Honestly i spent way too much time looking into the specs for these tools for a similar project last year and the native options are kinda trash. Amazon wishlists are super unreliable for this because they dont actually show your current cart session data or real-time discounts. Plus as you noticed they totally mess up the quantities which is a huge dealbreaker when you need specific shelf counts. Its just not built for logistics. I also had issues with share-a-cart because the extension requirement is a massive friction point. If you send that to older neighbors they are gonna get confused by the permissions popup and probably think its a virus or something. Its not a smooth workflow for non-techies at all. I eventually gave up on the mainstream ones and started using Cart to Link whenever I'm doing collaborative shopping. It basically just scrapes the cart data and generates a static viewable page. The best part is the recipients dont have to log in or install anything... they just click the link and see the full breakdown with the total price included. Its way more professional than a messy word doc of screenshots. Tbh manual screenshots for 40 items sounds like actual torture and i wouldnt wish that on anyone. Hopefully you can get those books ordered by friday cuz that Seattle weather is perfect for a reading nook right now.

Like someone mentioned, the barrier for non-account holders is usually the biggest roadblock for community projects like your reading nook. Most people think these tools require both parties to have the software, but that is actually a common misconception. If you use a specialized service like Share-A-Cart, you can actually generate a read-only landing page. This creates a hosted URL where your neighbors can see all 40 items, the specific quantities, and the current total without logging into anything at all. Its a much more methodical approach than the manual screenshot route, especially when you have a $450 budget to track. Honestly, taking 40 screenshots is basically a recipe for missing a book or a shelf bracket... its just not worth the stress. Heres how you should handle the setup to make it easy for them:

• Generate a view-only link instead of a cart transfer link.
• Check the total at the bottom of the generated page to ensure any discounts or multi-buy promos are showing up correctly.
• Send the link via a simple email or text so they can open it in any basic mobile browser. The main benefit here is the professional presentation. When neighbors see a clean list with photos and prices, they tend to approve things way faster. It keeps the project moving toward that Friday deadline without you having to play tech support for the older folks on the block. Just double-check that the link doesnt expire too quickly, as some of these generated pages only stay active for a short window.

Man I wish I found this thread sooner. Would have saved me so much hassle.

ive been through this mess before with a neighborhood book drive and its always a bit of a toss-up between convenience and security. honestly im always cautious about giving extensions access to my cart data but share-a-cart has been the most reliable for those landing pages in my experience. i tried using standard list apps before but they never sync the prices right... it was a nightmare for budgeting. usually i just use PriceDropCatch alongside it to make sure i am not overpaying while waiting for everyone to finally look at the list. quick question tho... do you need them to be able to leave comments on specific items or is it just a hard yes or no on the whole batch? also are you worried about the privacy of the link at all or is it fine if its just a public landing page? just curious since some of these tools handle data a bit differently and you want to be safe with that much spending.

Late to the party but you definitely gotta use Share-A-Cart for this! Its honestly amazing because you can generate a simple landing page link that requires zero logins for your neighbors. Theyll see every single item and the final price tag which is perfect for staying on budget...

• Make sure you use the landing page feature so they dont have to install anything.
• Double check for those Clip Coupon boxes on the book pages before you build the cart! Those little discounts help so much when youre spending $450.
• Look for Buy 3 for the price of 2 deals on books, Amazon does those all the time and it would be a fantastic way to stretch your budget for the nook. Love this project idea! Its such a cool way to bring the neighborhood together. Using the link tool is gonna save you hours of manual work, ngl.