Americans' Gift-Giving Habits Changing With the Rise of Resale, Survey Shows

Used Gifts No Longer Taboo: Millennials & Gen Z Driving Changing Tastes

Only Four Percent of Americans Turned Off by Gifts Purchased Secondhand

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Nov 20, 2019, 11:07 ET

PALO ALTO, Calif., Nov. 20, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Mercari, The Selling App, today released the findings of a nationwide survey to gauge Americans' Black Friday buying and selling plans. The clear takeaway: we're much more comfortable with giving and receiving pre-owned gifts than we used to be.

Among the survey's key findings:

Americans' attitudes about second-hand gifts are changing, according to new survey data from Mercari, The Selling App.

Three in five Americans (61%) say they're comfortable receiving a second-hand item as a gift, particularly something one-of-a-kind or especially hard to find. Women are a bit more open to pre-owned gifts than men: 63% of women and 59% of men said they felt fine about receiving a second-hand item as a gift.
Millennials and Gen Zers (aged 18 and older) have embraced second-hand giving more than prior generations: 49% of Americans aged 18-34 would give a used gift of this nature, while only 38% of those aged 55 and older say they would.
Only four percent of U.S. adults said they'd be turned off by a used gift of this nature.
Sixteen percent of Americans say they have at least one unused gift from last holiday season sitting in a closet.

The survey findings mirror resale's broadly expanding appeal. At a time when leading American retailers like Macy's and JCPenney are embracing resale as part of their business models, experts are noting the trend's broader reach.

"Store-bought gifts can be predictable and generic since there's a limit to the variety provided at retail," said John Lagerling, Mercari U.S. CEO. "Gift shoppers on Mercari want something different, and our sellers post more than 150,000 new listings every day. There's a deep variety of items across all categories, and fantastic deals as well. And you're buying from another person, rather than from a faceless corporation."

Survey Methodology
Mercari commissioned YouGov PLC to conduct omnibus survey of 1,276 American adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between 18th - 21st October 2019. The survey was carried out online. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all US adults (aged 18+).

About Mercari
Mercari is The Selling App. We make it super easy to sell (or buy) almost anything. We all have things we don't use, never used or simply outgrew. But that stuff still has value. Mercari gives you the power to simply sell it, ship it, and earn some cash for it. Fashion to toys. Sporting goods to electronics. All the brands you know and love.

Our mission is simple: to make selling easier than buying. And with more than 45 million downloads in the U.S. and 150,000 new listings every day, we're just getting started.

SOURCE Mercari