New research has revealed that 82 per cent of newlyweds admit to selling their unwanted wedding gifts on auction sites like eBay. But the couples involved aren’t as ungrateful as it might seem! The survey carried out by One4all, the leading gift card service from the Post Office, revealed that brides and grooms received very unusual gifts from a tarantula to a gift-wrapped banana!
It also seems that many guests give presents expecting them to be sold on. More than one in ten wedding guests (12%) said they were often embarrassed by their gifts and one in five fully expect their gifts to be left unused, returned or sold.
The research indicates that more practical gifts or even group gifts are the solution, perhaps contributions to the honeymoon or money for house improvements.
Should you really have a wedding list at all? Yes, says the research, as 42% of guests admit that they find buying a wedding gift ‘stressful’ and by having a list, at least they’ve got something to work from!
“It seems that many of us struggle with what to buy newlyweds, resulting in lots of unwanted gifts that end up getting sold on the internet,” says Declan Byrne, managing director of One4all. “The average spend on gifts for weddings is high, just under £38, so it would be much better if that money was spent on something that couples really want. We see a large number of wedding gift cards being used as a practical alternative to more traditional presents. These allow the happy couple to spend it in over 17,000 stores nationwide,providing plenty of choice and allowing couples to use the money as they see fit.”
Worries over what gift to purchase have even resulted in one in ten Brits declining a wedding invitation altogether, believing that a bad gift decision could cause an argument between friends. 6% even believe it could end a friendship.
The One4all gift card is available from Post Offices across the UK and online at one4allgiftcard.co.uk.
How much do you expect your guests to spend on your wedding gift? And do you expect a present at all? Let us know by joining the chat on the Wedding Ideas Forum now!
