Unwanted Gifts: 18 Ways to Cure the Unwanted Gift Blues

Photo by permission of Kasia

Updated on 12/17/2012.

It’s bright and shiny and often carries an equally bright ribbon.  You open the box and you start to sweat when you look into the box.  It can only be described as (shuddering…) the UNWANTED Gift.   Maybe it is two sizes too big. Perhaps it looks like it has been sitting in someone’s closet just waiting to be given to another person.  (Yes, you are in the presence of a “re-gifter.”  You know who you are.)  Maybe, it is something you simply do not like.

Didn’t you hear growing up, “it is the gift that counts?” Well, until you get the Aunt Millie special, that saying takes on a new meaning. Here are 18 ways to leave your Unwanted Gift (If you want to sing Paul Simon’s song, “Fifty Ways to leave your Lover,” then just go right ahead as you read this list. I don’t care if you can carry a tune.)

• Swap those unwanted DVDs, books, or CDs, Reid!  Check out Swap, (formerly known as Swaptree)  the multi-media swapping site. See my other  article for other book, CD, and DVD swapping sites.

• Swap everything even the garden hose, Rose.   Super swap at SwopLot. Not into the impersonalized idea of online swapping? Get close and personal at your local SwopMeet.

• Got unwanted game, Lane? Swap it at Goozex.
  

• Barter harder, George at Barter Place . Offer to barter or sell your unwanted lovelies.

• Do the Swapace, Mace. There are over 80,000 items ready for you to swap listed on the site. Who loves you?

• Don’t like that shade of make-up or mascara, Sarah? Swap it and other skincare products at Makeup Alley. While you are there, join their forum and converse with beauty product lovers. There is even a green thread for us eco lovers.

• Have a yard sale, Gail! At your next yard sale, create a table of all your unwanted gifts. Let each person who spends over $25 get to choose a gift of their choice. One caveat. Make sure the gift givers do not come to your yard sale! (Thanks to Woman’s Day for this tip.)

• Leave the gift, Biff! Put the gift near your mailbox or house with a note to say “free” or “take it if you want it.” It will be gone by the day’s end. (Another Woman’s Day tip!)

• Show me the money, Honey. Sell it on EBay or Craigslist. Selling on craigslist is free.

• Give it away, Ray on Freecycle. Another free service where one person’s trash, is another person’s treasure!

• Clothes item too big or too small, Paul? Did not like the sweater or shirt you received? Swap it at Swapstyle. (For Green Talk UK readers,check out more swap shops here.)

• Consign away the blues, Lou. Check here for a consignment shop near you.

• Donate it to a charity, Harriet! Consider giving the gift to Goodwill or the Salvation Army. For more information on other charities that accept donations, check here.

• Give some heart, Bart. Give the gift to someone who you know will like it. You can offer it to your friends, co-workers, neighbors, or cleaning women. Just explain that you are offering the gift because you thought they might like it.

• Don’t get antsy, Nancy. Simply exchange it. I always obtain a gift receipt when I purchase something for someone else. There are plenty of picky people like me in the world.

• Remake it, Jake. Practice the 3 Rs, Repurpose, Reuse, and Re-do. Make something else out of the gift, shorten it, or use it for something other than what was intended.

• Not sure if re-gifting is okay, Renee? According to Louise Fox, director of Protocol Solutions and The Etiquette Ladies, there is a proper way to re-gift.   Although she says this practice is still unacceptable,  upon rare occasions  you can re-gift when certain criteria are met. Follow the rules, gentlemen and ladies.

What ideas do you have to rid your closet of unwanted gifts?

Similar Posts:

• Unwanted Gift: 5 Top Ways to Give Your Gift a New Home
• Swap and Save, the Green Way
• Swap Mamas: A Mama’s Very Own Swapping, Socializing Site
• Swap ’til You Drop on Swaptree!
• Craigslist, Ebay, and Garage Sale Addict: Part 2 of Being Eco Chic Used Furniture Lover