The chocolate fondue set seemed fine, complete with a ceramic bowl, forks, iron base and candle. Yet skybar02 of Philadelphia had little time for it, ruthlessly posting the unwanted Christmas gift on eBay two days after the holiday with the comment, "Not really our thing."

The online auction industry is hoping the next few weeks bring a wave of such goodies to the Internet, even if that means encouraging the rapid, unsentimental disposal of Aunt Tillie's gift.

In early signs that consumers are starting to buy into the idea that its OK to resell what you receive but don't really want, Yahoo! Auctions saw a 19 percent spike in listings the week after Christmas. The iSold It chain, one of many eBay drop-off businesses helping people sell stuff on the online site, claims sales in its established stores rose 40 percent that week.

Overall, online retail had a big holiday season, with sales rising 30 percent from last year to a total of $30.1 billion, according to a report from Goldman, Sachs & Co., Nielsen//NetRatings and Harris Interactive. With more consumers comfortable buying online, the auction sites believe that means more people will consider selling there, as well.

And they have not been shy about suggesting consumers dump the duds. At Overstock.com, a banner display asks, "Polyester sequined pants not your style?" A quick click takes the user to information on how to sell unwanted holiday gifts on the Web store.

In late December, eBay put out survey results that claimed more than half of Americans admitted to giving away unwanted gifts and suggesting that selling the items on eBay might be a polite alternative without the risk of getting caught.

The idea of being discovered making money off presents holds no fear for some. A search of eBay listings this week turned up 40 items that claimed to be unwanted Christmas gifts. That didn't include several gift cards up for sale.

One Iowa mother claimed to be selling a T-shirt, complete with tags, that was given to her 17-year-old daughter by a grandmother. "I am not sure of its age, as grandma tends to pull gifts from her attic," she wrote.

Wanita1221 from Rexburg, Idaho, had nothing bad to say about the woman's slack suit that she was offering. With the typos typical of many auction site listings, she wrote, "This bid is for a gorgeouse creamy white European suit set. This suit is elegent and comfortable. Tags say its a size 13 but Im a ten and it fits great." Maybe she was selling it for a friend.

More than one mystery present still in its wrappings was up for bid under the eBay tree. And more than one seller claimed the item was given to a wife from someone she would rather not get anything from. Some sellers claimed they would give the money to charity while others merely played up the treasure hunt aspect.

Online auction professionals generally advise buyers to be wary of such offers, even if they sound like a fun take on the office grab bag. It can be hard to tell if such offers truly represent a shot at a valuable gift or are just scams.

It also can be hard to tell just how much of the merchandise offered for sale online after the holidays comes from rejected gifts and how much is just items found in the garage during a New Year's cleaning. "We don't take anybody's deposition or anything," said Ken Sully, chief executive officer of Pasadena, Calif.-based iSold It, which has more than 160 franchise stores, including one in Mt. Lebanon.

Yet, a trend seems to be developing in which auction traffic rises just after strong periods of retail sales, said Rob Solomon, vice president of Yahoo! Shopping Group. Online auction sale totals likely won't rival the numbers produced by pre-holiday retail, of course. Some people actually liked their presents.

Until recently, a large portion of the consuming public had never posted anything on Web sites such as eBay or had access to the growing number of brick-and-mortar stores set up to handle the online process for them.

In the last couple of years, the Pittsburgh area has seen the arrival of chains such as iSold It and Quik Drop, as well as the opening of several independent eBay drop-off stores. UPS stores also accept items for sale on eBay.

Andy Benson opened his ezBaystores.com in Murrysville in May and said things were busy up until Christmas when traffic hit a lull. Mr. Benson is hoping things will pick up in the next few weeks as people change jobs or clean out old stuff to make space for the new. It won't hurt, either, if eBay's efforts to nudge along the unwanted gift trend brings in new items.

Over in Robinson, no huge piles of unwanted gifts have appeared yet at the WeSellNow.com store, although owner Mark A. Davis said his wife has discovered deals can be had online buying unwanted gift cards after the holidays.

On Wednesday, for example, tulsajosh from Tulsa, Okla., posted a $50 gift card that someone shouldn't have given him. "I just got it for Christmas, and never shop at Old Navy."

It may take a few years to determine whether the post-holiday online gift sale becomes a tradition or even how willing Americans are to become online sellers. The vast majority of eBay users, industry observers say, continue to just make purchases.

Meanwhile, charities stand ready to accept those unwanted gifts. Goodwill Industries of Pittsburgh put out its own press release two days after Christmas urging people to avoid the pain of waiting in line to return things and just donate them to a good cause. Such a move may not turns gifts into cash but sometimes it does bring a tax break.