Every family has had the year two people bought the same thing, and the year someone asked "what do you want?" and got "oh, anything". A shared wish list fixes both, as long as it does one thing a group chat can't: let givers see what has been bought while the person receiving it can't.
Why the usual ways fall apart
- Group chat. Links scroll away, and the only way to say "I bought the headphones" is in front of the person they are for, or in a second chat without them that someone forgets to check.
- A shared note or spreadsheet. Everyone can see every edit, including the recipient. Crossing an item off tells them what they are getting.
- A single store's registry. Works well, for that store. Most wish lists span several.
- Asking each time. Puts the work on the recipient every birthday and still produces doubles.
What a shared wish list has to do
- Take items from any store. A link is the universal format; the list should accept one from anywhere.
- Hide purchases from the list's owner. Givers mark an item bought; the owner still sees it as wanted.
- Work without making relatives sign up. A link they can open is enough. The more steps, the fewer people use it.
- Organise by occasion. A birthday list and a holiday list, each with a date, so the right one is in front of people at the right time.
- Show the price. Givers choose by budget. A list that shows current prices saves everyone a round of clicking.
Setting one up
- Start the list a month or more before the date. Add things as you see them, not in one sitting the week before.
- Add a range of prices. A few small things, a few medium, one or two big ones that people might share.
- Be specific. Size, colour, edition. A link does most of this for you.
- Share the link once, with everyone who gives. One list, one link, no copies.
- Ask givers to mark what they buy, the moment they buy it.
- For children, an adult keeps the list. Add what they ask for through the year and you will never be stuck in December.
How Wishful Thinking does it
Wishful Thinking is a free family wish list app you install on an Android phone. You save an item from any store by pasting a link or using Android's Share menu from the store's app or website. Lists can be tied to an occasion with a date. You share a list by link, and family can mark what they bought without you, the list owner, seeing it.
It also keeps a price history and can alert you when a price drops. Prices are read automatically from some stores only; where a store blocks automated reading you type the price in yourself, and it does not track prices at Amazon, Walmart or Target. There is no iPhone app, and children under 13 can't have their own account. It is free, with no paid plan.
If the hard part of the occasion is getting everyone in the same place, Gather Hound coordinates groups, schedules and open invites.
Quick answers
How do I share a wish list with family?
Put everything on one list that accepts links from any store, then send relatives a single link to it. Avoid copies; one list means one place to check what has been bought.
How do I stop relatives buying the same gift twice?
Use a list where givers can mark an item as bought and other givers can see it, but the recipient can't. With Wishful Thinking, family marks what they bought on the shared list and the list owner doesn't see it.
Can the person see what was bought from their list?
Not if the list is built for gifts. In Wishful Thinking, purchases marked by family are hidden from the list owner, so the surprise stays a surprise.
Is there a free wish list app for families?
Yes. Wishful Thinking is free with no paid plan. It installs on Android phones; there is no iPhone app.
Can a wish list include items from different stores?
Yes, if it works from links. Wishful Thinking saves an item from any store by pasting its link or sharing it from the store's app or website.