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Etiquette Expert Weighs In On The Rules Of Re-Gifting

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- It was once thought of as tacky or tasteless, but now re-gifting is a way of life. But there are some ways to pull it off without getting caught, CBS 2's Emily Smith reports.

It's that time of year when people are rushing out to get the perfect presents, but all to often what lies beneath the wrapping paper isn't always what you want or need.

In a new research poll conducted for CouponCabin.com, 41 percent of U.S. adults say they have re-gifted while 35 percent say they've been on the receiving end of the re-gifted gift.

EXTRA: See The Full Survey

We talked with etiquette expert Thomas Farley who has some tricks of the trade to re-gifting.

"You want to make sure the price tag is removed, the gift tag more importantly," he said."That will be hugely embarrassing."

Proper re-gifting also means the item has never been used and make sure the gift matches what you truly think the receiver  likes.

"What you don't want is to be thinking 'Thomas went through his closet two hours ago and grabbed whatever he could find,'" said Farley.

If done right, the receiver will never know you re-gifted, nor should they.

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"Even if it's the same bottle that somebody gave you, you can easily point out 'wow I know you like this bottle. You gave it to me a few years ago and I am now a fan, so here's a bottle for you.' A little white lie never hurts," said Farley.

So next time you get a gift you don't necessarily like or need,  think of it as a fun challenge. Store it in a bin and make note of who gave it to you to avoid recycling it back to the giver.

According to the world-renowned Emily Post Institute, the most obvious re-gifted item is fruit cake.

Post suggests re-gifting only if it's something you would want to buy for someone but just happen to already have.

Have you re-gifted? Sound off below in our comments section...

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