Amazon allows you to keep track of all the gadgets, clothes, food and games you’d like for yourself by collecting them in ‘Wishlists’. But these Wishlists can also be useful for other people who want to show you some love.
If you’ve received a parcel from an anonymous source, but it’s clearly been bought from you from your Amazon Wishlist, you’re probably here wondering how you can find out who sent it to you.
Unfortunately, the truth is that you simply can’t. In order to protect the buyer’s right to privacy, Amazon elects to keep the identity of the gift-giver anonymous. The only way you’ll be able to find out is if the sender has specifically chosen to send a note with the present, or contacts you in some other way.
Of course, if you’re really desperate, you could always put out a message on your socials asking for the person to come forward and DM you. But why not let it be a secret? A gift’s a gift, at the end of the day.
If you’d like to know more, or have further questions related to this topic, why not check out our FAQ section below.
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FAQs
Can anyone buy you things on Amazon?
Amazon, the world’s largest online retailer, allows its users to create Wishlists of items and goods they’d like to buy for themselves. These lists may be themed (games, clothes, devices), or just general. They allow you to keep tabs on the things you might want to treat yourself to in future.
However, provided they’re public, these lists can be viewed by other people on Amazon, too. Usually you won’t have to worry about this – after all, who’s looking at your Amazon profile? Nonetheless, in certain circumstances, your Amazon Wishlist can be used by others to buy things for you as a surprise!
Most often, this is the case for celebrities and people in the public sphere. For example, an Instagram personality might post a link to their Amazon Wishlist, which would allow fans of that person to go and buy something from the list for them.
Of course, you don’t have to be famous or well-known for someone to buy something for you on Amazon. It could be a family member, a friend, or a secret admirer, who simply wants to treat you to something, and knows where to find your Amazon Wishlists.
You’re here because you want to know how to tell who has bought you the item you’ve just received. Problem is: it’s not possible to tell.
Why can’t you find out who bought you something on Amazon?
In our Internet Age, security, privacy, and online safety are absolutely paramount. You wouldn’t want someone having access to all of your information just because they checked out your blog, would you? Nor would you want all the information of the person who came to your website.
The same goes for Wishlists on Amazon. When someone buys you something from your Wishlist and has it sent to you (Amazon has a record of your address, but they won’t, don’t worry), it’s their right to remain anonymous. Unless they choose to include a note with the package, or let you know who they are some other way, there’s simply no way of knowing. It’s all about our right to privacy.
How can you tell what someone’s bought you before you receive it?
Whilst you may not be able to tell who bought you something from your Amazon Wishlist, that isn’t to say you can’t still tell when someone’s bought you something, and what it is, before it arrives.
Of course, if you want to keep it a secret to surprise yourself, you can simply not look! But, if you’re curious to see if someone’s bought you something from a Wishlist you’ve made public, you can do so simply by going to your Wishlist on Amazon, and filtering it by ‘Purchased and Unpurchased’. If something’s been purchased, and not by you, then you can probably expect a gift is on its way to you…
Note: By default the ‘Don’t spoil my surprises’ setting will be turned ON, keeping even this information from you for several weeks. You can always turn it OFF though.
Why would someone buy you something on Amazon?
There are as many reasons why someone might buy you something on Amazon as there are people who might do the buying! Mostly, though, buying something anonymously for someone from their Wishlist is a way of passing on some goodwill and cheer. It’s a way of showing a person that they are loved and/or appreciated, without making it all about you (i.e. the gift-giver).
