What is considered basic etiquette when thanking someone for a gift?

[Evain5]

I have attended a few occasions (big birthdays, christenings etc) where the person hasn’t opened the present here (understandably so). However I’ve then not received any text or contact at all to say thanks for the present. What’s the general etiquette now for this? I always message to thank someone for the gifts.

Something like a wedding or Christening where they send you a paper invitation then they should send you a handwritten paper note.
Otherwise a personal note of thanks via WhatsApp/ email/ text is ok these days, except for children who still should write thank you letters.
No thank you- no more gifts for you!

I brought my friend a lovely piece of jewellery for her 40th birthday. It wasn’t cheap and she had admired my similar piece often. This was weeks ago and I haven’t heard a word

I put £100 in a card for a friend's wedding (as well as sending a nice bouquet of flowers when she got engaged). Not a thank you for either. £100 is a lot of money for me. I thought she was a good friend but we're no longer in touch because I realised I was putting all the effort in.

I would be texting to check she’d received the gift

That’s really rude.

When someone sends a present I always message them to say thank you straight after opening. If I was given a present I didn’t open at the time, I’d do the same thing. It’s just polite.

She did. I handed it to her

On the whole, a verbal thank you if the present is delivered in person and opened there and then, and a text or written message if it arrives through the post or via someone else OR if it's opened away from the giver.

Thank you at point of receipt, whether that's in person or on/within 24 hrs of delivery.

I think we should say thank you at the time of receipt and when you open it you say thank you for exactly what it was.

I dont make children write thank you notes. Family are thanked at the time and usually there at opening. If not we send a message and photo with gift.

For parties the parents are sent a message either individually to say thank you or in the group chat - everyone in my children’s class does this.

I stopped giving my SD gifts as she would take it with a look of surprise and say ' oh what's this' , and if she opened it in front of me would announce the gift, ' oh a bracelet, you've given me a bracelet ' ....... Then tumbleweed.

Did she say thank you when you handed it to her? If not, rude anyway. If she did, then she has thanked you. It would be nice if her to say how much she loved it at some point, but not essential I don’t think.

As some have said, it's okay these days to text a thank you although personally if I received a gift from someone, I would send a small thank you card expressing my pleasure in the gift with a heartfelt thank you.
It takes a bit of time and effort to write a card and send it and people generally are very pleased to receive a card in the post.
As for people who don't respond with any form of thanks for a gift that I have sent, then my opinion of them would change if there was no extenuating circumstances.
I wouldn't bother again and I'm sure the relationship would be taken down a notch.

You cannot beat a handwritten note or card to thank someone for a gift. It is just good manners in my opinion.

Sending a thank you of any kind also means they know you received it!

I didn’t get a birthday present from my brother this year, just a card & a text on the day. This was soon after SIL’s birthday & she thanked me for the present I sent her, so it’s definitely not a new ‘let’s just buy for the kids’ policy that nobody told me about.
I’m left wondering whether he thought he’d sent me something & didn’t, or it got lost on the way, & I’m not going to say anything unless they do or get sniffy with them about it.
But if I’ve posted something & not had an acknowledgment a fortnight after the event date, I do usually check it actually got there.

I honestly can’t believe one of our colleagues hasn’t thanked our team for the wedding gift we bought her from her wedding list. Incredibly rude!