DEAR MISS MANNERS: Is it considered tacky to give an acquaintance a handmade gift?

My daughter and I are both crafters, and we gave a hand-thrown mug and a quilted “mug rug” to a mutual acquaintance whose business we both patronize.

We assumed she would use the items. But the next time I went into her store, our gifts were on a shelf, available for sale. Am I off-base to think this was an insult? It seems wrong to accept a gift and then be so obvious about getting rid of it. Or were we in the wrong for assuming a person would like handcrafted items?

GENTLE READER: Handmade gifts are more thoughtful than store-bought ones, but that is not the question you should be asking, as no well-intentioned gift would justify an insulting response.

Should you take offense? Miss Manners is inclined to think not — that the insult was accidental rather than intentional. But she would think twice before bestowing presents on this entrepreneur again.

Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com; to her email, [email protected]; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.