Regifting orregiving is the act of taking agift that has been received and giving it to somebody else, sometimes in the guise of a new gift.
Regifting differs from straightforward giving in that goods are not acquired specifically for donation. Typically, goods that have been received as a gift are offered to others, unbeknown to them that it was originally a gift to the person offering it.[1] Often the motives are principally charitable but also includes giving items which are surplus to one's needs. However, regifting also refers to the act of giving away unwanted gifts as a way of disposing them.
Regiving differs fromrecycling in that recycling is most often associated with breaking components down and rebuilding into new products.[2][3]
The term was popularized by a 1995 episode of theNBCsitcomSeinfeld ("The Label Maker"), although the practice pre-dates the term considerably.[4][5][6] In the episode, the characterElaine callsDr. Tim Whatley a "regifter" after he givesJerry Seinfeld a label maker that was originally given to Whatley by Elaine. (Whatley later reveals to Elaine that the label maker was faulty, which gave him the excuse to give the item away.)
Another variant introduced inSeinfeld is degifting (seeIndian giver), which refers to the act of demanding a gift back from the receiver.
Several rules ofetiquette are proposed in popular media regarding regifting; they include rewrapping the gift, not using the gift before regifting it, and not giving the gift back to the original gift-giver.[7][8]
Regifting has become a popular addition to manywhite elephant gift exchanges or yankee swap events. There are no rules that specifically prohibit or encourage the practice of regifting at these parties, but generally the host of the party suggests regifting if it is an option. However, if the host suggests a spending limit for the party, it is generally poor etiquette to regift in lieu of making a purchase. The online variations of these exchanges eliminate this situation through their online purchasing requirements. One example of a formalization of this activity are the white elephant gift exchanges, in which items can be regifted from year to year.
A variant of regifting was mentioned as one ofOprah's Favorite Things during therecession-themed 2008 episode.
AFairleigh Dickinson University PublicMind Poll in December 2010 showed that regifting was commonplace.[9] Burçak Ertimur, one of the investigators in the study, and a professor of marketing at FDU, said “The popularity of regifting is driven by many things for different people. For some, it’s thrift in difficult economic times, or it’s a way to get around annoyingly high expectations about gift-giving. It’s also awareness of, or guilt over, how much stuff goes into the landfill. But the main reason might be just the sheer volume of stuff we have,” she said.[10]
Regifting has recently become more acceptable when it was adopted by environmentally and budgetary conscious people that encourage thegreen gifting concept.[11]
In the US, National Regifting Day is December 18, created by a debt-counselling group calledMoney Management International.[12] Many office holiday parties are held on this day, and research shows that 40% of office party gifts are regifted without use.[13] On October 24, 2008, the Governor ofColorado,Bill Ritter Jr., declared December 18, 2008, "National Regifting Day". In Canada, eBay marketed "National Re-gifting Week" as December 26–30, after Christmas.[14]
The official holiday was created three years ago by a debt-counseling group called Money Management International as a way of espousing recycling and avoiding debt.
In the 'spirit of giving and regiving', eBay Canada is offering five free listings to each of its users during its 'National Re-Gifting Week', Dec. 26 to Dec. 30.
