The recipient will accept or reject the gift based on the value of the item, and their relationship with the gift giver. The only known item that cannot be given as a gift is a gravestone. The Sims 2: Seasons reintroduces this feature, but allows Sims to gift almost every object in the game, so long as the object in question appears in their inventories. The recipient will either accept the gift, boosting the relationship, or smash it, causing a large drop in the relationship, and destroying the item. In order to give a gift from Hot Date onwards, a Sim must have an object in their inventory that can be given to another Sim, such as a diamond ring or flowers.

Gift giving was expanded on in The Sims: Hot Date. The gift box will not actually contain anything, and the player cannot choose to gift any specific object to the Sim. The Sim will purchase a gift box on the spot for §15 and then present it to the recipient. In The Sims, Sims with a good relationship with another Sim can purchase a gift for them as a positive social interaction.

Where is the family inventory on sims 3