Second hand gifts prove popular

THOUSANDS of people are considering purchasing secondhand gifts for Christmas as the icy grip of the recession tightens purse strings.

DoneDeal.ie, a website selling secondhand goods of all sorts, from pets to jewellery to toys, is reporting a 221% increase in visitor numbers in compared with the same period last year. A spokesperson for the company said the massive increase pointed to people looking for alternative gifts in the current economic climate.

Visitors to the site increased from under 175,000 in November last year to more than 561,000 this year.