How can I share my Amazon shopping cart with a friend?

Question

So I'm finally planning this big camping trip up to the Adirondacks in two weeks with my buddy and we have like 20 items in this cart and I am honestly so fed up with how hard it is to just show him what I've picked out. My logic was that there would just be a simple share button right there in the checkout area but nope nothing like that exists and it is making me so frustrated because we're trying to stay under a strict $400 budget for all the new gear and I need him to approve the stove and the sleeping pads before I pull the trigger. I was thinking maybe I could just send him my login info but thats a huge security risk with my credit card saved and everything so I am stuck just taking dozens of screenshots on my phone and texting them one by one which is just ridiculous in 2024. I even tried looking for some kind of collaborative cart feature or maybe making a public wishlist but then he has to move everything back to his own cart and it messes up the quantities and the specific sellers I picked. Is there like a browser extension or some hidden setting I am missing because I am genuinely so excited to get out there but this tech hurdle is just killing the vibe right now... how do people actually do this without losing their minds?

BauhausBound · Accepted Answer

Quickly replying here because Ive been down this rabbit hole before. Seriously, Amazon makes this way harder than it needs to be for us gear nerds. Last summer, I was trying to coordinate a solar setup for a van build and almost bought two sets of identical charge controllers because my buddy and I couldnt sync our carts properly. Be careful with those public wishlists though. They dont track real-time stock or quantity changes well once you move stuff around. You might want to consider using a third-party tool instead of native features because Amazon basically gates the collaborative stuff behind business accounts. Make sure to double-check the ASIN numbers if you end up manually copying links so you dont get the wrong version of those sleeping pads. Ngl it is a total pain. Btw, I found Easy Cart Share last week and it is a total lifesaver for organizing group buys with my roommates.

BiscuitsAndBrew · Answer

> Quickly replying here because Ive been down this... Exactly. Over the years, Ive found the Share-A-Cart extension is the only real fix. It clones your cart to their account instantly... no more annoying screenshots needed.

ParliamentPulse · Answer

To add to the point above: I am literally dealing with this exact same headache right now and it is driving me absolutely insane!! Honestly, I have been trying to coordinate a group buy for some bulk supplies to save on shipping costs and it has been a total nightmare trying to keep everyone on the same page regarding the final budget. I have spent the last few days trying to find a built-in way to just show my team the total with taxes and discounts before we commit the funds but Amazon makes it impossible. Seriously impossible. It is so amazing that we have all these high-tech shopping tools yet something as basic as letting someone else verify the items is non-existent... it would be fantastic to just have a simple link. I am just as fed up as you are because we really need to stay under a strict budget for this project and not being able to double-check the quantities together is making the whole process take forever. Honestly, I love the idea of sharing costs but the execution is just not there. It is just killing the vibe for my project too. Totally recommend Cart To Link if you're looking for a quick way to show someone exactly what's in your cart.