AITA for taking back my expensive gift after my brother ‘re-gifted’ it to his girlfriend?

A man gifted his brother a pricey Tissot PRX watch for his birthday, only to discover that the brother gave it to his girlfriend because she liked it more. Upset, the man asked for the watch back, saying he’d prefer to keep or return it if his brother didn’t value it.

This sparked family drama, with his brother calling him petty for taking back a gift. Although the man decided to let them keep the watch to avoid further conflict, he’s hurt and plans to give less meaningful gifts in the future. Read the original story below…

‘ AITA for taking back my expensive gift after my brother ‘re-gifted’ it to his girlfriend?’

For my brother’s birthday, I bought him a really expensive watch that he’d been talking about for months. It was a Tissot PRX with blue dial which runs for about $725. It took me a while to save up for it, and I was excited to surprise him with it.

He seemed happy when he got it, but a few weeks later, I noticed that he wasn’t wearing it. When I asked him about it, he awkwardly admitted that he gave the watch to his girlfriend because she ‘liked it more.’ It’s one thing if she wears it sometimes but completely regifting it did not sit right with me.

I was shocked and honestly hurt. I put a lot of thought into that gift, and it wasn’t cheap. So, I asked for the watch back, saying that if he didn’t want it, I’d rather return it or keep it for myself. He got mad and said it’s rude to ask for a gift back and that his girlfriend should be able to enjoy it.

Now my family is involved, and my brother is calling me petty for taking back the gift. AITA for not letting him ‘re-gift’ my present to someone else? Edit: Alright, I’ve decided to let my brother (or his girlfriend, I guess) keep the watch.

I’m still upset about the whole situation because it feels like my gift didn’t mean anything to him. But at this point, I’d rather not create more drama in the family over it. Just going to move on, but yeah, still kind of stings. He’s definitely getting that $25 McDonald’s gift card next. Appreciate everyone’s feedback.

Here’s what Redditors had to say:

Vegetable_Luck692 −  Use this as a life lesson. I used to buy really thoughtful and expensive gifts that no one appreciated. The final straw was when I bought tickets for my in-laws to see a play, tickets were expensive. I asked them what weekend would be best for them and they chose the date.

A few days after the date of the play I asked them if they enjoyed the show. They said they went up to the cottage instead. $500, time & energy lost. That was when I said f**k it. I stopped buying expensive gifts for everyone.

Unfortunately, once you give a gift the item is no longer yours. Does it hurt? Yes. Will you learn that most people do not appreciate your thoughtfulness? Hopefully. My advise…put a cap on how much money you spend on your brother, like $50 max. If he wants a $700 watch, let him save up to get it.

DrTeethPhD −  YTA. But your brother just earned himself a spot on the “$25 McDonald’s gift card” list.

SoMoistlyMoist −  I love my siblings dearly but there is no f**king way I would spend 750 bucks on a gift for either one of them. Just mark this down as a life lesson learned

Adorable-Puppers −  Yeah, it totally was a j**k move on his part IMO. But once you give a gift, it belongs to the recipient. There’s nothing you can really do or say about someone else’s personal property. I’m really sorry this happened. 😔

Fancy-Repair-2893 −  It’s not petty to be hurt, learn the lesson and don’t buy him anything expensive. It’s all not right he talked about for months then gives it away. You saved for months. You’re both kinda wrong but I would have probably done the same thing in your position.

He’s more mad because the girlfriend is upset. He could pay for the watch himself and gift to her or your parents can, turn it back on them.

SmeeegHeead −  M**herfucker gets a card from now on and that’s it.. Nta. Although watch was his, giving it away is disgusting.. Updateme!

Ran0614 −  ESH, but your bro is suckier. He can re-gift it, sure, it is his after you gifted it to him. It does make him an a**hole though. He doesn’t get to call you petty for calling him out about giving it away because what he did was be dismissive of the value of the watch and the effort you spent to obtain it.

You, on the other hand, kinda s**k for asking him to give it back to you since you meant for it to be a gift. You are free, however, to express your displeasure and give him $10 gift cards moving forward.

butty_a −  NTA. You mention “taking” it back in the title, but only state you have so far only asked. If it was his wife, I would still be annoyed, but at least they are (usually) more stable where as girlfriends come and go.

Legally, you have no grounds, it is a gift, but you’re not the AH for asking for it back just as you would not be the AH if you asked him to get it back for himself. If he returns it then you are still NTA, if you just take it, then you would be.

Perhaps explain in detail the effort you put into buying it because of how much he loved it. However going forward, don’t gift what you’re not prepared to see wasted because the donee rarely has the same investment as the doner.

Freeverse711 −  NTA honestly, that’s fucked up. The gift wasn’t for his wife it was for your brother, and while technically once given it’s for your brother to do as he pleases, but that being said, that was a very expensive gift and was supposed to be something meaningful between brothers. I’d probably be just as upset.

stjimmycat −  ESH. He shouldn’t immediately give away a gift you just gave him and you shouldn’t ask for the gift back. But you should make sure it’s the last valuable gift you ever give him.

Was he justified in wanting the gift back, or did he overreact? What’s your take? Let us know below!