If you gave TradeMe user z2501 a handbag for Christmas, you chose the wrong colour.

The Eastide red leather bag was listed on the online auction site at 9.46am on Christmas morning with a simple description: "Christmas present, but not my colour."

Before many New Zealanders had even unwrapped the bounty under their trees, dozens of gifts were already hitting Trade Me for resale.

Searching for "unwanted Christmas gifts" on TradeMe returned hundreds of hits for toys, DVDs, clothing and electronics that recipients were eager to part with.


At 11am, j-long88 decided to be proactive about a pair of sunglasses his partner ill-advisedly bought for him.

"Brand new sunnies don't suit me xmas gone wrong from mrs," he wrote.

At 10.18am, swinny4 listed a mouse-shaped cheese grater and about 20 minutes later Hexe12 was onselling Pink's Truth about Love Tour DVD.

"Bought dad the same present twice, whoops. Just wanting to pass on to someone that will use it. Unwatched."

Another user, chris-s0106, was selling his son's undesired gifts - a Lego set and a wooden alphabet game.

Maddie227 was also trying to offload a gift she wasn't going to use, a brand new 127cm Panasonic Viera HD television. "I don't have the space for it in my little apartment, and am trying to save for a trip overseas." The auction had a buy-now price of $1149.99.