Stockings may have been stuffed to the brim on Christmas Day, but not all Australians are chuffed by their haul, with $620 million in gifts unwanted.
Almost three quarters of people are estimated to have received at least one unwanted gift this Christmas, worth an average of $67, according to research conducted on behalf of online marketplace Gumtree.
Tasteless gifts outweighed expensive taste with tea towels, candles, bath salts, handkerchiefs, fly catchers and knitted cardigans among the unwanted offerings.
Gumtree spokesperson Kirsty Dunn said product listings increase by almost a third on their site after Christmas, with 2.8 million Australians expected to onsell presents online.
Categories traditionally flooded with advertisements over the festive period include appliances, books and games, women's clothing and home decor.
"There could be a bunch of unwanted gifts or people could also be having a bit of a clear out, but what we actually see from Boxing Day onwards is people using the term 'unwanted gift' in their listing title," she said.
The research found gift recipients would have preferred a new laptop, Xbox, bluetooth headphones, smart watch, Kitchen Aid, bike or diamond ring.
Almost a third of women wanted jewellery but missed out at Christmas.
Ms Dunn said some bad Santas could be forgiven because they bought items straight off the wishlist.
"It's quite funny that clothing is top of the wishlist of what Australians actually wanted for Christmas but it's also one of the top items deemed unwanted, and one of the top items to have a rise in post-Christmas listings," Ms Dunn said.
"It's a double-edged sword. I suspect people would more likely want a voucher for their clothing store of choice."
The research found in-laws were the worst offenders with 30 per cent of Australians suggesting they had received unwanted presents from their partner's parents.
However, almost two thirds of those surveyed admitted to giving an unsuitable gift at some point.
"We're a nation of jokers and we kind of intentionally buy people gifts that we know are going to be unwanted," Ms Dunn said.
She said those who rushed to the shops last minute were also likely to have panicked and put less thought into their gifts.
