How to Make an Amazon Wish List for Back to School Season

With Back to School season upon us, shopping is a big focus for many households right now. But occasions like this can be busy. It can be easy for everything from elementary-school supplies to college necessities to fall through the cracks.

Before you find yourself having to place multiple Amazon orders, keep reading to learn how to make an Amazon Wish List, as well as the many benefits you can get from using them.

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What to Know About Amazon Wish Lists

How to Make an Amazon Wish List

Making an Amazon Wish List is pretty simple — get yours set up by following these steps.

1. Navigate to Amazon
2. Sign in to your account
3. Hover over the Account & Lists menu in the top right corner
4. Under "Your Lists", click "Create a List"
5. Give your list a name and click the "Create List" button
6. Hover over the "... More" menu in the upper right corner of the list
7. Click "Manage list"
8. Select your privacy preference and then click "Save Changes"

You can set your list to one of three privacy options: Private, Shared, or Public. Private means only you can see the list, Shared allows you to share your list with specific people, and Public means that ostensibly anyone can find it if they know how.

Through the "Manage list" feature, you can also choose if you want Amazon's Alexa virtual assistant to be involved. One option allows those with access to your Alexa devices to add items to your list, but Alexa won't read the items off your list. Another lets anyone with access to your Alexa devices add items and Alexa will read them off. And the last disallows management through Alexa. This means that accessing your list through Alexa devices will not be possible, though the assistant may still send you notifications about deals for items on your list.

SEE ALSO: How to Get an Amazon Refund for a Late Delivery

Next choose if the list is for yourself or an organization, then note the recipient, provide an email and birthday if needed, and write a short description about the list. You can also choose a shipping address to add to the list. Then decide whether you want to keep purchased items on the list or opt for "Don't spoil my surprises", and pick whether this list should be your Default List. If you keep purchased items on the list, products won't be automatically removed after you buy them. Additionally, any items you have purchased before will reappear on the list with the date you last bought them.

Choose "Don't spoil my surprises" if you want to keep what's being purchased from your list secret for the time being. However, if you try to purchase an item that someone has already bought for you during that time, Amazon will alert you so that you don't needlessly buy something you'll be gifted in the near future.

How to Add Items to Your Wish List

Want to put items on your Amazon Wish List? To make the process easier, consider setting your most recent wish list as your default so items are added there automatically. Otherwise you may have to go back and rearrange some things later depending on how many lists you have.

When you're ready to add items to your wish list, start by searching for whatever you want. When you find a product, navigate to the specific page for it. On the right side of the page you can expect to see the normal shopping options. But below the info about who sells and ships the item, and the return and customer service info, you should see a drop-down box called "Add to List". If you click the box, Amazon will add the item to your default list. If you want to add the product to a different list, click the arrow on the box and you'll see all the lists you've created. At that point, you can choose which one you want to add the product to.

When you add an item to your list, a box should pop up confirming it was added and providing shortcuts for either viewing your list or continuing your shopping. Click "Continue shopping" to rinse and repeat until your list is complete!

Note that in their instructions for creating a list, Amazon calls out the following exceptions:

• Out-of-print books
• Out-of-stock products
• Cell phones with service plans
• Items without release dates
• Items with quantity restrictions

Don't count on being able to add these items to an Amazon Wish List!

How to Share Your Wish List

Navigate to Your Lists once again. When you're ready to share a list, you can either click the link for "Send list to others" or the oval "+ Invite" button. They should be at the top right and top left of the list, respectively. Either way, you'll see the option to allow others to only view your wish list — that is, they'll see your list but can't make edits — or give them the ability to view and edit a list, so that invitees can add or remove items from your list. Choose carefully depending on who you're allowing access to. The last thing you want is for important items to disappear because of a careless clicker!

How Do You Find Someone's Wish List on Amazon?

Sometimes you may need to find someone's wish list on Amazon without tipping them off that you're planning to shop for them. In these cases, you'll want to do the following:

1. Hover over the Account & Lists menu in the upper right corner
2. Under "Your Lists", click "Find a List or Registry"
3. Put in the name of the recipient you're searching for
4. Choose the type of list you're looking for — either Wedding Registry, Baby Registry, or Gift List

Once you find the registry or gift list of the recipient you're looking for, you can start adding items they still need to your own cart.

How to Tell Who Purchased Items From Your Amazon Wish List

Curious who's purchased what from your registry or list? If you've selected "Don't spoil my surprises" in the "Manage list" feature, you may have to wait until after you're gifted the items to know. But if you don't have that setting turned on, you should be able to find the item on your wish list, then look for the "View Info" link next to it. As long as it shows the item was purchased, it should tell you who bought the item for you. Then you can get a head start on writing those thank-you notes!

SEE ALSO: All the Best Student Discounts You Can Use in 2024

Benefits of Amazon Wish Lists

Experience more efficient shopping. Since you can organize your lists by things like projects, you can build them for anything you're working on, from art projects to redecorating and anything in between. Taking your time to build these lists can ensure that you're more likely to get everything you need in one order, as opposed to potentially forgetting items and having to place a last-minute order to finish buying supplies.

Never miss a deal. If you're hoping to find a great offer on big-ticket items during Amazon Prime Day or any time throughout the year, it's worth creating a wish list for these items. Be sure to download the Amazon app while you're at it, and if a deal pops up for a product on one of your lists, you can receive a push notification (as long as they're enabled) through the app to let you know. Then you can jump on the savings before they run out.

Communicate gift ideas. How many times has someone asked you what you want for your birthday or some other occasion? Or maybe some friends or family members have asked what to buy for your kids. Either way, you can create lists to help cut down on this back-and-forth no matter the occasion. Whether grandparents need ideas for Christmas or are looking to help with Back to School shopping — Amazon is one of the best places to buy school supplies, after all — you can create these lists and share them with anyone and everyone who will be shopping. Then when items are purchased, they can disappear off the list and you won't have to worry about having dupes unless you want them.

Shop with better organization. We've all been in a spot where we're in the middle of a task and suddenly realize we need a particular item. Whether it's while cooking a meal, cleaning the home, or doing something else, odds are good you've had a random thought of needing a new tool to make the job easier. If you use Amazon lists to stay organized, you can easily create a list of these random items. And when it grows long enough, place an order for everything you need. This method also cuts down on numerous orders and ensures you're shopping for those random items in a timely manner all at once.

Get help with supplies. Teachers especially may find Amazon lists helpful. They can create a wish list for products they need for their classroom but may not have the ability to fund themselves, from cleaning supplies, to basic craft materials, to things like books or toys. Many parents and loved ones are more than happy to help contribute to make sure children have a great experience, so teachers shouldn't be shy about creating these lists, sharing the "view only" option with parents or friends and family, and then asking for help as long as the parents or others feel able to do so.

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