To Regift or not to regift? That is the question.
Seinfeld popularised the term ‘regifting’ in an episode titled “The Label Maker.” In true Seinfeld form, the key cast members are entwined around a case of suspected regifting of a label maker that cumulates with Elaine dating none other than Bryan Cranston’s character (before his meth making days) simply to confirm a suspicion that he had regifted a label maker she gave him. Aha!! He is found guilty. What’s more he’s guilty of breaking many of my cardinal sins of regifting.
But there are some fans of regifting out there. Planet Ark, for one is a fan of it because it is ultimately a way to ensure the gift doesn’t end up in landfill or wasted. And they are not alone - by midday on Boxing Day you can be sure there will be 100s of new posts on Sell and Swap groups online searching for a way to pass on unwanted gifts.
We all have come across a notorious regifter in our time - they are the ones that do regifting poorly. The best regifters go about their business unnoticed. My position is regifting is okay, so long as you abide by a few rules:
Thou shalt not regift within a circle of friends
You are playing with fire if you regift within a friend group as there’s a highly likelihood you will be sprung. There will be words, there will be awkwardness , there may be tears. This is one test failed in the Seinfeld episode. Regifting Elaine’s present to Jerry – come on! She’s at his place nearly every day, as if this wouldn’t have come up.
Thou shalt not try to pass off used items as gifts
If you received a gift, your instinct was that you don’t like it, but you tried it anyway and you still don’t like it, that’s fine. Just don’t try to pass it off as a gift for someone else. That doesn’t mean you can’t give it to someone else you think might make use of it. Just let them know the situation. Don’t try to pass it off as something new bought for them. This is another test failed in the Seinfeld episode. Once there’s suspicion that the gift was a regift, any goodwill from the gift giving act was eradicated, replaced with distrust and ill-will.
Thou shall regift thoughtfully
Do not perpetuate a useless gift’s life. If you don’t like it and you honestly can’t think of anyone that would, then don’t regift it. Do you really want to be known as a bad gift giver? Giving gifts is meant to be a nice act. You are defying the purpose if you knowingly give a bad gift. Yet another test failed in the Seinfeld episode. The label maker was defective as the adhesive wasn’t sticky enough, rendering the item more than useless.
Thou shall spend the time removing all evidence of this being a regift
Spend time to remove leftover wrapping paper, tape and any gift tag. Also check for personalisation. If there is a monogram or a note inscribed, you probably shouldn’t regift it (as the giver probably put in a lot of effort to get you the gift), but also because it’s a dead giveaway this wasn’t intended for the new recipient.
How best to regift
No one likes the disappointment of opening a gift you simply don’t want or don’t like, especially after spending weeks in excited anticipation. But what if you could turn this situation is something that might make you feel a little good?
Sure, you can join a buy/swap group, but you risk being sprung by the gift giver if it shows up on your social media feed. And let’s be honest, it’s work to sell an item. Why not instead think about donating the unwanted gift?
The St Vincent de Paul Society, the Red Cross or Givit will all happily take your donation of quality items.
Please donate quality items only. But that’s the beauty about regifting, much of the time, we are talking about quality stuff, just stuff that’s maybe not to our taste or a duplicate gift.
On a finishing note, I had to include the best tale of regifting I’ve heard:
The Gift of Inconvenience
A teenage girl ordered a nice sweater online and in the Christmas rush didn’t realised she hadn’t received it. On Christmas day, her Dad handed her a beautifully wrapped package containing the very same sweater. To make a point about her overspending habit, he had intercepted the delivery and chosen to “gift” it to her three weeks later. A perfect gift… of inconvenience.