46% of Received Gifts Go to Mercari: Survey Reveals About 80% of "Gifts" Are Not Utilized, Ending Up "Stockpiled" in Closets or "Cashed Out"

HADO Inc. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, CEO: Taiga Tanaka), which operates the consumer participation media 'Monita,' conducted an online survey on April 2, 2026, targeting 100 men and women nationwide, asking about their 'honest feelings about gifts they found problematic to receive.'

Ahead of seasons like new life and Mother's Day, when gift-giving increases, we report on the 'ideals and reality of gifts' that modern consumers face.

## ■ Background of the Survey
In recent years, with the spread of minimalism and the proliferation of flea market apps, consumers' values regarding 'things' have dramatically changed. While in the past, it was considered virtuous to cherish and store gifts as a token of the 'giver's feelings,' in today's world that emphasizes spatial cost awareness and time performance (Taipa), gifts that do not fit into one's life can sometimes become a 'burden.'

Monita conducted this survey to visualize the gap between 'the giver's good intentions' and 'the receiver's reality' and to consider a richer gift culture.

## ■ Survey Result Summary
* **The Fate of Gifts:** It was found that 46% of received gifts were judged as 'not usable' the moment they were received and were sold on flea market apps like Mercari. Combined with the 33% 'stockpiled' in closets, it was revealed that approximately 80% of gifts do not fulfill their intended role.
* **Reasons for Confusion:** Specific examples include 'elaborate soba-making sets' and 'giant plush toys,' which take up the recipient's living space and time, referred to as 'heavy goodwill,' becoming targets for sale or neglect.
* **Latent Needs:** Among 'things they wanted instead,' gift certificates, high-quality daily necessities, and consumables ranked high, indicating a demand for 'practical' choices that 'do not infringe upon one's routine.'

## ■ Survey Details 1: 46% Choose 'Immediate Mercari Sale.' An Era Where 'Rationality' Outweighs 'Guilt.'
According to the survey, regarding the fate of received gifts, nearly half (46%) chose 'sale (Mercari, etc.).' While in the past, 'guilt' from not being able to discard a gift due to the giver's memory was common, it is now evident that a rational decision-making process has taken root: 'avoiding the stress of hoarding unwanted items and cashing in by passing them to those who need them.' Furthermore, 33% responded 'storage/neglect,' highlighting a cruel mismatch where effectively utilized gifts account for only about 20% of the total.

## ■ Survey Details 2: Why Do 'Misguided Kindnesses' Occur?
An analysis of specific episodes of 'gifts received that caused trouble' revealed the following three mismatches:
* **【Infringement of Space】** Giant plush toys or elaborate cooking utensils sent to someone living alone. An act that encroaches upon the resource of living space.
* **【Disrespect for Preferences】** Popular cosmetics or flashy shoes that don't match tastes sent to avid beauty and fashion enthusiasts. An act that disrupts the recipient's personal preferences with noise.
* **【Theft of Time】** High-quality ingredients requiring significant preparation sent during a busy new phase of life. An act of imposing the pressure of 'living a meticulous life.'

### Survey Details 3: Keywords to Avoid Failure are 'Practicality' and 'Consumables.'
On the other hand, an analysis of the free-response answers to 'things they wanted instead' revealed frequent keywords such as 'Starbucks gift card,' 'high-quality towels,' and 'daily necessities.' Gifts that 'one wouldn't buy for themselves but would reliably upgrade their daily life, and that disappear once their role is fulfilled' are precisely what modern consumers welcome the most.

## ■ Episodes Received from Respondents
* **【30s Female / Children's Clothing, Bibs, Socks, Shoes】**
'I received it as a baby shower gift, but it didn't match my taste, and by the time the season arrived, my child had outgrown it. I sold it on Mercari with the tags still on.'
* **【20s Female / Necklace】**
'My ex-boyfriend gave it to me for my birthday, but the design was too childish. I sold it on Mercari the moment we broke up.'
* **【40s Male / Elaborate Soba-Making Set】**
'A senior colleague at work said, 'It's not good to be without hobbies when you're single.' Frankly, there's no space in my studio apartment kitchen to make soba, scattering flour everywhere.'

## ■ Insight: Love is the Imagination to Not Make the Other Person a 'Seller.'
This survey revealed the reality where the giver's desire for 'acknowledgment and remembrance' sometimes forces the receiver to undertake the additional labor of 'listing items for sale.' In today's world of overflowing possessions and high spatial value, isn't true kindness the imagination to 'make the recipient's daily life the protagonist,' or rather, the consideration to 'not make them open Mercari'?

## ■ Survey Overview
Survey Content: 'Honest Survey on Gifts'
Survey Period: April 2, 2026
Survey Target: Men and women aged 20-60
Valid Responses: 100
Survey Method: Internet survey

## ■ About HADO Inc.
HADO is a growth hacking company that continuously researches business creation and business growth. As a growth hacking partner that digitizes all businesses, or as an incubator that carves out new markets, it remains dedicated to business creation.

Company Name: HADO Inc.
Representative Director: Taiga Tanaka
Address: Shibuya Sakuragaoka Building 3F, 21-4 Sakuragaoka-cho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0031
Established: November 6, 2020
Contact Email: cs@monita.online

## **■ Conditions for Quoting/Reproducing This Data ■**
The copyright for this survey result belongs to HADO Inc. When quoting or reproducing the data, please be sure to include the following two points:
1. Clearly state 'Survey by Monita' as the source.
2. Install a link to the official website (https://monita.online/article/8951).

* When introducing on social media or web media, please use 'Monita' as the anchor text.
* This data can be used freely without prior consent, provided the above conditions are met.

Keywords: Survey, Research, Media, Monita, Gifts, Presents