It’s been almost 10 years now since I first pressed send on the round robin email to my family ahead of Christmas, humbly, if not a little tentatively, asking them to consider only buying pre-loved gifts for me.
With it, I sent a list of ideas of the things I would like to receive. I explained that while I’ve always been a fan of the magic of Christmas – and I do truly love the sound, the smell, the glow of Christmas cheer – I would like to try to scale back on the sheer volume of “stuff” that this time of year had begun to symbolise and cultivate a more sustainable Christmas. Part of that, for me, had to be about avoiding waste.
Sadly, I think we can all remember unwrapping a jumper we’ll never wear from a well-meaning family member, or a plastic gizmo gifted by a secret Santa that will be shoved in a drawer as soon as we’re home from the office party.
While I honestly do delight in watching my family and friends open the gifts I have carefully considered and sourced for them, I must confess I’m no newbie to pre-loved shopping for just about any occasion. As an ex-stylist with a penchant for vintage, and now consultant on behaviour change and sustainability, I have long been an advocate for purchasing pretty much everything pre-loved. And because I’m an old hand, I know where and how to look; from setting up eBay alerts to my favourite filters, half my Christmas shopping is done for me.
But I also recognise that if you’ve not challenged yourself to buy all your gifts secondhand before, it might initially feel like more of a daunting prospect. But gone are the days when the recipient of your gift might turn their nose up at something someone else used to own. By now we all know it’s cool to care, not just for the environment, but also for the treasures we can keep in circulation.
In my opinion, you can’t beat the originality and, most often, the quality-to-spend ratio when you’ve hunted down a pre-loved piece.
I’m often asked to share my tips on curating the perfect array of “nothing new” gifts, so if you’re looking for a head start in your attempts to source that coveted present that will be cherished forever, then your hunt starts here:
1 Don’t be shy, ask for their wish list
I’d always advocate starting with someone’s dream gift list, or their favourite brands and designers. Go ahead and ask them what they want!
I think traditionally this may have been seen as taboo, but times have changed. Believe me, here and now in 2023, most of the time people are just waiting to be asked – so we can breathe a sigh of relief that when Christmas Day arrives, and we’re all gathered round passing out the presents, the only surprise will be that the version of the gift you managed to find (with the detailed search terms provided) is even more fabulous than they could have hoped for.
2 Plan ahead
The key to nailing thoughtful pre-loved gifts is to plan as far ahead as possible – giving yourself time to consider your recipient’s loves and factor these into the search. Searching on eBay really comes into its own here – the platform is an absolute pre-loved gift-buying hack, you can set up alerts for certain items using predetermined factors such as the style, item name or designer, your recipient’s favourite colour and their size, and you’ll be alerted to any matches. You can also filter results for items that come with an Authenticity Guarantee, which means your purchase will be sent to eBay’s verification team to have its provenance confirmed before delivery.
3 Set up your own gifting watch list
Once you’ve got an idea of what someone might love to receive, you can set up a watch list. Stylist and pre-loved style director at eBay Amy Bannerman recommends this particularly if you’re looking for a luxury piece – a handbag or a pair of shoes, for example: “Sellers love to send offers through to potential buyers that have a piece they’re selling on their wish list,” she says, “so be sure to add to your watch list.”
4 Understand your buying options
The gift of their dreams, within your budget? It could be in reach! If you want to secure your perfect present immediately, then use the buying options filter to show items listed as “Buy it now”. This is a great feature as it gives you access to a huge array of products, allows you to stick to a strict budget and have more control over when to start shopping.
But for me, it’s the thrill of the hunt that makes shopping pre-loved so satisfying – and for this, you can’t beat an auction. As mentioned, plan ahead and set up alerts, and in time you’ll have a hoard of ideal gift options sitting in your watch list, ready for you to pounce on before the auction ends. Previously, I’ve bought a designer item gift for my husband through bidding online and managed to source something I know he’s been coveting for really good value. If you’re bidding on an auction, I recommend you do your research on what the item is selling for elsewhere, use the Authenticity Guarantee filter for any luxury items and stick firmly to a pre-decided budget.
5 Ensure it’s authentic
A lot of nervousness can come from not being sure if those items that we consider to be a bit more of a splash are actually the real deal or not. This is where it helps to know what to look out for. Thankfully, if a seller lists say, a designer bag or piece of jewellery for more than £500, or a watch over £1,500 – it will be eligible for eBay’s Authenticity Guarantee service, so you can feel confident bidding on those big-ticket items.
“Just look for the little blue verification tick next to the listing,” says Bannerman. “This means items are eligible for Authenticity Guarantee. With this service, eBay’s carefully selected authenticators undertake a rigorous physical inspection.”
6 Don’t overlook something just because it needs a little love
As a former personal stylist, I am very comfortable with repairing clothes and accessories that are too special to be written off and, over the years, have become expert at advising my clients on how they can do this for themselves. Thankfully, since I ran my own consultancy, the options available for quick and easy repairs to a luxury handbag or a pair of designer shoes or a key piece have become more mainstream.
If you find a pre-loved piece of clothing that would be perfect, and it happens to have a minor tear or stain – consider using repair services. For finishing touches, I recommend investing in a handheld steamer to give any find a quick spruce before gifting.
7 Presentation is Paramount
I’m a big believer in presentation being almost as important as the gift itself. Bells and whistles, or rather ribbons and silk scarves, boxes, wrapping or any of the beautiful packaging you’ve saved from last year’s gifts artfully reused can go a long way to signalling and cementing the value of the gift.
Author and interiors stylist Zeena Shah is the queen of gifting and wrapping. I speak from personal experience when I say that her presents never fail to wow – “I save everything and have a box of wrapping paper and ribbons that are at the ready to repurpose. I love adding big bows to gifts, as this elevates even the smallest of gifts. I’ll often also use paper craft punches to create gift tags, cards and collages that I personalise using old wrapping paper that speaks to the recipient’s taste.
8 Enjoy the meaningful gifting moments
I like to see buying a pre-loved gift as an opportunity to change someone’s mind on secondhand items. There are still some people who are yet to be convinced and, as a result, I take seriously my belief that searching secondhand requires an element of slowing down, of considered curation and organised purchasing. It also delivers on thoughtful, unique gifting that truly considers the recipient. This is all part of the fun, so relish in it. Give yourself enough time to approach it diligently, and you might find that you become enamoured with just how much people fall in love with the gifts you’re giving.
In my experience, choosing a more conscious way to give will genuinely elevate your gifting game, providing the opportunity to discover things that feel more meaningful or that might ordinarily be out of budget, or unavailable in your average store. And a lot of the time, you’d never even know they were secondhand as many pre-loved items are sold like-new.
Ultimately people love to feel loved, and what better way to signal that you’ve put real thought into this year’s present than to go to the effort of seeking out something unique and personal to the individuality of your friends and loved ones.
Looking for The One?
Look no further than eBay’s pre-loved luxury collection to find that something special for your special someone and make sure those meaningful gifting moments abound. Once you’ve found the perfect pre-loved gift, The One for your one, you can make sure it’s the real deal with eBay’s Authenticity Guarantee – where blue ticked luxury bags, watches and jewellery are inspected and authenticated by experts. Shop eBay’s pre-loved luxury present collection
*All product listings live at the time of publishing.
’Authenticity Guarantee’ is independent from, and not associated with any brands sold on eBay.
eBay’s Authentication Guarantee programme covers jewellery and handbags over £500 and watches over £1,500. The programme does not cover fashion and clothes.
