How to approach regifting the right way

There are plenty of risks that can come with regifting. Friends and family might be disappointed to discover you’ve not kept the present they spent time picking out. Equally, people might be put off when you've gifted them an old present, rather than a new one.

Fortunately, when done right, regifting is a sustainable and simple way to give people presents you know they’ll love. Just remember not to send your regifted item to the person who bought it for you in the first place!

These are the five rules to keep in mind if you want to regift a gift as quickly and hassle-free as possible:

First (and most importantly), when settling on a present to regift, it must be something that holds real, tangible value. The last thing you want to do is regift a cheap item!

So, when considering what items to regift to someone else, take the time to decide which gift would work for who. After all, you want to make sure it’s well-received.

Naturally, when thinking about gifting a previous present, it goes without saying that you shouldn’t choose gifts with a limited shelf life or that were part of a trend that’s since gone out of fashion. On top of this, regifting any form of personalised item or something a friend or family member put a lot of creative time and energy into is an absolute no-no.

The second of our rules for regifting is an absolutely essential one. Whatever gift you’re planning on regifting, make sure that all previous gift tags are removed before you wrap it.

Gifting labels, price tags, etc.—all of them need to go. The last thing you want is for your recipient to open their present and find out that it was originally addressed to someone else.

Our third rule should go without saying, but if you are sending someone a present that’s a regift, it needs to be re-wrapped. A regift is still a gift, and it looks cheap and thoughtless if you just hand it to them directly or in a bag.

As much as some of the gifts you want to regift might suit close people you know, you ideally don’t want other people in the same social circle to recognise the present you’ve decided to reuse.

That’s why it’s very important to only regift to those in different social circles. This helps keep potential gift recognition and hurt feelings to a minimum. And as a general rule of thumb, the more specific the gift in question, the further from the circle it needs to go.

Regifting an item is a great way to recycle presents that you won’t use. However, you want to ensure you’re regifting the right items to the right people.

So if the person you had in mind could potentially regift the item you’re sending them, find an alternative regifting method instead. For example, regift the item to a charity shop. Then, it’ll be bought by someone who really appreciates it and the money will go to an excellent cause!

And there you have it; those are our top tips for regifting presents. When done right, they can be truly meaningful, and help to make sure that no present ever goes to waste. Not only that, but regifting can be a great way to save money, and you can save even more when delivering it by choosing Evri.

Our team of local Couriers are always on hand to deliver your gifts quickly. Book your order online for collection, visit your nearest ParcelShop, or head to your nearest Locker, and leave your gift in our capable hands. And don’t forget, you can track your present with our free tracking service, and you can find more gifting blogs like this one in our guides section.