"Regifting" Without The Guilt!

Giving to others is one of the joys of the holiday season.

But what about giving as a gift an item that had been given to you as one?

On The Early Show Tuesday, consumer correspondent Susan Koeppen answered questions from co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez about gifts worthy of being turned around and use for regifting:

Why do people regift instead of buying something new for somebody else?

They want to save money, they want to recycle, or it's a last-minute thing. They didn't have time to run out and buy a gift.

What are the most common gifts that are regifted?

Wine, picture frames, books

If we want to regift, what are some of the things we should do to make that gift special for some else?

You need to personalize things-- beef them up a bit. Add some goodies to a bottle of wine. Put a special picture in a picture frame. Wrte something inside s book or buy nice book mark.

Can baskets and gift bags be regifted?

Those, I regift all the time. If someone gives you a basket, take it and do something special with it to make another gift for someone. And gift bags can be reused for sure, to spruce up a gift.

What are some of the don'ts?

You need to keep track of who gave you what, so you don't regift the gift back to the person who gave it to you! You also don't want to regift something that was made for you, like a quilt or a scarf.

And there are regifting Web sites?

Swapgift.com allows you to swap gift cards. Regift.com is a site operated by Credit Counselor Money Management International. The site operates as a regifting guide, reinforcing regifting ethics, providing stories of regifting in practice, and suggesting alternatives, such as charitable giving.
And of course, there's eBay, as a place to sell and buy regifts.

If you want to avoid giving something that will be regifted what do you give?

Cash and gift cards. That's what most people say they want for the holidays!