If you receive a present that, although nice, just isn’t your style, you have three choices: ask for the receipt and return it, put it in a closet and forget about it, or regift it.
“Regifting is perfectly acceptable if done correctly,” lifestyle and etiquette expert Elaine Swann told Mental Floss.
There are a few rules to follow, however, if you want to give those items to someone else.
It must be new: Not only should the item be less than a year old, Swann said, it should still be in its original packaging.
It must have value: If you got a T-shirt or tote bag as part of swag at a conference or from work, it can’t be regifted. If the person who gave it to you didn’t pay for it, Swann said, you can’t give it to someone else. Unless, she added, it’s high quality or something the recipient would love. Swann once gave her mother a keychain she received after a taping of “Oprah.” “Although it was free, it was not your run-of-the-mill keychain,” she told Mental Floss, and her mom was a huge Oprah fan.
You have to rewrap the item: This is usually what trips people up and gets them labeled a regifter. Take the time to ensure any old paper, tape and name tags are removed. Also make sure there is not a personal note in the box or anything else indicating you were the item’s first recipient. Then rewrap it in nice paper or a pretty gift bag.
The recipient has to be in a different social circle: Swann shared how a friend didn’t like what an aunt bought her as a wedding present, so she regifted it — to another aunt (the giver’s sister). Awkward! Swann records when she received an unwanted gift and who it was from, so mistakes like that don’t happen.
Tell the truth if you’re caught: If someone notices you regifted something they gave you, be honest about it. Tell them you appreciated the thought, but the item suited the new recipient more. “They might be a little sore, but lying about it will always make it worse,” Swann said.
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