Dec. 20 Marks National Regifting Day (original) (raw)

It's the gift giving time of year, but do you ever wonder if the gift you receive has been recycled.

Or are you guilty of regifting yourself?

According to Money Management International, Dec. 20 is National Regifting Day.

It's not exactly a national holiday, but MMI did release the results of a regifting survey given to more than 1,000 people.

The survey found 62-percent of people say they regift because they think the item is something the recipient would really like.

42-percent say they regift to save money.

As for whether or not regifting is acceptable, more than half-- 60-percent think it is.

U.S. News & World Report address the etiquette of regifting:

MAKE SURE RECIPIENT WILL LIKE IT:

Most people who regift do so because the gift is perfect for someone else (77-percent), which is what gift giving is all about.

"You don't want the recipient to have any feeling at all that you are giving them the castoff," says Peggy Post, etiquette expert and author of Excuse Me, But I Was Next.

"At the bottom of all this, it's all about being respectful and considerate." Post is an admitted regifter.

In one instance she received two copies of the same book and gave one unwrapped copy to her mother-in-law after explaining the entire situation.

It's also acceptable to regift when you are absolutely certain the recipient would like to have that gift, Post says.

REGIFT TO CERTAIN SOCIAL CIRCLES:

If you're going to regift, you need to do it outside of the social circle where you originally received the gift.

Some 29-percent of regift recipients recognized the regift because they were present when the gift was first given.

"If you were given something by someone in your church group, give it to someone in your school group," says Marsha Collier, a Los Angles-based eBay expert and admitted regifter.

"Always send out a thank you note right away and put a Post-it on it so you don't regive it to the same circle of friends."

MAKE SURE ITS NEW:

Leon Foerster, an insurance agent in Ripon, Wis., recalls receiving an 8-track player full of cobwebs as a wedding gift – a sure tip-off something is not new.

Post recommends you don't regift anything that does not come with its original packaging and instructions.

The least you can do is rewrap the gift and put a fresh card on it. A full 16-percent of regifters were spotted because the gift tag had the wrong name on it, Tassimo found.

You never want to give away a gift the original giver took great care to select, Post says, such as a homemade sweater or scarf.

You should also hold on to handmade and one-of-a kind items.

the most common regifted items, Tassimo found, are decorative household knickknacks like vases, paintings and picture frames.