internet

It's so annoying when, after all the hints you dropped, you still don't get the present you wanted!  Of course, the way to absolutely guarantee the right present is to take your relative or friend to the shop and show them what you want and, believe it or not, that's exactly what we are doing to do in this howto.

A Wish List is a simple list on which you write things you want as a present or things you just wish to have.  For this howto we are using an electronic Wish List from Amazon.co.uk but others are available.  It doesn't have to be just the UK, you can do the same in any other country that has an Amazon online shop.

To follow along with us, go to www.amazon.co.uk and sign in or create a new account and now click 'Gift and Wish Lists' in the top blue navigation bar.

Note, on the right hand side of the page that you can search for a person to see their wish list and you can buy them an item from it as a present if you wish.

Choose 'Wish List' from the left hand panel and, in the page that opens, choose to create a wish list

Choose 'Wish List' from the left hand panel and, in the page that opens, choose to create a wish list if you do not already have one.  To use the wish list, just start shopping and click 'Add to Wish List' to add an item that you would like.  It's very easy to do and can become very addictive!

There are some privacy issues here, too, so open the Amazon.co.uk page in another tab of your browser and click 'Help' on the right hand side followed by entering 'wish list' into the search box on the left.

From the help page scroll down and click on 'Your Profile' to read the help article and ensure that you understand what information is available for anybody to see and ensure that you tailor the list to whatever privacy you require.

As your birthday approaches fill the list with things you would like as a present and then get your relatives and friends to open the Amazon page, search for you, find your list and choose a suitable present.  They can, of course, have it delivered to themselves and then give it to you at the correct time (which can get over some of the privacy issues).  Or the gift can be delivered directly to you as if you had purchased it yourself.  Note that they will need to have an Amazon account themselves in order to buy from Amazon.

We think Wish Lists are a good idea that can solve problems for birthdays and other occasions - now all you have to do is make sure that they don't all buy you exactly the same gift!

Tags: gifts, howto, shopping