Everyone knows what regifting is, right? When you take a gift you received, but maybe don’t want/need and give it to someone else as a gift. Right off the bat, I must admit, I do it on occasion. But what do you think? Is regifting tacky?
As for me, I justify it not as a money saving thing, but as someone who occasionally gets disillusioned with the over-consumption of goods. I mean, why waste and go out and buy MORE, when a perfectly good option is right in front of you? Do you think I’m crazy here?
I do have a set basic perimeters on my regifting though, to keep things on the up and up:
- I NEVER regift in the same social circle of the person I received the gift from in the first place.
- I don’t regift USED items, only new, in the package items.
- I always rewrap–I mean, I’m not an animal, I know a gift should have a personal touch.
- I don’t regift just anything to anyone. I always make sure the gift fits the recipient.
As long as I follow those basic rules, I really don’t have a problem with it. It seems pragmatic to me. But what do you think, is regifting tacky, or are you a big fan of passing along gifts too? Have you ever received a regifted item and known right away?
Have you ever been given something super weird? Curious minds want to know. đ
~Mavis
Bonnie in GA says
If you know someone who really would enjoy the item, it is a win-win situation!
Linda says
I have received some off-the-wall items that must have been regifted. Either that or the person did not know me at all. I suspect regifting.
Mary says
Rather than regifting, I prefer donating. We have a local thrift that benefits our surrounding communities. Also, a wonderful 4th grade teacher organized a âHoliday Shopâ where community members donated items and students used their positive behavior coupons as payment for items at the shop.
Sharon says
What a marvelous idea!
Lucy says
That is a wonderful idea!
Lucy Ruple says
I just LOVE this idea!
Angela Muller says
I second this marvelous idea.
Rosemary says
I have also done re-gifting. I don’t think it is tacky at all. I agree that the item needs to remain new and not given in the same social circle. If I get a gift that I know I will not use, I put a sticky note on it to remind me who gave it to me. Eventually I will find someone that will appreciate that particular gift. There is no sense taking those unused gifts and stuffing them in a closet somewhere when they can be used by someone else. I have a shelf in my closet for that type of thing – if I can’t find someone else that would like it, after a certain period of time, I will donate it to a local thrift shop.
Sandy says
I do the absolute same thing. To the letter. I just think there is so much overconsumption in this world. If I can regift to someone that wants and/or can use it, then I do so.
Peggy Lannon says
You and I think alike. Why waste your time and energy on finding something else if you have a suitable gift you are never going to use because it is not right for you. It might be perfect for someone else. I also make sure it is not in the same social circle, must be new, and must also be something they will enjoy. I learned the hard way about marking who the gift came from originally when I couldnât remember one year and ended up donating it to a thrift shop because I didnât want to chance regifting to someone who had given it to me.
Anne says
If you decide to regift, be sure not to regift the item to the person who gave it to you. My MIL did that to me more than once.
Sue says
Not tacky. As long as it is something that suits the giftee, and not just a way to get rid of something weird.
For example: DH just got a leather wine carrying case from his boss as some dumb obligatory holiday gift. It’s ridiculous and shows absolutely no thought, other than, “Meets the spend amount, checks the box.” I suppose some pretentious poseur might find it indispensible at Coachella, but DH has no use for it and I can’t mock it enough.
Can’t give it as a gift, though–it absolutely screams “REGIFTED!!” It’s too pricy for a Yankee Swap or White Elephant swap. It can’t even be repurposed for a funky handbag. So it’s either donate or try to sell. Or give it to a dog owner for a chew toy, maybe…
Chrity says
Sell online…someone will love it (and pay for it).
carrie says
I figure it isn’t any different than thrift shopping. I wouldn’t hesitate to purchase a new item at a thrift tore to gift someone.
I dont however git just to gift. So if it is a weird item that I wouldn’t normally give someone I would just donate it.
We just got an odd assortment of items from a neighbor. I have been trying to figure out if it was regifted items or what. They are very nice and she is loosing her eyesight. No big deal. I will pass on some items t those who would like them and donate the others
suzanne says
My best friends MIL always gave her passive aggressive gifts. Think wine when she knows very well that she doesn’t drink. Maybe a regifted/used book about gardening when they live in a condo or expired tickets to a show. That kind of thing. My friend went out of her way to find the perfect gift to win this woman over. Anyway after about 10 years of this she started regifting her MIL’s gifts back to her the next year. They’ve been regifting the same puzzle with missing pieces and a goodwill price tag on it for about 5 years now.
J in OH-IO says
This post made me laugh so much! So funny about the puzzle with the goodwill tag still on it for the last 5 years! I will think of this post now every time I âm in a goodwill and laugh all over again!
I also thought of Mavis today and how she despises being out shopping or in grocery stores in general this time of year and I could not agree more – took me forever to get through the crowds and I am thankful to be home now – calling it done for shopping this year and ready to hibernate for the next month!
On a side note -I am totally disgusted by the amount of holiday candy marketed -same old candy with a holiday box or extra food dye added⌠yuck! I totally get chocolates with snickerdoodle, gingerbread, or peppermint flavors, but holiday skittles – no!
Ashley Bananas says
Gifting isn’t compulsory so I think any gift is typically a nice gesture.
Ramona says
I think regifting is fine even if it is a used item. When my child was little he received toys from a relative that had belonged to my sister in laws kids. He didn’t need a brand new truck when there was one in good condition to pass along. She asked if it was alright before she re-gifted.
I saved all my sons Legos, 5 large rubbermaid boxes. Some of the sets are ones he built so I left them intact. I saved all the instructions and a few boxes they came in. I told him he doesn’t need to buy his son new Legos when he is a little older just wrap these up as gifts or when he deserves a “new” toy. Grandson plays with the larger version of Legos now all the time.
Carol says
Mavis, you are so funny! Not tacky at all. The item does belong to you after all. I have gotten plenty of gifts in my 78 years that scream “this person doesn’t know me at all”.
I have tried to put thought into my gifts, and I have surely missed the mark also. Pass it on if you don’t need/like it.
Merry Christmas!
KC says
We received some items at our wedding that had the original receipts inside the items’ boxes, most with dates corresponding to my best guess as to the year of the giver’s wedding. đ
I figured that either 1. they got duplicates and didn’t need this one or 2. they didn’t cook to the extent I did. I was not offended at all. (glorious kitchen shears!)
(so… also, if a new item isn’t sealed, I’d suggest that you open up the box to check for personal notes, receipts that will proclaim the item as over a decade old, etc.)
Not a regifting, but I had an uncle who gave me the *exact same* large, cheap, Walmart-gift-pack set of stud earrings two years in a row for Christmas when I was a young teen… despite finding out, the first year, that my ears aren’t pierced. So. Yes. Maybe tailor the gift to the recipient at least a little, to the degree reasonably possible, if you theoretically “should” know them a bit… but also, eh, he only saw me a couple of times a year, and we weren’t close; it was funny and did definitely indicate how much/little he thought about me and/or asked about gift guidance, but also: we just weren’t close, and that’s fine? Gifts can say things (although the things they appear to say aren’t always true, so there is that).
Sue says
We were regifted a heavy crystal vase as a wedding gift. It was USED. As in, filthy inside and waterline marks from more than a few floral arrangements. I do like the vase, but jeez Louise–could you maybe have washed it out?
We also got a box of white bathroom towels, with the original gift card tucked in the folds. The first bride obviously forgot she put it there. Wrote the thank you note and gave the towels to the local animal shelter. Felt good about it, too! ;^)
Mavis, please start a thread for wacky/wild/weird wedding gifts!!
Lindsey says
Just this year I got a toilet plunger as a birthday gift. The person had run across an article about the best plunger on the market and how it is better for your back because there is a cross bar on top to push down, instead of having your hands around a long handle. I said thank you just to be polite…then I had to use it a few times and I sent the person another thank you card, saying that it really was a game-changer as plungers go and I was sorry how ungrateful I was for it the first time around. The worst part was that I found myself at a potluck, telling others about this perfect plunger. How did I go from someone who loved fast cars to someone who was in love with her plunger and proclaiming that love to the world?!
Jim says
That’s awesome :).
Gigi says
I like that plunger too!
Sue S. says
LOL. Can’t answer your question but I might say you have a future in comedy.
Annette says
This made my day!
Gina says
HAHAHA! Perfect! My kind of gift, hands down! đ
Heather says
I don’t think it is tacky, but since I usually only give gifts to the same people I donate things to the thrift stores. I am always excited when I find a new item at the thrift store that fills a need.
Tanya says
I used to have a friend that was a huge regifter. I’m all for regifting if the item is something the person will love but not just for giving it to provide a gift. She would frequently regift to me things with strong scents (candles, lotions, etc.) even though she knew I am allergic to many strong scents. She also gifted odd used items. Like a skirt that I commented at the thrift store I like the fabric but was an XL and I wore a small.
I think we all need to be more thoughtful in the gifts we give so they don’t become a burden to the giver.
Donna says
I agree!
sandyf says
You ladies/gents are the cleverest of the bunch.
We regift a very very old fruitcake back and forth to my sisters. We all do not like fruit cake but -as my English Grandmother gifted us with one for years when she was alive. To honor her memory-we carried one the tradition but with a very old frozen fruitcake.
Fruitcakes are not cheap-so the solution was this.
One year my sister painted a brick to look like a fruitcake and gifted that one. We died laughing.
Pam Kaufman says
My daughter and I were just talking about this recently. We are big thrifters so we have no problem receiving re-gifted or even thrifted items. In fact we love it but we have family and friends who would not appreciate it either so you definitely need to know how the person you are giving to feels about it.
Lucy Ruple says
I have used regifted items and items that are unique from thrift stores to use as Bingo prizes for our Senior Life Ministry Group at my church. The last Bingo night we had, the prize I donated was chosen first!!!!
Kippy says
I donât re wrap/regift the items but will ask friends if theyâd like an item I was gifted (remembering to not ask the person who gifted me)but donât need or want and just give it to them if they want. They do the same to me. If no one wants it, item goes to Goodwill.
The best regifting story I have involves our neighborhood Little Lending Library. I really wanted the LinManuel Miranda book for myself but hadnât gone to bookstore yet. Someone had put a gift wrapped book in the Little Lending Library . Imagine my happiness when it was the LM Miranda book!
SueD says
I think regifting is fine, as is its cousin, garage sale finds. My sons became Star Wars fans at the perfect timeâŚkids who had seen ANH and ESB, and were moving on to another fandom, were selling their almost new SW toys, complete and many in their original box, for 1-5 dollars. They loved it. We still have the toys.
Vy says
Heck no it’s not tacky. Anytime someone gets a present they want or need or like, it’s a win. It matters zero how you got the item!
Mary Custer says
One year I received some napkin rings from an aunt that I had regifted from a friend.
The next year my aunt regifted them back to me!
That was the first and last time I tried that!
They made more than full circle so I donated to charity!
Zo says
I think itâs okay if itâs still thoughtful as outline by Mavisâ rules above. My mum however, when I was a toddler (35yrs ago), received a bracelet from her sister that her sisterâs ex-boyfriend gave her. Theyâve never spoken since. So I know never to do it to my Mum.
Patti says
I regift if I think it suits the person who receives it. I have a friend who gives me the same thing every year – kitchen towels, soap, and trinkets. These are things SHE likes, not me. I am particular about the amount of clutter I have so these are unneeded items in my home. I do not feel wrong in gifting them to someone else. I have another friend who gives me items with the name of the town we lived in 25 years ago. I do not need these (mugs, jewelry, notecards, etc.) so I am thinking of donating them to a thrift in that town. Now that I have discovered a Gift Free group for my town on Facebook, it is my new place to donate anything else I receive that I can’t use. My MIL was a terrible gift giver to the point that we started drawing names so she wouldn’t give us something we hated every year!! She was a compulsive shopper who bought items which made no sense for the recipient like a 2 XL sweater for my skinny husband (her own son).
Stacey says
Definitely not tacky, especially following your rules. I don’t like to waste, and having someone use an item that I am not going to is much better use of resources. I received a gift once that I knew was regifted because I found the original card inside the package, and I wasn’t even insulted because it was a perfect gift for me.
Gretta says
I was very disappointed when I was gifted a jar of body lotion that was half gone. I immediately assumed the giver must have regifted it to me without checking it out first. So be careful. Inspect first.
Barbara Dougherty says
I was gifted a paper towel holder one. I don’t think it was regifted, but the person thought I could use that particular one. I thought that was rather weird….and a little controlling, lolol
Molly says
Regifting is recycling and Iâm all about recycling. If I receive a gift that I know I wonât use (but always appreciate!), I pass it along to someone else to whom it would be more appropriate. I agree with Mavis: Iâm not an animal! I rewrap the gift in a lovely way. Even the original giver wouldnât recognize it.
HollyG says
My favorite ‘super weird’ gift was, as my husband and I dubbed it, the ‘Trunk of Junk”. The in-laws were taking him to Mexico after the holidays so rather than also buying presents, they bought each of the three boys families a steamer trunk and filled it with things from their house. I don’t remember everything (it was over 30 years ago) but I do remember stacks of playing cards (with holes from trips to Las Vegas), bottles of lotion, shampoo and conditioner (from hotel business trips), toothbrushes and floss (from the dentist) and commemorative business coffee mugs. We don’t have any of it anymore, but we do still have the memories.
Dianna says
I don’t mind receiving a regifted item, but definitely prefer one that suits me. I usually don’t regift to people outside of my immediate household (no problem with gifting my own kids a yard sale toy) but I would offer something to a friend if I thought it was something they would use.
My husband is a school principal, and he stands outside every single morning to greet the kids, rain or shine. A couple of years ago I bought him some very nice cold gear (gloves, ear warmers, wool socks, and more) for his October birthday, when it wasn’t quite cold enough but winter was on the way. He was so pleased with it all and put it back in the box….and put the box in the closet where it sat for the whole year. He never used a single item, and never even took off the tags. So the next year I rewrapped the box and this time I videoed him while he opened it. He was just as gleeful about the items the second time. He even commented things like “this will keep me warm when I’m out in the car line!” He had absolutely no recognition that they were the exact same items as the year before. I could have probably wrapped them up for the next year, but I blew it by laughing so hard. He did finally use some of the gifts, though!