NSW not wrapped with Christmas gifts

Regifting, recycling, returning and selling Christmas gifts has become an annual ritual for many Australians and NSW leads the country on receiving poorly chosen presents, according to a new survey.

Nearly three million unwanted presents were unwrapped in NSW this Christmas, and close to 40 per cent of people surveyed in a Galaxy Poll said they'd since regifted their presents.

With 64 per cent of the state saying Christmas gifts placed a significant strain on their finances, many try to recoup by listing unwanted gifts online.

Sydney woman Alison Leader was on the receiving end of a men's barber kit.

"It seems to be relatives who are wanting to splash out and give something generous but haven't taken the time to ask," Ms Leader told AAP.

"It's the gracious smile and 'thank you' but you can tell it is not as valuable as it could be," the 36-year-old said about the awkward moment a present isn't quite what someone expects.

Although "change of mind" returns are not enforced by law, consumer advocacy group Choice says people shouldn't shy away from trying to return items.

"Some of them may be generous and allow a return ... the best thing you can do is turn up with a smile on your face," Choice spokesman Matt Levey told AAP.

A spokeswoman for an online classifieds site estimated that nearly three million Australians would be looking to offload unwanted gifts online this year.

Everything from a Dutch pancake maker to an $1800 tub of moisturiser were among the nearly 8000 unwanted Christmas gifts listed on the site, she said.

Another item commonly looking for a more eager owner after Christmas is the mobile phone, with a renewed push to hand in old handsets.

Until February, MobileMuster will donate two dollars to the Salvation army for every kilogram of phones dropped off to be recycled.