So we’ve all received presents we have no use for and come the next birthday or office party we guiltily rewrap them up in a different wrapper or worse, just stick on a little greeting card and regift them to the next unassuming person who genuinely thought that your gift was out of goodwill.
Is regifting rude because of everyone’s logic? If you’re not going to use it, best to give it to someone else who will instead otherwise it’ll just sit there collecting dust or get get thrown out in the garbage.
While I admit to being guilty of regifting, my justification is that the Crabtree & Evelyn bath set which I once gave away was worth over two hundred bucks and I knew for a fact that I would never use it, plus the friend I gave it to loved it to bits, so I didn’t feel so bad after that. There are a few mistakes you can make when regifting and the results can be embarassing if you’re not careful as it can give you a tacky reputation.
They say that it’s the thought that matters and that it’s better to give something than nothing at all. Don’t give someone something for the sake of it just because you have unwanted gifts lying around at home especially if you know for sure that it’s not something that would use either. Give something that appeals to them and show that you put some thought. Instead, make a card or bake them a box of cupcakes.
Never ever try to regift a used item by trying to make it look new again. Chances are that your friend may notice and you don’t want to raise any suspicions. This goes the same for items that you bought for yourself months ago but never used them with the labels and tags still intact. It may be new, but she might question whether it’s a regift if it doesn’t smell new.
Finally, the worst thing you can do is to present someone with a gift that you gave them in the first place. Not only will they hate your guts even if it was by mistake but you risk losing a friend (yes, people can be that petty!).
So the next time you receive a gift you don’t plan to use, make sure to label it so that you don’t make a regifting boo-boo. Well, our advice would be to donate gifts you don’t need to the orphanage and make someone else truly happy!
