The Etiquette of Regifting

Regifting is always a hot topic, and it used to be so taboo to do it. But today, with sustainability at the forefront of many of our minds (and inflation, too) regifting can be a fantastic way to give gifts! However, there are some things to consider to make sure the regift goes well and doesn't cause hurt feelings.

The Etiquette of Regifting

In general, when we regift, there’s one straightforward and great way to do it: let the person you’re giving to know that the gift was regifted. So when you receive TWO copies of Emily Post’s Etiquette - The Centennial Edition this year, so long as it isn’t personalized, it’s okay to give one of them away. “Julie, I got two of these for my birthday, and I thought you’d be the perfect person to regift this second copy to!”

Now, if you want to be a bit more covert with your regifting, here are four things we think are important to consider before you choose to regift under the radar:

1. The gift should have its original packaging and all necessary parts and manuals.
2. The gift should not be unique, home, handmade, or personalized (monograms, names, dates, etc.)
3. You need to be 100% sure that the person you’re giving it to and the person who gave it to you would not be offended if the regift was discovered.
4. (Our favorite tip) You must genuinely believe the person receiving the regifted item would appreciate it.

From a politeness perspective, the worst regift is to hand the recipient a wrapped gift with worn-out wrapping paper and a card that is addressed to someone else - and yes, it really has happened!) No matter what, you should always re-wrap your regift and make sure that you write an original card for this gift.

This article first appeared in our Emily Post Etiquette Substack Newsletter as part of a larger gift-giving article. If you've enjoyed this content or are looking for more, please sign up for our newsletter below so it can be delivered straight to your inbox.

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