Vivastreet blog

It’s that time of year again, the two most expensive times of the year – Christmas and New Year are finally behind us and they have left us feeling a little bit lighter in the pocket.

With the UK spending an eye-watering £1.7bn on unwanted gifts last Christmas and the average Brit receiving a total of £31 worth of unwanted present’s, now is the perfect time to cash in or simply de-clutter your home. So to give you a helping hand we have pulled together a few tips to ensure that your Vivastreet ad stands out.

Select a category
It is important to select the correct category as it will ensure that the right people are looking at your ad.

Posting Title
Having a catchy title is a great way to stand out from the other ads. Try to keep it short and sweet whilst highlighting exactly what you are selling.

Posting Description
Do not be vague, include as many details as possible. This is the perfect place to state the benefits or the attractive qualities of your product, and why other Vivastreet users should purchase your product (or service).

Include a photo whenever possible
Vivastreet users can upload photos for free, so ensure that you do. As the saying goes, a picture tells a thousand words.

Modes of contact
Provide as many modes of contact as is conveniently possible. Methods such as email addresses, and landline/ mobile phone numbers will make sales transactions easier. However, do make sure that the proper security and safety precautions are taken.

Additional features
Upgrade to a premium ad. There are different types of upgrades available: ‘Featured’ ads which will place your advert on top of the regular ads and will be marked ‘Featured’ for exclusive and increased visibility or ‘Highlighted’ ads which highlight your ad for 30 days with a coloured background to make your advert stand out.

We surveyed over 2,000 people across Britain and found that on average, each person celebrating Christmas in the UK this year – 87% of the population (53.99m people)[1] – received up to two presents they did not want with their average total value reaching £31, this means that a whopping £1.7bn was spent by the British public on unwanted Christmas gifts this year. Our research also found that only 16% of people will try to cash-in by selling their unwanted items.

Those of you who are not planning on selling your unwanted gifts could be missing out, with the continued government cuts in 2012 every penny will count, so the stigma attached to selling unwanted gifts is one that needs to be broken, remember there is nothing wrong with raising some extra cash by selling things you don’t want or need online. Over the last five years, those Brits who did sell unwanted gifts online raised a total of £4.6bn[2] .

On the other hand, when it comes to giving gifts us Brits have been relatively good this year when compared to some of our European cousins. In Italy, the average total value of unwanted gifts per person was £46 (€55), while in France each person received £60 (€72) worth of presents they didn’t like. When compared to the UK that’s an increase of £15 in France and nearly double in Italy – £29.

The largest proportion of unwanted Christmas gifts (37%) were either clothes or jewellery, while 31% of unwanted presents were personal care products such as cosmetics and perfumes, with in-laws giving the worst gifts, closely followed by friends and children.

So remember, if you want to cash in on an unwanted Christmas gift, sell it on vivastreet.co.uk – it’s completely free and will guarantee you access to thousands of potential buyers.

Good luck! Wishing you all a happy and prosperous New Year!

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[1] Based on the latest ONS population figures excluding religions that do not celebrate Christmas
[2] Based on the number of people who have sold unwanted gifts in the last five years and how much they have raised on average – Vivastreet.co.uk Unwanted Gifts Survey and ONS population data

We are pleased to announce that the winner of our Facebook “Worst Christmas Present’s” competition is Sarah Morris from Birmingham. She’s won £50 worth of shopping vouchers after Vivastreet Facebook users selected her gift of crayons wrapped in newspaper given to her by her little sister as the worst gift.

After hearing the great news Sarah said “I was very excited when I found out that I had won. It was very unexpected as there were many other great entries and I wasn’t expecting to win. I plan on splitting the prize with my younger sister, after all, it’s thanks to her that I won the vouchers! I’d just like to say a big thank you to Vivastreet for holding the competition and giving me the opportunity to win, I’m extremely grateful!”

We hope you enjoy your vouchers Sarah!

Last month we brought you our Random Acts of Happiness by randomly selecting an ad each day and giving away £50 worth of shopping vouchers to each luck Vivastreet user. All of our winners have been notified by email, so check your inbox and email us back if you are one of the lucky ones.

Congratulations to:

• saadispeeder
• naleds
• arthursprivatehire
• kakawas
• britasia
• avolkov
• e4efthymiou
• rhyse
• moo-la-vache
• anthonygarner588
• ukcleaningagency

One very lucky user also received £1000 in shopping voucher’s, congratulations to Vadim Arkhipov

We hope you all enjoy spending your shopping vouchers.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a prosperous 2012.

The Vivastreet UK Team

The countdown to Christmas has officially begun, and with only 3 weeks to go it got us thinking of how Christmas has changed significantly through the decades and has evolved to symbolise different things to different people.
For some the festive period symbolises relaxation, reflection, spending time with the family and eating excessive amounts, whilst for others it is an extremely stressful period that is spent cooking, cleaning and entertaining with no time to rest and spend quality time with family members
In order to make the Christmas period run smoothly Vivastreet has a number of tips that will make planning the perfect family get together a doddle.

1. Plan ahead
If you have family and friends coming to stay, it is essential that you co-ordinate what days and approximately what time they will be arriving. Take into consideration exactly how many people your home can accommodate, as it might be better for some members of your family to stay with neighbours or in a nearby hotel.

2. Designate Tasks
Ensure that everyone chips in, planning the perfect Christmas reunion should not be the responsibility of just one person. Assign roles to everyone, they should include: keeping the children entertained, setting the table, prepping veg. It’s fantastic because it allows the family to bond throughout the day and avoids stressed out and resentful individuals.

3. B.Y.O/Order in
If there are a significant number of you, sometimes it is easier to hire a caterer or order in from a restaurant. Another option is to encourage family members to bring food, this is especially helpful for people who have dietary requirements, and it helps to take the pressure off you and your cooker.

Hopefully integrating all of these tips into your usual Christmas routine will make the holiday period run smoother than usual.

Vivastreet is the FREE Advertising site that brings you an affordable Christmas!

Everyday Vivastreet is bringing you random acts of happiness by giving away shopping vouchers to our customers. At the end of each day over the next 4 weeks (end date 5th December) Vivastreet will randomly select an ad and give away £50 worth of shopping vouchers to each lucky customer. All you have to do to take part is post an ad!

Remember posting and ad is FREE

Visit http://www.vivastreet.co.uk for more information

Battersea Dogs & Cats home issued a warning last week to all potential pet owners following a significant number of inexperienced owners purchasing cats and dogs online only to abandon them soon after.

Liz McWalter, head of Animal Intake, stated: “A quick search on the internet reveals just how easy it is to buy a pet cheaply and quickly without giving any real thought to the life-changing decision you are making. Buying a pet is not like buying a new iPod.” She also went on to highlight that Battersea Dogs & Cats home is now having to accommodate the increasing number of deserted pets, which is putting added pressure on the charity.

At Vivastreet, we would like to think that our users are all responsible pet owners and breeders. However if you have never owned a pet before it is important to carefully consider the essentials of owning a pet before taking the plunge.

Being a responsible owner is more than just feeding your pet and taking it to the vet if it’s feeling unwell. You should be fully equipped for the extra responsibility that owning a pet will require.

When purchasing an animal online ensure that:

• You don’t buy a pet on impulse, take into account how much of your time and finances your new pet will require.

• Always take into consideration the size the animal will grow to, especially with dogs or reptiles such as snakes.

• Consider your routine – are you the type of person who has a balanced lifestyle, or do you usually spend long periods away from home. If so, it’s best to carefully consider which pet, if any, you get. Cats and dogs for example require a lot of love and attention

• Speak to the breeder prior to collecting your new pet, ask for as much information on your pet’s background including: behaviour, history & temperament.

And if you already have pets:

• Ensure that the new addition to your family will interact well with your existing family members. Both human and animal!