Ebay Reveals Best, Worst Gifts For Holiday Season

Immediate family members tend to give the worst gifts and neckties are the least wanted items this holiday season, according to a recent survey.

eBay (NSDQ: EBAY) released results of a recent Opinion Research Corporation gift-giving survey of 3,307 adults online during the first two weeks of October. Twenty-four percent of respondents said neckties are the most dreaded gift. The survey, released Wednesday, also found that spouses, siblings, parents and children are often worse gift-givers than mothers-in-law.

Sixty-four percent of respondents said they prefer gift cards to other items. (Of course, eBay offers gift cards.) Consumer electronics proved popular as well, with men saying they would like larger items, like HDTV (20%), LCD TV (10%), and Blu-ray DVD players (7%). Twenty-six percent of women said they favor digital or video cameras, while 9% want an iPod.

Twenty-six percent of those who want personal electronics said they wish for a laptop. Of those who want gaming systems, 22% prefer Nintendo and 33% wantSony (NYSE: SNE) systems. Guitar Hero is most popular among those who want video games (14%), while Wii Fit comes in second at 13%. Eight percent of those who prefer games want Rock Band. Dance Dance Revolution Hottest Party II is not so hot among respondents. Only 2% of those who want games cited it as a preference.

The iPhone is the hottest smart phone choice with 35% of those seeking smart phones stating a preference for the Apple touch-screen device. Forty-seven percent of women who want smart phones prefer a Blackberry, compared to 11% of men.

Forty-eight percent of respondents said they would like to receive clothing. Among men, jeans are the most popular item. Next to the dreaded necktie, flowers, and candles rounded out the list of least-desired gifts. source>>>

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