eBay Says Americans Are OK With Unloading Unwanted Holiday GiftseBay Says Americans Are OK With Unloading Unwanted Holiday Gifts

A majority of Americans expect to receive an unwanted holiday gift this year, but even more of them are OK with rewrapping that unwanted tie and giving it to someone else, online marketplace eBay says.

More than 57% of respondents in eBay's third annual Holiday Re-Gifting Survey said they usually receive holiday presents they could do without. But rather than return the turkey to the store, 69% said it's socially acceptable to secretly unload it on someone else. That compares with 49% last year.

Indeed, more than a third of Americans who took the survey said they were likely to regift this year, versus 21% last year, eBay said. People say they're willing to pass along gifts because they believe the chances of getting caught are slim. But while 85% of survey respondents said they've never been caught, about a third said they knowingly received a second-hand gift.

The survey also found that those people who admitted dumping gifts often gave them to friends and co-workers. Grandma, grandpa, mom, and dad were least likely to get such gifts.

The most popular regifted items were knick-knacks, bottles of wine or spirits, DVDs, CDs, books, bath products, and fruitcakes.

Survey.com conducted the poll on behalf of eBay in November. The survey, released Thursday, was completed by 500 people over the age of 18.