The art of regifting is a very unique talent. Not everyone can get away with it under the best of circumstances. Some folks simply don’t use common sense, some have none to use and others are simply unlucky when it comes to re-gifting. What if I told you that there are rules out there to prevent you from getting yourself in trouble? What if I showed you how you could re-gift and look good while doing it?
Here are some tips to make that happen for you, but understand that nothing is foolproof. There is always that chance that your attempt at regifting could get discovered through wild circumstance. This list will at least put the odds in your favor.
:: Regifting 101
All regifts must be in perfect condition - Used items that are then re-gifted on top of that are the ultimate gifting sin. If discovered, you will be banished to the other side of Siberia and shamed in every social circle. Never re-gift a used item….never.
All re-gifts have to be perfect for their recipient - Just because you got a meat cutting machine for Christmas and you are a vegetarian, that does not mean you can pass that off to another vegetarian. Find a meat eater. Remember that common sense thing?
All re-gifts have to unwrapped and rewrapped - Imagine getting a gift from your Uncle that has a card inside to your Uncle. That would be a bit embarrassing for him, right? Don’t be him. Instead, unwrap your gift every time and check for inscriptions, notations and cards. Then rewrap the gift as new.
All re-gifts must jump to an entirely different social circle - Most people say you should go as far as possible. I like going out of state and out of social circles myself. That said, if you attempt to re-gift within a family, friendship circle or city, you are risking social embarrassment. Re-gift with folks that have zero chance of ever knowing or bumping into your gifter. This means, if you got a gift from
All re-gifts should be non-perishable - Never re-gift foods because you just never know how many times it might get transferred before turning bad. Simply throw out food items. The lone exception to this is fruit cake. Fruit cake is known to never go bad and it never is actually eaten anyway. I believe there is a single loaf of fruit cake floating around our family that has been in circulation for decades.
Never lie about a re-gift - Always be very ambivalent about the gift and never lie if asked directly. If you are confronted about a re-gift, the jig is usually up and you are probably already busted. Just fess up and take your social lumps.