I would be a hypocrite if I said I had never carried out the act of “regifting”. I think most people have done it at least once in their lifetime, even if they won’t admit to it. There is a time and a place for it, but you need to be mindful that you don’t hurt anyone’s feelings. Some people are really open about the fact that they “regift”. I’ve had people wrap up a novel and give it to me as a gift after they had read it. It didn’t really bother me. I just found it amusing that they actually told me about it. If they hadn’t, I would have never known.
Let’s face it. Sometimes we do receive gifts that we know we will never use. Rather than have them sit in the closet to collect dust, it only makes sense to give them away to someone who will make good use of them. That being said, I don’t recommend “regifting” anything of sentimental value. Even if you won’t use it, it’s better to hang onto it rather than risk the chance of hurting someone you love.
There are some definite advantages to “regifting”. For one, you decrease the amount of clutter in your home. Secondly, you aren’t wasting good gifts. Just because you will never use it, doesn’t mean someone else won’t love it. Thirdly, you will save both money and time by “regifting”.
The most important thing to take note of is who gave you the gift. You don’t want to end up giving it away a few years down the road to the same person who gave it to you! If you do plan to “regift”, it’s better to do it right away so you won’t run the risk of making that mistake.
“Regifting” certainly isn’t for everyone. For those who are uncomfortable with the concept, an alternative is to give away the items without wrapping them and making them seem like a gift. It all boils down to your comfort level. With the exception of pack rats, I would imagine that most people would be at least somewhat comfortable in “regifting” at least once in their life.
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