Aussies Spend $10 billion on Christmas gifts

A Gumtree survey has found that Aussies will spend $10 billion on Christmas gifts – but could save $$ by buying second hand.

Christmas is big business; according to the National Retail Association (NRA) Australians are poised to spend more than a billion dollars a day during the busiest trading period for the year. These findings have been backed up by a Gumtree survey, which has found that Aussies are expecting to spend  a staggering $10 billion dollars on Christmas presents alone, equating to more than $700 on gift giving per person. Perhaps not surprisingly, the Gumtree research also found that almost 9 out of 10 Australians (86%) find Christmas puts a strain on their finances, with buying Christmas gifts dubbed as the biggest cause (66%) of this pressure.

Buying second hand could be the answer.

Kirsty Dunn, spokesperson for Gumtree said, “There’s certainly a stigma attached to buying Christmas presents from a marketplace like Gumtree. We know that it’s an exceptionally expensive time of year but we believe gift givers could be much savvier with their money, and still put a smile on the recipient’s face, simply by thinking Gumtree this Christmas. There’s more than 2.5 million listings across Australia and a mix of both new and pre-loved items, so whether it’s a LEGO set for the kids or a bike or bag for your partner, plenty of Aussies are sure to find the perfect gifts at a fraction of the price.”

Not sure what your partner would think about a second hand gift? The Gumtree survey suggests that  your loved ones won’t mind, with more than half of those surveyed are happy to receive a second hand gift this year (54%), a rise of almost one million Australians compared to 2015.

The Retail Association, of course, will hope that shoppers stick to the bricks and mortar, and are projecting that every state and territory will enjoy an increase in retail spending this Christmas, with particularly strong gains in Queensland and New South Wales.

“In specific sectors, we are expecting speciality items and apparel to continue their strong performance of late, and we are confident that department stores will rebound after a sluggish first half to 2016,” said NRA CEO Dominique Lamb.

New South Wales consumers are set to spend over $15 billion; while Victoria will be the second highest spending state at a tick under $12 billion.

The biggest increase is expected in Queensland, which is on track for an increase of 6 per cent at over $9.3 billion, due in large part to a number of retail laws being relaxed throughout the state in the lead up to Christmas.

Western Australia and South Australia are expected to record steady increases with $5.2 billion and $3 billion respectively; while there will be solid gains in the Northern Territory and ACT with spending to come in at $430 million and $840 million.

Tasmania is expected to crack the $900 million mark for the first time.

What do people want for Christmas?

According to Gumtree’s survey, the top 10 most wanted Christmas gifts this year are: