Regifting Etiquette

Regifting Etiquette: 5 Top Tips To Regift Gracefully

With budgets being tight these days, more people are opting to dig deep inside their closets in search of that perfect gift. So if you’re contemplating what to do with those gifts you neither want nor will ever use, here’s some good news for you. It is perfectly appropriate to re-wrap an unwanted gift and give it to someone else as long as you adhere to the following five guidelines.

1. Only give a gift if it is in good condition. Be sure not to tamper with, open, or use the gift and keep all seals intact.
2. Regift in different social circles. Make sure the person receiving the gift doesn’t know the person who originally gave you the gift. To avoid this mishap, label any gifts you don’t intend to keep by jotting down when it was received and by whom.
3. The gift should be a good match. Before giving a recycled gift, ask yourself if the receiver will enjoy, appreciate and use the gift. If you’re not sure, don’t bother regifting it.
4. Remove the evidence. Before you regift, remove the original card that may be tucked inside the gift. (I once received a hostess gift from a friend who forgot to remove the card inside addressed to her!)
5. Retire unwanted gifts. Instead of regifting those items that you’ll never use like that old bottle of cologne, canned ham, stale fruitcake, or itchy sweater, give the gift to charity or dispose of it so you and others will never have to see it again.

Thanks to etiquette expert Jacqueline Whitmore.