Regifting: Where do you stand? Has it ever happened to you?
By wiccania
@wiccania (3360)
United States
November 14, 2007 6:01pm CST
The holidays are approaching and the time is ripe for regifting. You know the practice... you get a bottle of wine from your boss or a co-worker that you'd never drink, so you bring it to the first holiday party you're invited to, as a gift for the host. Or maybe Aunt Sara has given you another one of those annoying gift sets from Wal-Mart, so you rewrap it and give it to the co-worker whose name you drew in the office polyanna...
Lots of people do it. Have you? Have you ever received something (for any occasion) that you knew was regifted?
I've done it. I received a gift card for Starbucks from a co-worker, and I don't like Starbucks, so I put it in a card for a cousin. It saved me $10.
The only gift I've received that I KNOW was a regift was when I got married to my ex. One of my co-workers gave us a very pretty heavy crystal bowl from Mikasa that had 14 karat gold on the rim. Inside the box was a card that read "To Joe and Aurora, much love Uncle Steve." At the time, regifting was the "hot new thing in gift giving" and I'd read an article about it in the paper like 2 weeks before. So I thought getting a regift was cool and funny. I sold the bowl on ebay a couple of years ago in the original box with both of the cards inside. It felt wrong to split them up, LOL.
5 people like this
17 responses
@dreamy1 (3811)
• United States
15 Nov 07
If someone gave me a regift I honestly wouldn't know unless they told me. I wouldn't care much either I'm happy to get anything. I have regifted before. I wouldn't give someone something used or dirty. For my friends birthday I gave her a picture frame that someone had given me. I never used it, it was in a box and I didn't want to go out and buy a present so I regifted it. I have no problems with it. I'm into recycling so yeah refigting is ok in my book.
1 person likes this
@lordwarwizard (35747)
• Singapore
15 Nov 07
LOL, that was so funny. I actually wanted to skip this discussion since I have nothing much to add but I couldn't resist.
Joe and Aurora? Uncle Steve? ROFL!!!
And selling it on eBay with the cards intact. AWESOME. =)
As for regifting, I don't really do that. The simple reason is I don't get gifts to start with. :P
I normally do gift exchange with the same group of people each year so regifting is hardly an option.
@Sheribabe (445)
• United States
24 Nov 07
I haven't re-gifted myself but I guess it would depend on what the gift was... And if it was something I thought the person would really like...
I don't think there's anything really wrong with it if someone is really thrilled with a great gift. No harm done. At least the gift went to good use...right!
@Monkeyrose (2840)
• Canada
20 Nov 07
I don't know if I've ever been regifted but I've definately done it. I was really broke last year. I got a gift card from chapters and I didn't really need anything from there so I gave it to my mom's boyfriend.
I think its okay to regift a brand new thing... but once its kinda dusty no way.
@sudiptacallingu (10879)
• India
15 Nov 07
I stand right in the queue for regifting. As Christmas is to you, so is Durga Puja and Diwali to us. These are the major festivals for us Indians with a slew of less important ones thrown in between, the whole year through. As you know, for an Indian woman, saree is the best gift and it comes in all budgets. So throughout the year I am bombarded with sarees, few of which I have a liking or use for. I am basically a simple non-partying type and all these sarees are nothing but a burden to the storage capacity of my wardrobe. So I keep them in their boxes, and on the next festive occasion or even a wedding or any occasion where a gift is involved and a lady too, I just pass these on. I think nothing wrong in it. instead of hoarding and thus wasting, I am saving money and time (spent of shopping) and is also appreciating the gift by giving it to someone who can use it.
As for myself, I don’t know if ever I have received a regift from someone.
@sarahruthbeth22 (43143)
• United States
15 Nov 07
Yes I have. I had a sweatshirt that a friend gave me for Christmas. It was too big but it had cute tigers on it so I kept it. I never wore it And in the meantime, I lost weight. I have another friend that likes big cats and could fit the sweatshirt , so I gave it to her.I think it is fine. In my family the rule is, as soon as you receive the gift you can do anything you want to do with it.
@cher913 (25781)
• Canada
15 Nov 07
i do this all the time lol and you are right it does save you money. why not do this if you know its something you will never use/want...??
of course the obvious is to make sure that you dont give it to anyone in the circle of friends/family that you got it from!!
thanks for the discussion.
@sacmom (14192)
• United States
16 Nov 07
I'm pretty sure I've done this in the past. As long as the regift is going to someone that can use it, I see no harm in it. Why would I want to keep a gift someone gave me that I may not want or need just to have it collect dust somewhere in my home? I'd much rather give it to someone that may want it. And if they don't want it then hopefully they'll pass it along to someone that does.
I don't know if I've ever gotten a regift as I've never been told.
@barehugs (8973)
• Canada
15 Nov 07
Yeah I'm a firm believer in regifting. I once received a gift of a watch from a family member. It was a nice watch and I liked it (even tho I already had a good watch) but some time later I met a guy who didn't have a watch, so I gave it to him. The family member found out and was upset with me. The way I see it... there should be no strings attached to a gift. A gift is a gift is a gift.
@vicki2876 (5636)
• Canada
16 Nov 07
LOL That is so funny. I have done this too. I have gotten gift certificates that would be useless to me and gave them to other people. Also gifts that the kids didn't like they have given as gifts to other kids. LOL
@3lilangels (4639)
• United States
15 Nov 07
yes i have to admit i have done that once because i received a gift card to a restauraunt that i dont like so i gave it to someone else and they enjoyed it very much.pattie
@statickery560 (275)
• Philippines
15 Nov 07
Yeah, it happened to me once . I got a gift from a friend and without opening it , i just kept it. Then another occasion came and i have to buy a gift, and it so happenned that i was penniless that time, so when i saw that gift, i just re-wrap it and then it goes. It's not that bad to regift provided the gift fits the occasion, i think it doesn't matter. Unless of course, the gift bears a very sentimental value that you have to teasure and keep it for good. Thanks
@aseretdd (13729)
• Philippines
15 Nov 07
I had my share of regifting and i suspect that i also receive reregifting from one of my friends...
Back when i was still a teacher, students would give me gifts that they think are cute but are not my cup of tea... so instead of letting those gifts go to waste or just rot inside the cabinet... i give them away as gifts to friends or relatives who would appreciate them more...
i don't see anything wron with regifting as long as the intentions are good... it is just like the saying..."One Man's trash is another Man's Treasure"
@nica269 (1395)
• United States
15 Nov 07
I have to admit, I've done it. And I'm sure at some point it's been done to me. I don't really care if i've been re-gifted, unless it's from a close family member - then I think I would feel hurt. Not because THEY didn't get me something, but because I would feel I wasn't worth their time to go shopping for. Does that make sense??
Anyhow, I usually re-gift to co workers or not so close friends.
@jillhill (37353)
• United States
15 Nov 07
I regift.....and have also been given gifts that were from someone else..or should I say I know they belonged to someone esle who never used them. For my birthday I got two sets of rubber stamps that I love...that had never been used from my daughter who used to stamp. I had made a list of sets I wanted and she had them but has gotten out of the mode to stamp. It was my best friend that wondered where she had gotten them because they were retired. I don't care if she had them first! I loved them.
