£2bn in unwanted gifts for sale online

Once again, eBay was a big winner this Christmas.

They have seen the same pattern emerge over the last couple of years – all of a sudden, on the big day, strange, single items appear in their listings.

The items can include anything from jumpers to socks, saucepans to scarves and slippers.

These are all unwanted gifts that people have received from friends and family which are seen as a valuable resource for raising extra cash.

In 2007, the top ten unwanted gifts and their average eBay.co.uk selling price included saucepan sets at £33.67, christmas socks at £3.34 and slippers at £6.57.