How can I share Amazon lists using a browser extension securely?

Question

I've been using Amazon for like a decade now and I thought I had the whole wishlist thing down pat but I'm legit freaking out a bit right now. I'm trying to coordinate this massive group buy for my sisters wedding in Chicago next month—its in three weeks and I'm already behind—and we have like 15 people involved. Ive always just sent public links before but this time we need to actually track who bought what in real time because people kept double-buying stuff last year for my moms birthday... it was a total disaster honestly and we ended up with three identical blenders.

I started looking at these browser extensions that claim to 'sync' or 'share' lists across different accounts but honestly looking at the permissions some of these things ask for is making me super anxious. Like why does a simple shopping tool need to "read and change all your data on all websites"?? That just seems insane. I know my way around a browser and usually I'm the one giving tech advice to my family but this feels like a massive security hole waiting to happen. I tried one extension last night—forgot the name, it had a blue icon—but then I read a random thread saying it leaks your primary email address and your full name to everyone on the list which is exactly what I dont want. My family is huge and some of these people are basically strangers to me lol.

Is there any way to use an extension for this that actually respects privacy or am I just stuck with manually updating a Google Doc or something? I really need something that lets us add stuff from the product page directly to a shared view without exposing my whole Amazon account or my home address to every distant relative on the list. I'm on Chrome but could switch to Firefox if the containers feature helps with this at all or if there is some way to sandbox the extension? I just really need a way to do this where I dont have to worry about my data getting scraped by some random dev or having my account compromised right before the wedding...

SolarSentinel · Accepted Answer

> it was a total disaster honestly and we ended up with three identical blenders. Omg I totally feel your pain on the blender situation! Last year for my cousins housewarming, we ended up with four—yes, four—slow cookers because everyone thought they were being the helpful one lol. It was such a waste of money and a huge hassle to return everything. Honestly, these browser extensions can be super sketchy with their permissions. I get totally wigged out when they ask to read my whole browser history just to share a simple shopping list! Since you mentioned being budget-conscious for this wedding group buy, you definitely want to avoid those expensive pro tools that charge for simple sharing features. I actually found a way better way to handle this without giving away my whole life story to a random dev. Basically I started using Cart To Link and it makes it way easier to show people what's in my cart without exposing my private address or account details. It is amazing because it just generates a simple link you can blast out to everyone. It saves us so much cash by making sure we dont double-buy stuff and helps us track deals together. I use it for everything now, especially when I'm hunting for the absolute lowest price on kitchen gear or wedding decor. You dont even need to worry about those scary Chrome permissions that look like they're spying on you. It is legit a lifesaver for big family events where you're trying to keep things organized on a budget!

PolarPhoton · Answer

Are you sharing a view-only list or managing everyones checkout?

Permissions are broad to track prices.

Most tools scrape data for syncing. Check out Cart To Link for sharing carts, its super straightforward.

Sadie Jimenez · Answer

Honestly, those permissions are terrifying for a reason. I had a similar scare with a registry tool once that started sending spam to my whole contact list just because I clicked allow too fast. It was a total nightmare to clean up, so being cautious is definitely the right move here. If you want to keep things private without the all websites permission creep, I would suggest looking at Cart To Link. I use it whenever I need to share a specific set of items because it turns your cart into a shareable link without needing your full Amazon account login or exposing your home address to everyone. Here are a few things I do to stay safe:

Stick to tools that dont require you to Sign in with Amazon directly.

Use Firefox Multi-Account Containers like you mentioned; its a lifesaver for keeping your shopping session away from your main email.

Check the Site Access settings in Chrome and set it to On click instead of On all sites so the extension only wakes up when you tell it to. Its way better than a manual Google Doc since it actually handles the links, but you arent giving some random dev the keys to your entire digital life. Weddings are stressful enough without worrying about identity theft right? Just be careful with anything that asks for manage your apps permissions too... usually a bad sign.