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Regift: (verb) To give an unwanted gift to someone else; to give as a gift something one previously received as a gift.  Webster’s New Millennium™ Dictionary of English, Preview Edition (v 0.9.6).

So as we all begin to recover from the Holiday madness, we are faced with two unique dilemas.  The first is what to get the several people on your shopping list that you never got around to, and secondly, what do you do with the pink socks from Aunt Susan.  The answer is exactly what you were thinking all along… REGIFT!  What was once a “dirty” word around the holiday season is now a widely acceptable form of gift giving.  Recent study’s show that more than 67% of all people have participated in some form of regifting.  For me personally, it is becoming more of a practice in recycling or not wasting a perfectly good item. “Back in the day”, we would simply throw away an unwanted gift or it would simply sit in a drawer and never see the light of day… two VERY wasteful results.

Gaining in Popularity
Not only is re-gifting perceived as an economical choice, but many also see it as a “green” alternative to wasting unwanted presents. According to the survey, 73 percent of adults “view re-gifting or reselling as a form of recycling, up from 69 percent.” And while some may perceive re-gifting as a negative, one-third of those surveyed said they would rather receive a gift that they could re-gift or resell than not receive a gift at all.
Of those adults who have re-gifted, their top reasons for doing so included:

• The item was a better match for someone else (68 percent)
• They didn’t think they would use the item (66 percent)
• It wasn’t their taste (61 percent)

According to eBay’s survey, the most popular items adults would re-gift include:

• Wine, champagne or spirits (21 percent)
• Trinkets or collectibles (21 percent)
• Beauty or bath products (21 percent)
• DVDs, CDs or books (16 percent)
• Electronics/appliances (14 percent)
• Fruitcake (14 percent)

So don’t be ashamed, the art of regifting is socially acceptable and even socially responsible.  You can shun the guilt and know that Aunt Susan’s pink socks were actually greatly appreciated… by your friend Karen! Nonetheless there are several things to take into consideration before switching out the name tags on your gifts, so let’s go over the basics of Regifting 101:

If you are thinking about regifting this holiday season, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Is the gift regiftable? Never regift handmade or one-of-a-kind items.  Signed books and monogrammed items are off-limits.  Do you have to be told not to regift free promotional items?  Some gifts that are good candidates for regifting include good (unopened!) bottles of wine, new household items and inexpensive jewelry.
2. How is the condition? Only new, unopened gifts in good condition should be considered for regifting.  Never give partially used gift cards.  Don’t give items that you have owned for a long time.  A general rule of thumb:  if you have to dust it off, it is not regiftable.
3. Is this going to work? Successful regifters use common sense.  If you are going to regift, be sure you know who gave you the item, so you don’t return something to the original giver.  Only regift items to people who are not likely to see the original giver.
4. Do you have good intentions? Don’t just give a gift to give a gift.  Be sure that the recipient will appreciate the item.  Remember, if you feel that an item is undesirable, the recipient probably will too.  If you are regifting simply because you ran out of time, gift cards are simple to obtain and always well received.
5. How does it look? When it comes to gift-giving, go for show!  While gift bags in good condition can be reused, wrapping paper is a one-time thing.  Always spring for a new card or gift tag.
6. Can you handle it? If you don’t plan to announce the gift as a regift, ask yourself if you can keep the secret.  Never feel guilty about regifting once you’ve done it.
7. Have you considered your options? An unwanted gift could be a welcome donation to a charitable organization. It is also an option to suck it up and keep an unwanted gift—after all, it was a gift.So go ahead… let’s get those pink socks wrapped up and ready to go… Karen’s waiting!