Reciprocity. Gift reciprocity is appropriate in many situations, but it should not be expected. If it were, it could change the interaction from gift-giving to something more transactional. The gift economy is not a system for barter exchange.
Implicit is better than explicit. Some things need to be said; others need to be understood. The latter tends to be preferred, at the expense of expediency.
Good gifts are often separated by time. There is no rush to reciprocate: we are not trying to replicate efficient markets. The relationship that is being fostered through the process of reciprocal gift-giving will be better off if individuals take their time to give good and appropriate gifts.
Avoid commodification. Commodification occurs when you take something which is not intended to be sold - gifts in our case - and convert it into an object for trade. We don’t have a prohibition against commodification, but it should certainly be the exception rather than the rule. The goal is to embed our social relationships in the gift economy rather than to have the market economy embedded in our social relationships.