How do I set up an Amazon group order for my roommates?

Question

I am losing my mind trying to figure out the best way to do this because I am always the one who ends up paying for everything and then chasing people down for Venmos for three weeks. We are moving into a new spot in Chicago next week and we need like $200 worth of bulk cleaning supplies and coffee but I literally have $60 in my bank account right now so I cant just front the cash for everyone.

So my logic was to try and find an actual group order feature on Amazon but it is so hidden. I was looking at two main ways to do this but both seem bad. First I thought about the invite to order thing where you send a link, but does that actually let everyone pay for their own items at checkout? If it just puts it all on my card then it is useless for my situation. The other option I saw was setting up a Household but that feels way too permanent and I dont want my roommates seeing my private purchase history or using my Prime Video or whatever.

Then there is that Share-a-Cart extension but I dont know if I trust a third party app with my login info. Is there a way to just have a shared basket where everyone clicks pay for my part at the end? Or should I just make a Wish List and tell them to buy stuff off it individually? But then we miss out on the bulk shipping discounts... ugh how do people actually handle this?

ooppaa · Accepted Answer

> Or should I just make a Wish List and tell them to buy stuff off it individually? I would suggest staying away from the Wish List idea... it totally kills those bulk savings. Be careful with those third-party extensions too, theyre often buggy and sketchy with your data. Honestly, just have everyone send their share upfront via app. Its way safer than fronting cash or using messy shared accounts. I actually found a solid workaround for this over on Smartphone Board.

Cvety_fpen · Answer

Honestly, I was so disappointed when I tried to figure this out for my own move. Amazon makes it way harder than it should be and unfortunately those group features usually still force one person to pay the whole bill. I really dont trust those third party extensions either... just feels like a privacy nightmare and I wouldnt risk my login info for a cart. Heres what I found actually works for staying safe:

Create a Housewarming Registry instead of a regular list or cart.

Set the shipping address to the new Chicago spot.

Send the link to your roommates so they can see the bulk items.

They buy the items directly so the money never has to leave your account. It is a bit of a workaround for cleaning supplies but it is the only reliable way I have found to avoid fronting cash. Good luck with the move tho, Chicago is great!