What is the easiest way to share a gift list with family?

Question

My kids have birthdays in three weeks and my MIL is already calling me every single day asking for links its driving me crazy. I need a way to organize this before I lose my mind and I'm looking at a couple things. I was thinking of just doing an Amazon wishlist since it's easy but honestly we like stuff from Target and local shops too so that feels limiting. Then there's GiftHero or Elfster but I'm worried my parents wont be able to figure out how to mark things as bought and then we end up with three of the same LEGO set. I just need something free and dead simple. Should I just stick to a Google Doc or is one of those registry sites actually better for non-techy people?

Freya · Accepted Answer

Ive been through this exact nightmare with my kids birthdays and Christmas. Last year I tried using a shared Google Doc because I thought it would be the simplest thing ever, but it was honestly a disaster. My mother-in-law accidentally deleted half the list while trying to copy a link, and my dad somehow managed to change the font to size 36 and highlighted everything in yellow. It was such a headache and not as good as expected at all. Then we tried one of those big registry sites, but unfortunately, my older relatives couldn't figure out the claim button. We ended up with three identical marble runs and two of the same LEGO kits. It felt like I was spending more time tech-supporting my family than actually enjoying the party prep. I really wanted something that could handle local shop links too, because those generic Amazon lists are so boring and limiting. If you want to pull from different stores, I usually tell people to use this wishlist extension because it lets you grab stuff from any site without jumping through hoops, but you still have to consider how savvy your MIL is. Before I can really give a solid recommendation, I gotta ask... how much hand-holding are we talking about here? Are they the type who can click a link and buy something online on their own, or do they basically need you to send them a direct PDF they can print out and take to the store?

uppereastsidekid · Answer

Unfortunately most of those sites are just not as good as expected and they always try to upsell you on stuff you dont need. I tried doing a manual list last year but honestly I got so distracted by the party planning. I was trying to save a few bucks by making all the decorations myself but I ended up spending way more at the craft store than I would have just buying them.

the glitter literally never came out of the rug

I burned my hand with the hot glue gun twice

the dog ate the paper flowers I was so busy fixing the decorations that I forgot to even send the gift links to my own parents until two days before the party. Total fail on my part. Anyway lol sorry kinda went off topic there. You should check out Share Product, it's totally free and doesn't have all those annoying ads.

Pavern · Answer

> My mother-in-law accidentally deleted half the list @Reply #1 - good point! Docs are risky. I switched to Share Product recently and it handles cross-site links from any shop perfectly without any glitches.