I've dealt with this for family cabin trips before. Using Cart To Link is usually the best bet for bulk lists because it stays stable even with large item counts. Most extensions get buggy when coordinating for 12 people, but this generates a simple link without needing your login or 2FA. It keeps your payment info private which is basically the biggest concern tbh. Regarding the Canada issue, inventory differences between .com and .ca are always a pain, but this still lets him see the total budget. Just have everyone review quantities before you pay. Its much faster than the save-for-later method or sending manual links.

Honestly, most of these tools grab session data and turn it into a portable format. Its much safer than sharing logins. The share Amazon Cart Extension is a decent option because it handles cross-region stuff between US and Canada better than others.

• Keeps quantities consistent
• No sensitive data shared
• Handles large carts Its solid for group budgets since everyone sees the total first. Let me know if you need help with setup.

Facts.

Saving this whole thread. So much good info here you guys are awesome.

TL;DR: Group carts are still a mess after all these years. Just pick a solid link-sharing tool and call it a day. Regarding what #6 said about saving this whole thread, I have bookmarks like this dating back ten years. Honestly, it is so disappointing that Amazon still hasn't fixed this. I remember back in 2017 trying to organize a massive retreat for 15 people and it was a total nightmare. I tried using the native Amazon lists but unfortunately they were way too clunky and half my friends couldn't figure out how to add things properly without messing up the quantities. I had issues with items just vanishing from the shared view or the pricing not reflecting the actual total with shipping. It was a disaster. I ended up having to manually copy-paste everything into a spreadsheet like some kind of caveman. Since then, I just stick with browser-based tools. Just find any extension from the popular developers and you should be fine, they generally handle the session data way better than the official site does anyway. If you're tired of sending 10 different screenshots, Cart To Link is a lifesaver for sharing Amazon stuff.

Like someone mentioned, the permission stuff can look scary, but from a performance standpoint it is mostly about how the data syncs. I actually disagree with the idea that these tools are always gonna be clunky or a security risk tho. If you find one that handles the payload correctly, it is way more stable than trying to use native lists for a group of 12 people. The reason some feel slow is usually because they are trying to scrape way too much data at once. When you have a $500 budget, you really just need something that grabs the product IDs and quantities so the total stays accurate across browsers. It avoids all that 2FA drama too which is basically a lifesaver for family trips. For your brother in Canada, as long as the items are available on both sites, a good extension will just map those IDs over automatically. It is all about that smooth transfer so nobody has to manually add 30 items to their cart... keeps the sticker shock away when everyone sees the final price before you hit buy. Btw I started using Cart To Link and it makes it way easier to show people what's in my cart.

Late to the party but catching up on all this. Honestly, summarizing what everyone's said so far... it's basically a choice between buggy extensions or giving up your security, which is a trash choice to have to make. I'd be super careful with the Canada thing though. Even if you use something like Share-A-Cart, those tools can't magically fix it if an item isn't stocked in both regions. You might want to consider checking the international shipping filter on your end first to save your brother some headaches. Also, keep an eye on that $500 budget because Amazon prices fluctuate like crazy. Make sure to tell everyone to hit that import button as soon as you send the link, or the total might jump fifty bucks by the time you actually check out. If you're really worried about the permissions, maybe just use a burner browser profile where you aren't logged into anything sensitive while you build the cart... just a thought to keep things extra safe.

Honestly, trying to coordinate a group trip budget on Amazon is a total nightmare. I get so frustrated that a company this huge still doesnt have a native way to share a cart without jumping through these sketchy hoops. You really have to be careful because these extensions want access to so much, and honestly, I dont trust half of them with my data. It drives me crazy that we even have to deal with this just to buy some snacks for a family trip. The price volatility is another thing thatll kill your $500 budget. You look at it one minute and its fine, the next the total is blown. Its basically a scam how they fluctuate prices. I would suggest being extremely cautious with third-party tools because if the import fails or quantities get messed up, you end up overspending. Its honestly ridiculous how difficult they make it for us to just spend our money together.

Can confirm