. Or there are plenty of community clothes swapping events happening around the country.
Alternatively, if you want to have a bit of fun in the process, you could get together with a group of friends and host a swapping party!
Swap CDs, games, DVDs
If you’ve got a pile of DVDs, CDs or games you don’t want, it’s so easy to swap them for something better on TitleTrader, SWAPR.co.uk or FilmCircle.
Swap kids' stuff
Children can swap toys, comics, board games and collectables (note that no contact is allowed) via Swapit.co.uk.
Finally…
If the Christmas spirit has made you feel extra generous this year, why not donate all of your unwanted presents to charity? Local charity shops are always looking for clothes, DVDs, and books and will be grateful for anything you can give them (providing it’s in reasonably good nick).
Alternatively, you could post them on Freecycle or Freegle which are fantastic online recycling networks. Freecycle and Freegle communities can be found all over the UK and across the globe. They encourage the re-use of goods by giving them away for free rather than throwing them out. And it’s free to join up!
This is a classic lovemoney article