Regifting ideas and etiquette

If you received some, ahem, unsatisfying presents during the holidays, you may be wondering whether you can regift them.

Passing on gifts you’ve received as presents to others is OK in certain circumstances, says Regiftable.com, a site run by the nonprofit Money Management International.

Don’t regift homemade or one-of-a-kind items, signed books, monogrammed or free promotional items, the site advises. Only new gifts in good condition should be regifted.

And if you don’t plan to announce that the item is a regift, Regiftable notes, ask yourself whether you can keep the secret.

The site also offers guidelines for holding an “official” regifting party. If you’d rather not regift and would prefer to offer your time as the present -- a night of baby-sitting, for instance -- Regiftable has a tool to create a customized gift certificate.

For a laugh, check out the reader-submitted regifting stories on the site.

-- Scott J. Wilson