It’s official, Brits are a nation of hoarders – with a staggering £48 billion worth of unused household items gathering dust in the nation’s attics, spare rooms and garages, according to a new study.
Researchers found that the typical household has accumulated £1,784 worth of stuff that no longer sees the light of day, including slow cookers and blenders, last season’s jackets and “New Year, New You” tech such as heart monitors and rowing machines.
Vinyl records, golf clubs, Barbie dolls and punch bags are among the items British households have stored in their lofts, sheds and spare rooms.
As many as two thirds (66 percent) of adults claimed their house is full of items they never or rarely use, with 23 percent saying their attic has become the place to store their most unwanted belongings.
A further 63 percent admit their shed and garage are also full of toys, camping equipment and tools they haven’t used or touched in years. Dart boards, snooker tables, swing ball sets and tennis rackets are also gathering dust and are ripe for reselling.
The survey of 1,500 adults conducted by eBay revealed 28 percent of Brits own a DVD player they don’t use and nearly one in five (19 percent) are still clinging on to their VHS player of yester-year.
More than one in twenty are hanging on to their step – used for step aerobics in the late eighties.
Most respondents (32 percent) like to have a clear out every year, but one in ten only sort out their belongings when they move house.
More than half of those polled said May, with its two bank holidays, is the month they look to start selling unwanted winter clothes in a bid to make room for a new summer purchases including outdoor furniture, paddling pools, holidays and a new summer wardrobe.
In fact eBay data from 2016 and 2017, reveals that on average 20 million listings go live across the two bank holidays in May, with the Monday being the best day to list items for sale.
Across the two May bank holiday Mondays, eBay sees an average of 262million searches as Brits use their extra time to hunt for new summer purchases.
Nikin Patel, C2C Director at online marketplace eBay, said: “May is the perfect time for selling unused winter items to fund your summer plans, whether that’s something new for the garden or the family summer holiday.
“eBay data from the last two years shows that over the Spring bank holidays there are an average of 710 million searches on the site, which is why we are encouraging sellers to really take advantage of this and make May pay for their summer through savvy selling.
“Our data also highlights 9pm to 10pm on the bank holiday Monday is when searches really peak. Last year the first May bank holiday saw 12 million searches in this hour alone.
Using the long weekend to list your unused items is the perfect way to cash in on this Spring shopping moment.”
One in three admit to hanging on to old fashions long after they’ve gone out of style, whilst 67 percent of Brits admit that items purchased for hobbies like golf and tennis or new cookery experiments are the most likely to be left languishing as New Year, New You projects fall by the wayside.
Nearly half of the adults polled said they frequently row with their partner about the number of unused items they have accumulated over the years.
But 46 per cent said they hang on to items because of sentimental reasons and 19 per cent confess to being a hoarder.
A cautious 53 per cent said they hang on to items for too long ‘just in case’.
But 43 per cent have good intentions to part with their belongings this year and 34 percent will specifically use the May bank holidays to raise some cash.
Patel from eBay, added: “If you haven’t used something in the last year or two it’s unlikely you ever will. Having a good clear out makes more room in your house and can make you a lot of money.”
COST OF UNUSED ITEMS IN HOMES
Kitchen: £170
Bedroom: £208
Spare room: £242
Garage: £400
Shed (tools, garden furniture): £342
Attic / loft: £422
TOTAL: £1,784
