How do you feel about regifting?

[Strawberry Lemonade]

Out of curiosity, I'm wondering how you feel about regifting?

Personally, I'd do it (and have!) only if the conditions were right - i.e. neither the original giver nor the recipient know any thing about it.

(Edited original post. There was going to be a poll, but I had *ahem* issues...)

 

[chesirekate]

Regifting is a fabulous thing as long as the recipient does not know it's a regift and there is no reason for them to think it is.

 

[tkyes]

I'm regifting something this year. I got a gift bag of bubble bath and body lotion that just isn't my thing last year. I'm giving it to my aunt this year. I'm adding on to it. I'll put it in a nice basket/container and I'm adding some nice shampoo and conditioner to it as well.

 

[MUFFYCAT]

I 'll do it if I received something th at I know someone else would like better.
For example, my girlfriend send us a very nice basket of crackers, cheese , etc. We have no family and couldn't eat it all. My husband's is going to a co-workers Christmas party and he's bringing that as a gift.

 

[Annie&Hallie'sMom]

I have regifted and been the recipient of regifting too. Sometimes you get nice gifts that just aren't your thing.

 

[Wish Upon A Star]

Well, I'll be re-gifting this year to my co-worker whom I cannot stand. I've tried to let her know that I wasn't interested in exchanging presents, but she blew me off stating something about tradition . .tra la la . . .but last year I purchased her very nice holiday gift and she purchased for me a cheap box of chocolates from Wal-Mart. Not even a name brand . . .ewwwwwwwwwww So this year she gets something that I had gotten from a student and never unwrapped the plastic around . . . .tacky, yeah, do I care, heck no!

 

[lilpritch04]

Hmmm....I've thought about it with some items, but I like to give gifts that speak to the receiver and also of myself. Most of the items I have been given, I wouldn't regift to anyone that I was close to. I have given some during an office Secret Santa, but that's about it.

I will probably regift some of our "not my style" crystal wedding gifts as door prizes for my friend's bridal shower.

 

[HollyJoy]

I don't see anything wrong with it as long as you don't give the gift back to the person who gave it to you! LOL Lots of times people give you a gift with a kind thought and heart, but the gift may not be your style, etc... instead of throwing it away, why not give it to someone who you think would like it!

 

[tar heel]

You gotta be very careful when you regift. I got a brass picture frame that had "xxx High School Class of 1974" on it as a baby gift when my last child was born. It came from someone I consider to be a close friend and who has a very high family income. I guess she forgot it was engraved.

I regifted that baby to Goodwill!

 

[monkeyboy]

Do it every year

 

[lilpritch04]

Maybe I should add that when I get gifts that aren't my style, I usually ask my mom or my friends if they want them (never the person that gave it to me or even anyone that the gifter knows) I don't just throw things away, I let people pick out their own "because it's raining on Tuesday" gifts

 

[lap3]

I guess the saying "What goes around, comes around" applies here. My DW and I are guilty of regifting(wasn't there a Seinfeld episode about regifting?) on a few occasions. I remember we received a punch bowl which wasn't ugly but it just wasn't us. Well, we decided to give it to my MIL not too much longer after. Well, just last year, she reboxed it and gave it to us for Christmas! You should have seen the look on our faces! We could have died from laughing alone! Do we still do it? Not recently but just wait...

 

[RitaZ.]

I don't like to do it because I've been the recipient of such unwanted gifts. IF it is a really nice item that I know someone would appreciate, then I would consider it.

My MIL always gave me gifts that she had been given and didn't like. She was a teacher, so she received many gifts and also participated in exchanges. She would tell me that she had no use for such gift and ask me how anyone could give a gift "like that". What do you think she gave me for Christmas? You got it! She would rewrap the gift and give it to me. Let's see... One year there was the green Caboodles makeup organizer, then there was the orange-red wallet that she hated, the earrings that were "too busy" for her taste... Yes, I felt very special!

Last year, one of our neigbhors gave each neigbor a snowman figurine (made of fabric) as a present. My neighbor across the street rewrapped her snowman and gave it to me. So... after that I had twin snowmen!

If you are going to do it, just make sure the people involved don't know one another and don't tell someone that you hate a gift and then give it to them.

 

[Beth76]

I've done it once. We received 2 bread machines for our wedding. One was a little nicer so we kept that one. The other one couldn't be exchanged or returned so we gave it to my MIL for xmas. Believe me, this thing was nicer than any gift she's ever given me.

 

[lynxstch]

to make sure that you give it to someone who is NEVER gonna run into the original gift giver..also..make sure you remove all gift tags..someone gave me a 'regifted' sweater one year..in it's original christmas packing box,,along with a tag that said To Aunt Donna...love Joannie....trouble is..my name is Lynn...lol..and Aunt Donna was about a size 48 where as I am a 38...!
So just be careful about regifting..there have been some hilarious threads on this in the past..hopefully search will be up soon and we can access them!

 

[Disney Doll]

I have regifted in the past, but it has to be a nice gift(not something cheesy) that is just not my style at all. I have to know that the person I am giving it to has no way of EVER running into the original gift-giver. I have to know that the person I am giving it to would really appreciate it. I never regift just because "I have to give her something, so it may as well be this". I VERY carefully check the regift to make sure there is nothing that would identify it as a regift.

If something I get doesn't match these criteria, I usually save it for a raffle prize, or to be included in a gift basket with other things if it is something small that would look kind of "chintzy" if given on its own.

There are a lot of rules to regifting IMHO!

 

[RadioNate]

I haven't done it in a long time but used to frequently when my mom was a teacher. She'd give us a lot of the gifts she couldn't use and we'd regift them to our friends, etc. She got a lot of nice picture frames that she just didn't need. One year she got a really cute yellow daisy tea pot that I gifted to my cousin (who loved it) and a whiskey set that we gave dh's best friend. I see no problem gifting things that are nice but that for one reason or another you can't use.

I've also been the recepient of regifted things and I don't mind if it's something that we can use or fits our style.

I think think there is a difference between regifting junk just to get rid of it or because you don't want to spend any $ and regifting things you've received that you can't use to someone who will use them.

 

[jeleebeene]

I have regifted several items. If it is something I am not able to return, but know that someone else will like, I will give it to them as a gift. No one is the wiser (and it helps to live out of state so family members haven't a clue!!)

 

[liznboys]

I don't think it's necessarily a BAD thing to do in the right scenario. But I don't do it. If I get something I don't need/want/like, I either donate it to charity, or if someone I know wants it (and they know it was a gift for me and I am not giving it as a gift to them...) then I'll let them have it (as long as I know the original giver would never find out!). I have gotten a few things over the years that I suspect were regifted to me...and I think it's tacky.

 

[Jenn Lynn]

I have no problem regifting generic things like B&BW or candles. I could never regift clothes or even toys.