The Map Magazine

Shoppers spent more than $15.5 billion this Christmas on gifts
on the Internet alone. Just imagine how many millions went to
unwanted polka dot sweaters, electric nose hair clippers, and
thigh masters. That wasted cash piled up under the Christmas
tree. We’ve all had it happen to us.In fact, you had it happen
to you this year. You unwrapped the pretty red bow and tore
through the shiny paper on that present from your Uncle Mortie,
and immediately, you had to put on your best poker face.

How did you know I needed a sushi roller kit?” you exclaimed
with as much excitement as you could muster through gritted
teeth.

The problem is you don’t eat fish sticks, let alone raw salmon.

You can’t be too sore at poor Uncle Mortie, though, and the
other friends and family who gave you unwanted holiday gifts
this season. Buying Christmas gifts is difficult work. Then
again, getting rid of a doosie of a Christmas gift is no piece
of fruitcake either. That is, unless you know how to use the
Internet to return your unwanted gifts from the comfort of your
own home or, better yet, sell them for better use.

You’re probably wondering how it’s possible to sell off Santa’s
slip-ups when you feel bad enough returning them. In most cases,
your friends or loved one invested time and money into shopping
for your gift. They browsed countless Web pages. They trudged
through the mall. And they were sentenced to hard time in the
cashier line. All of it they did to please you.

At the same time, however, your friends or loved one couldn’t
read your mind as Jolly Old Saint Nick supposedly can. They
could never tell if you’d appreciate that coffee table book on
coffee tables, or that matching set of plaid socks and necktie.
They could only guess at your inseam or your blouse size, or
whether you look best in blue or black. And they had no way of
telling that your third cousin on your father’s side got you the
same exact gift. With no list of who was naughty and who was
nice, Uncle Mortie and company added to the millions wasted
worldwide.

This waste doesn’t have to be. Your loved ones only wanted to
make you happy with their presents. So it stands to reason that
if their gift didn’t do the trick-because it was the wrong size,
a duplicate present, or completely off the mark-they would want
you to fix the situation. Whatever it takes, they would want you
to be happy, right?

That leaves you with two options. You could return the gift to
the mega store or the maul-er, mall. You would join the
thousands of your neighbors with the same idea, all of whom are
cramming into your local stores and cash register lines to
return their unwanted gifts. Then you would also have to face
the thousands of bargain shoppers out there looking for those
post-Christmas specials, a rush that lasts well through January.

What’s worse, some stores won’t let you return goods if you
don’t have the original credit card or receipt. That means you
could at best be left with gift cards with expiration dates at
stores that you may not like. At worst, you could be stuck with
your gift, not knowing what to do with it.

Now you’re seeing the light. No, it’s not the light from the
inflatable 12-foot Santa Claus and reindeer on your neighbor’s
front lawn. It’s the light from your computer monitor: the
Internet. Today’s Web can link you with someone who will think
Uncle Mortie’s gift is a precious treasure. This person, whether
they’re in Peoria or Pawtucket, North Carolina or the North
Pole, is willing to pay good money for it.

Classified Internet sites can link you to this person faster
than it would take you to stow the sushi set up in your attic.
The best classified sites out there will also be free of
transaction and membership fees. What’s more, they allow you to
negotiate price directly with your buyer and plan shipping
arrangements, all with privacy and precision in mind.

You’ll end up with cash to buy that special something you really
wanted. Your buyer will be pleased with Uncle Mortie’s gift.
Uncle Mortie, well, he’ll be glad the gift he gave you, doesn’t
just sit in the attic.