Regifting...

[HappyDays10101]

Seriously, just take that shit to the charity shop!

If someone gives you something that you don’t want, and you’re not on the poverty line, just take it to a charity shop rather than pass it on. I have a friend who’s gifts I always have to bin as I just don’t want a dirty candle, or expired skincare, but of course I can’t say so IRL.

Just suggest stopping the gifts & going for a meal out with the money you're saving. It seems a bit pointless.

My sister is the queen of bad charity-shop gift-giving. It's perfectly possible to find nice, appropriate gifts in the charity shop if you're careful.
Over time, though, she's given my DC opened and half used craft sets, and scratched and matted Barbie ponies.

The best (or worst) was my gift, which was a duo picture-frame-and-clock thing.

It was very outdated.
It was broken.
It was engraved with someone else's name and the fact that it was their 30 year long-service thankyou gift for working at Shell Oil.

Urgh. No thanks.

I think unless you've been given something that you wouldn't use but someone else would really like (eg a decent bottle of Moet champagne or something) then the regift needs to be not in lieu of an actual gift.

Eg I do this with baby stuff where I was given clothes that didn't fit in the right season etc. I'd give someone a 'real' gift but also the clothes.

Noticed regifting is rife amongst children's parties presents. When a shit present is given that you'd never actually buy I wonder how many times it's done the rounds before ending up with my kid.

I offered a hamper box of tea, coffee and biscuits to my MIL the first year I met her son.

I found out she split the box into 2 gifts for her brothers... This is how I found out about the magic of regifting.

What about buying gifts second hand on gumtree/eBay etc? Is that any better to regifting?

I personally don’t see the issue if it’s something the receiver would like. I often do it with pre schooler presents as we sometimes get duplicates

I regift and have done particularly with unwanted children's presents. I would only regift nice items. My children, particularly when they were smaller would sometimes get duplicate presents or items they didn't want or were too young for them. I would regift them to another child. I would only do this with nice items which were in perfect condition. Any items that we didn't think suitable to regift would go to the next Christmas fair. When my children were small and had big birthday parties not all their presents would be a hit. Regifting the non suitable ones ( but making sure they would be suitable for the recipient) was a sensible thing to do.

@HappyDays10101

The skincare set I was given yesterday has a sell by date of June 2020, and the toner has pieces of mould in the pipette!

Surely the answer is to regift that next year. And if it is returned to you, rinse, repeat.

A friend gave me cashmere bed socks which were way too big, as I have small feet. I offered them to my Mum, knowing they would fit her, and she was delighted.

I don’t re-gift as such
More ‘I had this bought for me but I won’t use/drink/eat/read/whatever-could you make use of it?’
If yes I’ll cheerfully give it away
Or it goes into the charity shop bag and off it goes

My mother used to re-gift all the time-and then go mental if I gave it away/lobbed it into the charity shop bag,claiming she’d bought it new
She got caught out when she re-gifted me my present to her the year before

Depends what the gift is really. If it’s something rather expensive that you think the other person would genuinely like then why not? If it’s a cheap bath set then yeah, it’s a thoughtless thing to do.

I regift a lot, especially nice toiletries. If I give to a friend or family member I will tell them but I usually donate gift sets to the local hospice for their summer fayre tombola.
A few years ago I received a lovely toiletry set from a parent for Christmas but they'd left the original tag on along the lines of 'To my wonderful sweetheart from Bunny Ears'.

@AfterSchoolWorry

Hmm. I used to work with children. At Christmas I'd get lots of very nice chocolates and bath/body sets and smelly candles/those oil sticks thingys.

The body sets are wasted on me as I have very dry sensitive skin, so I'd usually pass them on if they were brand new, quality and perfect condition. Similar scented candles etc, I have asthma so I can't tolerate them but some people love them.

I couldn't eat the amount of chocolates given. I'd usually supplement any regift with a bottle of wine or similar.

This year I do have a bag with left overs from last year, i literally don't know what to do with a tin box of Bayliss and Harding and scented sticks in a bottle of oil !!! 🤷🏻‍♀️

I LOVE candles!!

cant get enough of them, so if you know me, and you got any you dont want! send em over!!

Just another angle on this. Offering an unwanted gift to someone who may like it is fine with me BUT not for a birthday or Xmas present. Yes to passing on items which may otherwise not get used but I feel that Xmas and birthdays is a time for choosing a gift in a store for our special friends or family, not choosing it from our own dusty cupboards.

I wouldn't regift, but I have offered unwanted gifts to people who would like them. For example I was given a handbag, never have and never intend to use a handbag, but I know someone who loves them so told them it was an unwanted gift and would they like it, and they were delighted.
Although the handwash and perfumed hand lotion sets (can't use due to eczema) are donated to charity or I'll put them in the food bank collection if they want them!

YANBU fair enough if it was a nice new gift then I wouldn't know any different but isn't she embarassed to give you dirty and expired crap?

I was once given a Michael Kors clutch bag. Very well intentioned just not my style or colour. I re-gifted it to a friend and she loved it. I think that's a sensible thing to do. I agree people should not re-gift things that are grubby or past their sell by date, but otherwise think it's a good idea.

I did mind re-gifting in general, from an environmental point of view it makes sense, and if it's a nice, sealed toiletries set, or a scarf in a colour you don't like, why not?

However, I was given a bottle of open gin for my birthday last year, clearly been opened, tried and sellotaped closed. That's crossing a line, surely.

Seriously, just take that shit to the charity shop!

YABVVVVVVU. If it's a dirty candle or expired skincare then put it in the bin. I work in a charity shop and it's costs the charity money to get rid of useless crap like that.

isn't she embarassed to give you dirty and expired crap

On the contrary, she often tells me that she’s ‘generous to a fault’ and ‘loves gifting’ - she has a generous nature you see. Can’t help herself. Aaaaargh!

I got some hats for the boyfriend to go running in. He said they aren’t the right material.

They’ll be regifted for my dad. He wears them most days. They’ve literally just had the tag taken off them.

You sound like you don’t really like her, so why not just suggest dropping the gifts exchange next year? I did that for a couple of not close friends, I got sick of a cheese and chutney set from them every year for five years!

I wouldn’t hesitate to regift something I didn’t like if it was in date, in good condition and I thought the other person would appreciate it more. I have a book where I keep record of what I’ve given people and received so I don’t send things back to people!

Why would a charity shop want that stuff either? They would have to pay to dispose of it. Chuck it/recycle it in your own bin.

@HappyDays10101

isn't she embarassed to give you dirty and expired crap

On the contrary, she often tells me that she’s ‘generous to a fault’ and ‘loves gifting’ - she has a generous nature you see. Can’t help herself. Aaaaargh!

Oh my that would actually irritate me even more. Can you save it for her birthday and gift it back? Say you enjoyed the mouldy candles so much you specially found a similar one for her!

BIL regifted an item several months past its sell by date obviously from the previous Christmas - and you needed specific equipment to be able to use it.