More shoppers are buying secondhand gifts this holiday season

This year, some of Santa’s gifts have been given before.

More consumers are buying used jewelry, toy cars and other gifts than in previous years, risking the disappointment of extended family and friends to keep their budgets in check because of inflation and other financial pressures.

The shift is lifting ThredUp, Savers Value Village and other thrift retailers, which usually see sales slow during the holidays and have been taking steps to reduce the stigma around used items.

Some 82% of roughly 1,800 U.S. shoppers surveyed by eBay said they are more likely to purchase secondhand gifts this year compared with last year. Likewise, nearly half of the 8,200 American consumers the National Retail Federation surveyed said they might buy used to save money this holiday season.

Carlee Wengel, who scoured secondhand aisles for presents for her daughters ages 3 and 5 in previous years, is also going to give used gifts to about a dozen friends and other family members to stretch a wallet squeezed by higher gas and grocery prices.

Carlee Wengel’s haul for her daughters this year includes a ‘Paw Patrol’ playset and Barbie jeep for less than $5.

Her expanded list includes some family members whom she gave a hard-to-find version of the Clue board game last year but reacted with “kind of a weird vibe" about getting something used.

“I could go to a Target, a Walmart, a HomeGoods," said Wengel, 33 years old, a stay-at-home mother in Olympia, Wash. “But my dollar is not going to go as far."

A lot of shoppers who come to the Goodwill store in Troy, N.Y., talk about tariffs, said Cassie Bousquet, who manages the shop. “They’re, like, ‘Well, I don’t think I can order this in time, I’m just not willing to pay the prices,’" she said.

They are buying everything from dinnerware and serveware to bottle openers, wine charms and decanters at her upstate New York store, Bousquet said.

For years, most American consumers shunned giving secondhand gifts. Family and friends considered getting used items an insult.

Yet thrifting has been growing in popularity, even beyond the increasing numbers who value the treasure hunt and want to help the environment by keeping clothes and other items out of landfills.

Items that cost $40 new can go for $5 used, consumers said.

To avert any awkwardness that could come with gifting other people’s castoffs, Elizabeth Rooney tries to address stereotypes friends might have about the items.

“You walk them through, like, how you clean the item you’re giving," said Rooney, 27, a content creator in Albany, N.Y. “I think that takes away a lot of the dirtiness of it because, you know, you’re wiping it down for them, you’re cleaning it before you give them something."

Savers Value Village, based in Bellevue, Wash., has tried to combat stereotypes about secondhand shopping by making sure its 365 stores are well-merchandised, clean and nicely lighted so they feel like any other shopping experience, said Chief Financial Officer Michael Maher.

Savers Value Village’s U.S. sales in the three months ended Sept. 27 were up 10.5%, momentum that has continued through October, the start of the period when sales had usually dipped, Maher said.

Giftable categories, such as toys, games, books and electronics, are outperforming overall average sales, he said.

Secondhand clothing, which can yield some exceptional bargains, is checked by shoppers at a Goodwill store in New York.

ThredUp, an online consignment and thrift store based in Oakland, Calif., is also seeing more interest from shoppers at the end of the year, according to Alon Rotem, chief strategy and legal officer, though he wouldn’t give specific figures.

Vanessa Roberts said she would be giving a used good to her mother this Christmas, after avoiding gifting her secondhand items in previous years, partly because her mom has become more budget-conscious.

Roberts, 36, who owns a community-events business in the Los Angeles area, was hunting for a Coach bag at secondhand shops. She found one for around $125, which is much lower than the price for a new bag, but considered it a bit expensive and is now looking for something else from a thrift shop.

“With prices going up on stuff, you know, places that she would typically shop in the past maybe aren’t the most affordable to shop at" now, Roberts said.

Write to Jennifer Williams at jennifer.williams@wsj.com