The Ultimate 2024 Guide: 7 Secrets To Creating And Mastering Your Amazon Wish List (Including The Collaborative Feature)

Creating an Amazon Wish List is much more than just saving items for later; it is the essential tool for managing your future purchases, tracking gift ideas, and coordinating group shopping for major events. As of December 2025, the process remains streamlined on both desktop and mobile, but new features—especially the long-awaited collaborative list function—have transformed how people plan and shop together. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the simple steps to create your first list and then dive deep into the advanced settings and powerful features you need to master, ensuring you get exactly what you want while protecting your privacy. Whether you are planning a birthday, a wedding registry, or just saving items during a Prime Day sale, this is the definitive roadmap to mastering your Amazon lists.

Step-by-Step: How to Create a New Amazon List (Desktop & Mobile)

The process for creating a new list is quick and consistent across Amazon’s platforms. The key is knowing where to find the "Lists" hub, which acts as your central command center for all saved items.

On Desktop (Browser)

The desktop experience is the most intuitive for list management and settings customization.

• Step 1: Log In and Navigate to "Accounts & Lists." On the Amazon homepage, look to the upper right-hand corner. Hover your mouse over the "Accounts & Lists" menu.
• Step 2: Create a New List. In the drop-down menu that appears, look for the "Your Lists" section. Click on the "Create a List" button.
• Step 3: Name and Define Your List. A pop-up box will appear. You will be prompted to give your list a name (e.g., "Birthday 2025," "Home Renovation," or "Secret Santa").
• Step 4: Select the List Type. You will be asked to choose between a "Wish List" or a "Shopping List." For gift-giving, always select "Wish List." For personal items you plan to buy, "Shopping List" is fine. Click "Create List."

On the Amazon Mobile App

The mobile app uses a slightly different navigation path, but the result is the same.

• Step 1: Go to Your Profile. Tap the person icon (usually labeled "Profile" or "Account") at the bottom of the screen.
• Step 2: Find the Lists Section. Scroll down and look for the "Your Lists" or "Lists" option. Tap on it.
• Step 3: Start a New List. Tap the "Create a List" button. Give your list a name and select the list type (Wish List or Shopping List).
• Step 4: Add Items. Once the list is created, you can begin adding items by clicking the "Add to List" button on any product page and selecting your new list.

Mastering Your Amazon Wish List Privacy Settings

The most crucial step after creating your list is setting the correct privacy level. Amazon offers three distinct options that dictate who can view your list and purchase items from it.

• Private: Only you can view this list. This is ideal for personal use, such as saving items you plan to buy yourself, tracking prices, or keeping a "Save for Later" list. No one else can see or purchase items from a Private list.
• Public: Anyone with the direct link or who searches for your name on Amazon’s "Find a Registry or List" page can view the list. This is the best option for general birthdays, holiday wish lists, or public-facing charity lists.
• Shared (Link Only): This is the most common and recommended setting for most gift-giving. Only people with the direct link can view the list, but it is not searchable on Amazon's public directory. This offers a balance of privacy and convenience.

How to Change Privacy Settings:

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In your list view, click the "More" menu (three dots) or the "Manage List" button. A settings pop-up will appear where you can change the privacy, update your shipping address (which is hidden from gift-givers), and add a custom note or description.

Advanced List Features You Need to Use in 2025

Beyond basic creation, Amazon lists contain several powerful features that elevate them from a simple collection of links to an indispensable planning tool. Mastering these features will save you time and prevent duplicate gifts.

1. The Collaborative List Feature

The Collaborative List feature is a game-changer for group planning, especially for shared household shopping, family vacations, or team projects. This feature allows multiple users to add, remove, and manage items on the *same* list.

• How to Enable Collaboration: Go to the "Manage List" settings of your chosen list. Under the "Privacy" or "Share" options, you will find a setting to invite "View and Edit" collaborators.
• Best Use Cases: Planning a housewarming gift registry with a partner, managing a shared grocery list with roommates, or coordinating purchases for a large family event.

2. Universal Wish List Items

Not everything you want is on Amazon. The Universal Wish List feature allows you to add items from *any* other website directly to your Amazon list. This is typically done via a browser extension (the "Amazon Assistant" extension) or by manually pasting the product link into the "Add from Any Website" tool within your list settings.

3. Managing Purchased Items and Preventing Duplicates

When someone buys an item from your list, Amazon automatically marks it as "Purchased" and removes it from the visible list to prevent duplicate gifts.

• The "Mark as Purchased" Tool: If a gift-giver buys an item *outside* of Amazon (e.g., from a different store or in person), they can manually go to your list and click the "Mark as Purchased" button next to the item. This is a critical step for all gift-givers to ensure you don't receive the same item twice.
• Visibility: Items purchased from your list will still be visible to you (the list owner) in a separate "Purchased" section, allowing you to track what you have received.

4. Amazon Wish List vs. Registry: What's the Difference?

While functionally similar, the distinction between a standard Wish List and a specific Amazon Registry (like a Baby Registry or Wedding Registry) lies in the extra perks and features.

• Registries Offer More Benefits: Registries often include special completion discounts (e.g., 10-15% off remaining items), extended return windows, and bonus welcome boxes or free gifts.
• When to Use Which: Use a Registry for formal life events (weddings, births). Use a standard Wish List for everything else, including personal savings goals, birthdays, holiday gift lists, or shared shopping.

5. Adding Comments and Priority

For every item on your list, you can specify two key details to guide your gift-givers:

• Priority: You can set the item's priority level from "Highest" to "Lowest," helping people decide which items to focus on first.
• Comments: Use the "Add a comment, quantity, and priority" link to leave a note (e.g., "I need this for my new office setup" or "Please get the blue color").

6. Hiding Your Shipping Address

A key security and privacy feature is the ability to hide your full shipping address. When you set up your list, you add a shipping address. When a gift-giver purchases an item, Amazon only shows them the recipient's name and city/state, keeping your street address completely private. This is a default security measure for all Public and Shared lists.

7. Sorting and Filtering Items

As your list grows, use the "Filter & Sort" options at the top of the list to manage it efficiently. You can sort by:

• Price (High to Low or Low to High)
• Priority
• Date Added
• Purchased Status
• Unpurchased Items Only