Is Re-gifting Okay?

Here's an "ethical" money-related question from Money regarding re-gifting of presents. It starts with this question from a reader:

A business associate of my husband's recently gave us a large, decorative ceramic bowl as a gift. Since we don't happen to care for it, would there be anything wrong with giving it to some friends for Christmas? The bowl is perfectly nice, just not to our taste.

Here's Money's take on the situation:

The real issue: Is the bowl to your friends' taste? And, if so, would they be unfazed to learn that you've given them a gift you received from someone else but didn't want?

Unless you can honestly answer "yes" to both questions, you shouldn't give them the bowl.

Here's my take on the issue:

• Of course don't pass along something if you think the receiver would hate it. Who would do that anyway?
• Whether they know it is re-gifted or not does not matter. It's something you own and you can do whatever you want to with it.
• I wouldn't recommend re-gifting if the person who gave you the gift is friends with the person you're giving it to. Too much potential for hurt feelings.

This will come as no shock to most of you, but my wife and I do this all the time. If we get something we don't like, we put it in a cabinet for future giving -- when we find someone who would like it. In addition, we have friends that re-gift (and admit it) all the time. Last spring I received a rose bush (which I LOVED!) from this couple. Ok, it was part gift and part rescue mission as they had let the rose get close to death, but I got it healthy and it gave me three dozen flowers this year!

Comments

[Tom]

As long as you think that there is nothing wrong with re-gifting, I'll ask you these questions - do you explain to the recipients that you are re-gifting? If not, why not? If asked - would you deny? If so - why? If you revealed the re-gifting, what kind of response would you expect from the recipients?

[FMF]

Those are a lot of questions to answer so early in the morning, but here goes:

I do not explain to people that I'm re-gifting, just like I don't tell them where I got a gift, how much I paid for it, etc. for gifts that I buy outright.

I would not deny it if asked -- why would I?

I don't think the re-gifting "reveal" would matter. If I gave something that the person liked, I don't think they'd care where it came from. I know I wouldn't.