Basic Trope: Two people sell one of their own possessions to buy gifts for each other. However, those gifts are useless to the other without the possession that they sold.
- Straight: Alice sold her video game console to buy Bob a fancy bookcase for his book collection... but Bob sold his book collection to buy Alice new video games to play on her game console!
- Exaggerated:
- A large amount of possessions are sold, and the numerous gifts Alice and Bob buy for one another all end up being useless.
- Alice sold her video game console to buy Bob a bookcase for his book collection. Bob sold his book collection to buy Charlie a new record player for his vinyl collection. Charlie sold his vinyl collection to buy Alice new video games for her game console.
- Downplayed: Alice's gift can still be used by Bob, and Bob's gift can still be used by Alice, they're just not as useful without the sold possessions.
- Justified: Alice and Bob wanted to keep what gifts they were getting for one another a secret, but were too poor at the moment to buy gifts without selling their belongings first.
- Inverted: Alice stole Bob's book collection and sold it to buy new video games for her console... but Bob stole Alice's video game console and sold it to buy a bookcase for his book collection! note
- Subverted:
- The console Alice sold was an inferior version of a new console she just got, and the books Bob sold were less valuable copies of new books he just got. Alice can still use her new console for the video games Bob bought her, and Bob can put his new books inside the bookcase Alice bought him.
- Alice exchanged her console for a bookcase to give to Bob. Bob kept his book collection and got Alice a gift that didn't rely on her console.
- Alice and Bob both sold to Diane, who figured out what happened and gifted the game console and book collection back to them.
- Double Subverted: The games Bob bought for Alice turn out to be incompatible with her new next gen console. The bookshelf Alice bought for Bob would have held his original book collection just fine, but his new books are taller than his old ones and don't fit on the shelves.
- Parodied:
- Alice sold her video game console to buy Bob a fancy bookcase for his book collection... but Bob just used his own money and bought Alice new video games to play on her game console! Awkward silence ensues.
- "I sold my item that requires another item and bought you this item for your other item!" "That's funny, I sold my comprehension of gifts and bought you this leaf with staples in it!"
- "I sold my video game console to buy you this bookcase!" "Ooh, I actually sold my books - to James, nice guy - but check this out! Drunk Santa ornament. He had WAAAY too much to drink. 'Ho ho ho! Glug glug glug!' Haha."
- Zig Zagged: Alice sells her game console to buy a bookshelf for Bob's book collection, while Bob sells his book collection to buy new games for Alice's console. Luckily, they both sold to the same person, who figures out what must have happened and decides to gift back the original items. However, before she gets there, Alice and Bob both independently decide to give up the gifts they got from each other to make sure that the other person can use their gift, with Alice buying a new book collection for Bob with the money from selling her new games and Bob selling his bookshelf to buy Alice a game console. When the person they sold the original gifts to gives them back, though, they discover that Alice bought Bob several books he hadn't had before and the console Bob bought for Alice is one that she'd been wanting to buy for herself eventually, leaving them both at a net gain for their misadventures.
- Averted: Alice and Bob don't sell anything to buy presents for each other.
- Enforced: "Christmas is here, all the good boys and girls want a new episode of their favorite show. Doesn't matter what the plot is, just lift it from some old story like Gift of the Magi or whatever."
- Lampshaded: "We both sold what each other needed!"
- Invoked: Carol convinces Alice to sell her game console and Bob to sell his books.
- Exploited: ???
- Defied: Alice and Bob tell each other what they're going to buy as gifts before actually spending money.
- Discussed: "Can you tell me what you'll be gifting me? I want to make sure I can use it."
- Conversed: "Oh, since Alice sold her game console, I bet Bob's gonna end up buying her some games. These shows are so predictable."
- Deconstructed: As Alice and Bob were strapped for cash to begin with, the fact that both of them ended up with useless gifts doesn't make them feel good. One or both of them end up selling the gift they were given out of pragmatism, to make ends meet.
- Reconstructed: Still, they appreciated the thought behind the gift even if they had to sell the gift in the end.
- Played For Laughs: Alice sold her fingernails and toenails to buy Bob a bookcase for his book collection... but Bob sold his book collection to buy Alice a few shipments of nail clippers for her nails!
- Played For Drama: Alice and Bob are angry that they've lost their belongings and play the Blame Game with one another, which ends up permanently straining their relationship.
"I sold my Back to [Trope] holder and got you this description for your Troper page!"
"That's funny, I sold my Troper page and got you this pothole to Gift of the Magi Plot for your Back to [Trope] holder!"
