I’ve no regrets about regifting | EUROtoday

Most of us have acquired at the least one Christms current that missed the mark – a jumper that does not match, a hideous decoration or a fragrance you do not like.

Not each current is greeted with delight – so as a substitute of banishing them to the again of a cabinet, how are you going to eliminate them with out inflicting offence?

For Dawn-Maria France from North Yorkshire, the answer to undesirable presents is straightforward – go them on to another person. She says proper after Christmas is the right time.

She by no means feels any guilt for doing so and believes it’s a extra sustainable means of celebrating the festive season. “One year I was given some garden seeds that I had no use for,” she says.

Rather than letting them go to waste, Dawn-Maria re-gifted them to a green-fingered good friend. “It’s a budget-friendly way to manage spending, especially during the cost-of-living crisis, and it’s helped me declutter my home,” she provides.

The behavior may additionally assist sort out a a lot greater drawback. Each 12 months, an estimated £42m value of undesirable presents are thrown away within the UK, with some ending up in landfill.

Dawn-Maria re-wrapped her backyard seeds including a personalised be aware hinting that it was a regift. “I was given this but I knew you’d love it,” she wrote.

“It promotes sustainability,” she says. “I have no regrets about regifting”.

So how do you regift with out inflicting offence?

“Don’t get caught out,” warns Louise Minchin, who presents the BBC’s Rip Off Britain programme, advising regifters to take away any labels or notes that is likely to be addressed to another person.

Before re-wrapping she recommends inspecting the reward fastidiously to ensure no seals have been damaged or present indicators of damage.

If it has been opened or is a part of an incomplete set, it is a clear giveaway the merchandise is not new.

“I’ve been caught out,” admits BBC Radio 2’s Reverend Kate Bottley who forgot to test there wasn’t a card inside a present she handed on. “They opened it and I said ‘Oh no, I’m so sorry,'” she recollects.

It’s sufficient to make each events cringe. The BBC’s Morning Live common Dr Oscar remembers being handed a field of goodies with the message “Dear Mrs Smith, Thanks for being my teacher this year”. It did not cease him regifting although, “I just took the label off for the next one,” he says.

Etiquette skilled Antoinette Akanji’s has one other golden rule: regift exterior your social circle.

“If your aunt has given you a jumper that you didn’t like, do not regift this to your cousin,” she says. “She may see your cousin wearing it and this could provoke an awkward conversation.”

“You need to ensure that the original giver and the new recipient aren’t likely to cross paths.”

Kirsty Quinn, 36 from Oxfordshire says she makes about £500 a month reselling objects sourced from automotive boot gross sales and charity retailers on eBay and Vinted.

“I think if you receive a gift that you’re not going to use or don’t like, and it’s likely to just sit in a drawer or even end up in landfill, then I don’t see the harm in re-gifting…or selling it online,” she says.

“Selling unwanted gifts can help someone else get something they want at a cheaper price, which feels especially relevant given how tough the economy is at the moment,” she provides.

“It also means the seller can put that money towards something they actually need, something that improves their life, or something they’ll truly use. To me, that feels more practical and sustainable than letting items go to waste.”

Vinted says the primary Sunday of every 12 months sees a spike in listings of undesirable presents – averaging thrice the traditional each day charge

Last 12 months’s top-listed objects girls’s toiletries and perfumes, jewelry, nightwear and make-up, in keeping with the platform.

Fashion dominated the most-bought objects after Christmas intently adopted by leisure and electronics, Vinted says.

Vinted’s ideas for reselling presents with out offending the one who purchased them embrace utilizing a username that isn’t simply identifiable and holding the background of photographs impartial.

“Many members will however choose to regift openly, and will include phrases like ‘unwanted gift’ in their item description,” a Vinted spokesperson says. “This often helps buyers better understand the condition of the item.”

If regifting would not really feel proper there are many different methods to go on the enjoyment, says Louise.

Donating to charity is an apparent choice – and one that may make an actual distinction. Charity retailers eagerly await the post-christmas clear-out, when undesirable presents change into another person’s treasure.

This can also be echoed by Allison Swaine-Hughes, retail director on the British Heart Foundation.

“If you have decorations that didn’t quite fit your theme, a board game you’ve been gifted twice, or a Christmas jumper that’s no longer your colour, why not let them brighten someone else’s home or wardrobe by donating them to us?”

And it is not about simply donating – buying in charity retailers over Christmas could make a distinction too.

“Our stores are full of unexpected treasures – quality items just waiting to find loving new homes,” she says.

If you are frightened a relative may stumble throughout the merchandise they’d purchased you whereas they discount hunt you’ll be able to at all times donate to a charity store exterior of your native space.

If you are the one giving the current, you may make life simpler for the recipient in case you embrace a receipt.

“If you’re giving someone a gift and include a gift receipt, it gives them far more options,” explains Louise, particularly when the merchandise is high-value.

A present receipt often permits the recipient to alternate the merchandise in-store or obtain a credit score be aware.

In some circumstances, a refund could also be supplied, however that is determined by the retailer’s particular person coverage.

Without a receipt, issues can rapidly change into uncomfortable, so Louise recommends an honesty first coverage: “Don’t be afraid to say, ‘I’m really sorry, but I’d like to exchange this for something else do you have the original receipt?'”