Search stuff for sale as you grab your morning coffee, or track down a second hand car while getting the bus to work … you even can search for a new job while you’re on your lunch break or a property for sale on your way home – it has never been quicker and easier to find what you are looking for.

To download the app from your iPhone or iPod Touch search for ‘Gumtree’ in the App Store or click here. Let us know what you think!

App features

• Search and discover thousands of Gumtree ads
• Contact sellers directly from the app
• Create your own ‘favourites’ list in a flash
• 100% free

How it looks

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It happens every year. We all know the forced smile, the shaky tone and the hesitant gratitude. Unwanted Christmas gifts can be embarrassing, painful or outright hilarious but when the pine needles have fallen and the tinsel is boxed up there’s no need to grin and bear those festive gift gaffes.

I’ve had some shocking gifts in my time, from a three inch porcelain donkey to a supposedly artistic piece of weathered wood! While these may require a buyer of unique taste, Gumtree.com has released research showing that Brits are sitting on £2.4 billion of unwanted Christmas presents. According to the research, mothers (21 per cent of Brits rate them as the worst), aunts (16 per cent), and mother-in-laws (18 per cent) are the top three culprits for getting Christmas presents wrong.

The findings show that every adult in the UK will have received up to two Christmas present bloopers this Christmas, each worth an average of £48.41 each.  The most unpopular gifts are clothing and accessories (42 per cent), beauty products and toiletries (27 per cent), jewelry (13 per cent), and trinkets and ornaments  (13 per cent).

I’m a fairly disorganised Christmas shopper, usually leaving it to the last minute and spending a lot to compensate. Bad hats in particular seem to find their way to me at Christmas time and this year I’ve received two which will I’ll be offloading soon- I usually make around £100 a year from unwanted gifts!

 Some top tips for a quick sale of unwanted presents

• Describe your unwanted gift accurately
• Include photos of the item from several different angles
• Try to keep it boxed or in its wrapping if possible
• Include the original RRP if you know its value
• State that it’s an unwanted gift in your title and description – this implies that it is new so could result in a higher value sale
• Be realistic with your price expectations
• If swapping an item, ask questions about the product you expect to receive

Buying a puppy for Christmas? Ho No No

Did you know that a third of all children put a puppy on their Christmas wish list? Or that more than one in six parents say they would buy a dog as a Christmas gift if their child asked for one?*

I have to admit that I was really disappointed to find this out when Dogs Trust did some research recently. The terrible thing is that around 100 of these dogs are handed in or abandoned at Dogs Trust Rehoming Centres every Christmas; they have becomegifts that have lost their novelty value once the excitement has worn off. Many more end up in other animal shelters around the country.

And that’s why this year, tied in with our annual message that A Dog is for Life, Not Just for Christmas, Dogs Trust is launching the Ho No No campaign: asking people to please take puppies off the Christmas wish list

We think one of the reasons puppies are seen as suitable gifts is that they are so easily bought and sold online. Although there are many reputable sellers, we really want people to be aware of the dangers of buying an animal online and to understand why Christmas is not a great time to introduce a puppy into your home.

If you don’t do your research you could end up losing thousands of pounds if your pup turns out to be poorly, and potentially suffer the tragic heartbreak of losing your new pet unexpectedly.

Please do listen to TV presenter and Dogs Trust friend Dermot O’Leary’s specially recorded words of warning if you are looking to buy a pet online, and some of our other celebrity friends have recorded messages explaining exactly why A Dog is for Life, Not Just for Christmas here.

Season’s greetings from all at Dogs Trust!

Clarissa Baldwin, CEO of Dogs Trust

*Dogs Trust survey carried out by One Poll in October 2011. 1,000 respondents of parents with children aged 3 to 16 years

Gumtree Daily Deals is our new UK-wide service that will let bargain-hunters sign up to receive unique nationwide and regional offers by email. We’ve already launched in Manchester, Edinburgh, Brighton and Belfast and will be coming to more towns and cities soon.

In an exciting twist on the traditional deals services, we’ll be calling on our community of users (that’s YOU!) to post suggestions for new deals on our Facebook page. Whether you’re an adrenaline junkie, keen to try sky diving, or just fancy an exclusive weekend treat – Gumtree Daily Deals could make it happen!

If you’d like Daily Deals to come to your city then let us know, and don’t forget to suggest the kinds of deals you’d like to see us offering!

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Our security experts are offering advice highlighting potential ways in which scammers could operate.

Property does not exist

Scammers may advertise luxury properties for rent, in very desirable locations – but for an unusually low rent. The ‘owner’ may claim they are unable to meet would-be tenants in person to show them the property, perhaps because they ‘live overseas’. They could then ask for a deposit using a money transfer service, and the would-be tenants may be unable to contact the advertiser and the property may not even exist.

Property is not owned by the ‘landlord’

It is possible for a scammer to gain access to a house illegally, when an owner is on holiday or away for a long period of time. They could then advertise it for rent and secure a deposit from tenants. In this scenario tenants who try to move in would find the home owners have returned – and the rental agreement revealed as a scam. The ‘landlord’ may have disappeared and the tenants would not be able to reclaim their deposit.

Fake escrow sites

A prospective ‘landlord’ could suggest using an escrow service to complete a rental transaction. Fake escrow websites often look official, but are run by fraudsters that could take deposit money and then close down shortly afterwards with no way to contact them again.

Top tips from Gumtree.com on how to avoid the scammers

• View properties in person before paying any money. Even if they claim to be overseas, people who are not willing to show you their property or meet with you before accepting you as their tenant aren’t likely to be legitimate
• For your own safety, always have someone with you
• Ask lots of questions about the property and the area. Any genuine landlord or agent should know the answers and give them
• For extra piece of mind you may want to consider only renting from a landlord or agent that is a member of a professional accreditation scheme (e.g. ARLA, NALs, NLA etc)
• If dealing with a landlord directly, ask to see their proof of ownership for the property before handing over any money
• Never provide your personal identity or banking information to others over the internet e.g. details or photocopies of your passport, driving licence or your credit card number. Only give this information to a landlord or agency once you’ve met them in person, viewed the property and decided to proceed with a rental arrangement. You should always view requests for personal information by someone you haven’t met with extreme caution
• Use common sense. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is

Use Gumtree.com safely to rent a property and make sure you visit our safety advice for additional information.

Visit www.nus.org.uk for more information on how students can rent safely.

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Home owners in SW19 are cashing in on Wimbledon by renting out their flats and spare rooms.

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