Never mind the credit crunch, eBay has good tidings for Brits this year: the average household is sitting on an untapped income of £452.29*.
Research^ commissioned by the online shopping experts found that there are over 100 unwanted items in the average home, ranging from CDs and books to power tools and toys, that can be sold to
supplement the budget for Christmas presents, decorations and festive food.
With tighter budgets and spend per present expected to fall by 18% this year, more and more Brits will be ‘shopping neutral’ this Christmas too – selling items before they spend, so that Christmas
pays for itself. Here’s a look at what some of your unwanted items can fetch on eBay.co.uk:
Average number per home & average selling price on eBay.co.uk†
1. CDs, 26 & £4.35
2. Books, 25 & £5.37
3. DVDs, 21 & £6.00
4. Clothes, 16 & £7.66
5. Toys, 16 & £7.34
6. DIY tools, 8 & £12.88
7. Bags, 5 & £16.57
8. Shoes, 5 & £12.07
9. Mobile Phones, 3 & £39.56
10. Kitchen appliances, 3 & £24.07
Julia Hutton-Potts, spokesperson for eBay in the UK said: “As a nation, we’re sitting on hundreds of pounds worth of hidden assets that could be turned into cash in a matter of days. With the credit crunch biting, there’s never been a better time to get selling on eBay and build your Christmas fund.”
Hoarding trends across the UK
People in Northern Ireland are the biggest hoarders. The average household in this area has £461** worth of knick-knacks and hidden treasures that are no longer in use. The South
East comes second with £402 per household. At the other end of the scale, those in the South West have the barest attics in the country – just £208 worth of goods
are stashed away.
Here’s a breakdown of who’s hoarding the most valuable items up and down the country.
Region, Average number per home ^^, Value for region as a whole ††
Northern Ireland, 66, £223m
North East, 65, £299m
North West, 46, £600m
Yorkshire/Humber, 46, £478m
Scotland, 50, £450m
West Midlands, 34, £377m
East Midlands, 42, £342m
South West, 32, £257m
London, 40, £610m
Wales, 38, £245m
South East, 36, £804m
East of England, 35, £522m
The research proves that Brits are sitting on hundreds of pounds worth of unwanted assets – just waiting to be turned into cash. And with over 14.5 million*** people on the site, there’s likely to
be a buyer out there for your hoarded items.
For convenience and value, eBay is the best way to do your Christmas shopping. With 17 million items under one virtual roof, and with prices of new items on average 25% cheaper than the high
street^^^, eBay is the best place to find great gifts for less – and if you pay with PayPal, your transaction is 100% protected.
* £452.29 calculated total perceived value per item multiplied by number of each item hoarded ^ Research conducted by YouGov on behalf of eBay.co.uk, based on a survey sample of 2,040 † Average eBay.co.uk selling price per item calculated based on successful sales of new, fixed price items over 90 day period (Aug-Oct 2008) ** The amount of clutter per region was calculated using the average amount per item per region multiplied by average perceived value on eBay per item ^^ Average number per home calculated using the average number of total items stored in each house in each region †† Value for region as a whole calculated using the average number of each items per region multiplied by the perceived value of resale multiplied by the number of households in each particular region *** Source: Nielsen NetRatings, September 2008 ^^^ Source: Frontier Economics, September 2008. Figure obtained by comparing the average sold price (including P&P) of 288 new products on eBay.co.uk with the price in mainstream retail stores. In respect of each product, prices were obtained in 6 different retail stores and the average price was taken All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2040 adults. Fieldwork was undertaken 13-15 Oct 2008. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+).