Regifting
– Do It Without Being Tacky
Regifting is one of those dirty little secrets no one
likes to talk about. But we’ve all done it –
or at least thought about doing it (come on, you know
you have!). So it’s time for regifting to come
out of the closet ... just like that unwanted present
you got for Christmas last year, which might be the
perfect regift for the name you’ve drawn in this
year’s office Secret Santa. In today’s eco-conscious
times, careful regifting can even be looked at as another
form of recycling. Just keep a few important things
in mind, and you can easily regift without being tacky
– and, just as importantly, without being caught.
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Regifting – a Few Basics
Be organized about regifting. If you’re given
something that you just doesn’t work for you,
but you think it’s nice enough to regift, put
it away for the time being – but stick on a Post-it
saying who gave it to you in the first place (to spare
you the embarrassment of possibly regifting it to the
original giver). Don’t regift just to get rid
of an unwanted item. Try to make sure that the person
you’re giving it to will like and use it. Let’s
say you got a heart-shaped picture frame that’s
a bit too cutesy for you, but your cousin collects anything
with a heart on it; that’s a perfect regift opportunity.
When you regift, it should be something that is brand
new and hasn’t been used – but not something
that’s been sitting around so long it’s
obsolete by now, like a still-in-the-box VCR. Make sure
to include any instructions that came with the item,
and keep it in its original packaging. You absolutely
positively should re-wrap the gift (nothing says tacky
regifting like mended or wrinkled wrapping paper) –
but before you do, check thoroughly to make sure there’s
no card left inside that’s addressed to you or
other potential giveaway signs that this is a regift.
It’s okay to regift a gift card, but only if it’s
still good for the full amount. Just to be on the safe
side, go to the store or website to find out the balance,
so you won’t accidentally regift a $25 card that
only has $9.42 remaining on it.
Regifting – What NOT To Do
Think carefully before regifting: if there is even
the remotest possibility that the person you’re
considering regifting to gave you the gift in the first
place (don’t laugh; it could happen!) or that
you might have mentioned receiving this particular thing
to him or her (“You’ll never believe the
purse my Aunt Rhoda gave me for my birthday!”),
you cannot regift to that person. You also cannot regift
to anyone who even slightly knows the person who originally
gave you the present. As a rule, don’t regift
handmade items, just in case the new recipient might
want or need to return them. Similarly, never put a
regift in a box from a store it didn’t come from;
the recipient will be embarrassed if trying to return
it, and so will you when asked for an explanation. Unless
it’s a priceless antique or family heirloom, don’t
regift something you’ve had on display in your
home just because you don’t want it anymore; anyone
who knows you will recognize this as a castoff. And
if you’ve received a gift that you think is absolutely
hideous and you just hate, odds are that someone you
know might feel the same way, so think about donating
it to a local thrift shop or selling it at a yard sale
instead of regifting.
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