It’s not that it was a bad gift. It’s just that it was just not for you. Maybe not your color. Maybe not your style. Maybe you already had one. Whatever the reason, you now have an unusable gift. You can do one of two things. You can go about returning the item or you can think about regifting it.
Believe it or not, regifting is done by lots of people. The reasons people regift can be because it’s too much trouble to return it or they may not want it, but they know someone who would love it.
There are a few etiquette tips on regifting that you should keep in mind.
Make sure who ever you regift to does not know the person you received the item from. It would be awfully embarrassing if receiver would happen to mention how absolutely wonderful the one-of-a-kind hand painted glasses to the person who gave them to you.
Only regift an item if it is in tip-top shape. If you opened the box, tried the item out and didn’t like it, it is now something that’s not suitable for regifting.
Regift an item only if you are sure that the person you are giving it to will like it. Don’t regift the ugly puce gloves your Aunt Bertha sent to you to your sister-in-law simply because you didn’t want them (unless your sister-in-law likes puce colored gloves).
Regifted items should get new wrapping. While regifting is okay, rewrapping the same gift in the same wrap is not. Even if it was given to you in a gift bag, put the item to be regifted into a different gift bag (one from another gift you received is fine) before you give it to the next person.
Don’t tell the person who is receiving the gift that it is regifted. This is an absolute must. There is no reason you have to tell them, and you are in no way being dishonest by not telling them. You are giving them a gift that they would appreciate more than you would have. There is no need to cheapen the gift in their mind.
So is it wrong to regift? Most certainly not. You are saving the feeling of one person, who would be hurt if they were to know you didn’t want what they gave you, and you are making sure that gift ends up in the hands of someone who does want it. And if the orginal giver asks about the gift? Just smile and say it was very much appreciated (you just don’t have to say by who).
Regifting is a great way to pass along an unwanted gift without the hassle of returning it to the store. Keeping these regifting etiquette tips in mind, you will be able to regift with a guilt free conscious.