How Do You Politely Ask For Gifts?

Everyone loves gifts and wants to receive gifts from their friends and family members on various occasions or when throwing a party. However, when you are inviting people to a party there are chances they might not bring any gift. So you can consider asking people to bring gifts. Though, there is a debate about whether it is polite to ask for gifts or not. Moreover, we hear a very common question of “How do you politely ask for gifts?” from our readers.

If you appropriately ask for gifts then most guests won’t consider it as rude behavior. You can also give a hint of the gift that you are asking for as it will help the guest to buy the right gift for you. However, you have to ensure that you are not using any harsh words when asking for gifts and try to make your request as polite as possible.

So if you are wondering how to ask for gifts politely, it requires a bit of tact. Keep reading the article if you are interested to know the process of asking for gifts politely.

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Things To Consider Before Asking For Gifts

There are a few things you should consider fast before asking for gifts. You also have to clear your mind and decide what type of gifts you want from the guests. Below are a few things that will help you decide what gift you should ask for.

Occasion

This is a very important factor to consider. Whether it’s a birthday party, Christmas, a wedding, or a completely different occasion; you should ask for the gifts depending on them. Moreover, you also have to consider the size of the party, if it’s a big party or small gathering, the number of people coming, etc. The answer to these questions will tell you what kind of invitation to send and whether you should ask for gifts. If you are throwing a big party then you can go with impersonal and short cards but for small gatherings, you can send personalized invitations.

Guests

The types of guests you are inviting also decide whether you should request gifts or not. Are you inviting your close friends and family members or throwing a party for your coworkers, bosses, and people that you know a little off? If you are inviting your friends and family members then you can simply ask for gifts in the invitation card because things are easier with intimate friends, and family members. Moreover, you can be honest about what you want and they will understand your reason. Besides, you can personally tell them the reason so you don’t even have to write anything about the gifts on the invitations. This way you can save a lot of time and effort. 

On the other hand, if you are inviting a lot of people that you don’t know very well then you’ll have to think about how to politely ask for gifts on invitations. So you should review your guest list and consider who is coming so that you can decide what to do with the cards. For friends and family members write funny and creative cards that will make them laugh. But, when you are inviting your coworkers you have to stick to a professional invitation.

Gifts

Before asking for gifts, first, you have to decide what gift you want. If you are throwing a family gathering then you can just ask for one big gift from all of them. It’s convenient for everyone as you will get what you want and your guests can save time on planning and picking separate gifts. But you also have to think of some alternatives in case your guests are not willing to give what you want. This way you can avoid misunderstanding and embarrassments.

How To Politely Ask For Gifts

Ask Politely

Asking politely and directly is the best and the most intimidating way to ask your guests for gifts. Directly asking for gifts may sound rude but if you ask politely then it won’t sound rude. In fact, you can directly ask for your birthday present from your family members or close friends. They won’t mind if you tell them the true reason for asking for a particular gift and be honest with them. You should tell them the true reason why you want that gift. 

Tell them what you will do with the gift. If you keep yourself honest and tell them your reason, they’ll understand, and some of them might even feel relieved. Sometimes people find it difficult to buy gifts for a particular person year after year. So giving them an alternative or hint might be stress relieving for them. Lastly, you shouldn’t be ashamed to make a birthday gift request as long as you’re not greedy, have a reasonable cause, and you do it politely.

Invitation Cards

If you are sending an invitation to invite guests to a party then you can easily ask for gifts on the card. Generally, the invitation card contains important information like the date of the occasion, the time, the place, etc. So you can give specific instructions on the invitation card like a request to bring a particular gift for the party. You can add your request to the bottom of the invitation. But if you have other things to say then you can add a separate column in the invitation with your message. This is a great way to say that you will appreciate a specific gift for your birthday. Moreover, if you follow the method then the chance of hurting the fillings of your loved ones is zero!

Side Note

If you are not comfortable with asking for a gift or writing a gift request in the invitation card then you can add a side note. Following the invitation, you can add the side note and use the same wording that you were thinking of using while asking for gifts. You can consider writing something funny to avoid being rude. Here is an example of a side note:

“Wish only for your presence, but if you feel inclined, Gift Cards would be preferred”

Notify your Guests in Advance

If you are planning on asking for particular gifts then make sure you notify your guests in advance. There is no point in asking the guests for gifts just a day before the occasion or the ceremony. Most of the time guests buy their presents well in advance. So if the guest has bought the present then there is nothing you can do. Moreover, this will hurt your guest because he/she has already bought the gift. The best solution is, if you are sending an invitation then include the wording to ask for gifts in it.

Throw A Themed Party

This is an excellent way to ask the guest to bring gifts and it is also a very polite method. The best thing about a themed party is, you don’t have to say anything about the gifts because the guests will figure out what to get right away. You can throw a gadget party if you want some tech things as a gift. You can also give a name to the party like Back to the Future, Science Fiction, or Geeks Party. A themed party is always super fun and by throwing a themed party you can avoid the hassle of asking for gifts.

Final Thoughts

So what’s your thought about the above steps? Do you think the above strategies will work and you will be able to ask for gifts politely? Let us know in the comment section. 

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