Wishlist Ideas: 100 Things to Put on Your Wishlist

You open a blank wishlist, and everything you've wanted for months goes quiet at once. The pan you keep meaning to replace. The class you keep almost booking. The coat you tried on twice and walked away from.

A wishlist isn't greed. It's a kindness to the people who would otherwise have to guess. Below are 100 wishlist ideas, grouped by kind, each with a line on why it earns its place, and then how to write the list so people can actually buy from it. For a specific occasion, there are separate guides to birthday list ideas and Christmas list ideas.

What to put on your wishlist

The ideas below are starting points, not products, because the right version of each one depends on you. When you find one that fits, write down the exact thing you mean.

A list people enjoy buying from usually has a bit of everything:

• Two or three everyday upgrades: the better version of something you already use.
• One experience: a class, a ticket, a day out.
• Something for a hobby: gear or supplies you can name precisely.
• One bigger thing: something friends or family could go in on together.
• A few small things: so a coworker or a younger cousin has an easy way in.

Everyday upgrades

The things you touch every day are the ones you'd notice upgrading most, and the ones you never get around to replacing yourself.

• A travel mug that fits your car's cup holder: hot coffee for the whole commute. Note the size, since cup holders are fussy.
• A pillow that suits how you sleep: side, back or stomach sleepers each want a different one, so say which you are.
• A key organizer: no more jangling bunch of keys stabbing your leg.
• A good-quality reusable straw set: small, but you'll use it daily if you drink iced coffee or smoothies.
• A sturdy laundry hamper: the flimsy one always collapses. Note the size that fits your space.
• A desk organizer: a home for the pens, cables and notes that drift around your desk.
• An insulated food jar: hot soup at lunch, wherever lunch happens to be.
• A nice dish rack: the one on your counter is rusting, and you see it every day.
• A shower head with better pressure: a small plumbing job with a big morning payoff.

Experiences

Experiences take up no shelf space and come with a memory attached. Put the date, the place or the kind of thing you'd enjoy in the note, so nobody books the wrong one.

• A series of dance classes: salsa, swing or ballet, a few weeks of lessons is enough to start having fun.
• A guided kayak or paddleboard tour: a morning on the water, with someone else doing the planning.
• A tasting: wine, cheese, chocolate or coffee. You learn what you actually like.
• Comedy club tickets: a night out that's easy to share with a friend.
• A day at a spa or thermal baths: a whole day of doing nothing, on purpose.
• A weekend workshop: woodworking, bread, jewelry making or bookbinding. You come home with a new skill and something you made.
• Movie tickets for the season: a few film nights you don't have to justify.
• A photography walk: a guided walk around your city, pointing your camera at things you've never noticed.
• An annual parks pass: a year of walks, hikes and picnics without paying at the gate each time.

Hobby gear

Hobbies are the easiest thing to ask for well, because you already know exactly what you use and what you're missing.

• For gardening: good pruning shears and a pair of gloves that fit. Put your glove size in the note.
• For bread baking: a proofing basket and a bench scraper, the two tools that make a loaf look like a bakery's.
• For cycling: a set of bright, rechargeable bike lights for dark evenings.
• For photography: a spare battery and a bigger memory card. Name your camera model, since both are specific to it.
• For climbing: a chalk bag or a punch card at your local gym.
• For sewing: a pair of sharp fabric scissors that never touch paper.
• For coffee: a gooseneck kettle, which makes pour-over much easier to get right.
• For jigsaw puzzles: a puzzle board you can slide under the sofa when guests arrive.
• For yoga: a thicker mat, for knees that don't love the thin one.

Self-care

These are the comforts people love and rarely buy themselves. Be specific: comfort is personal, and a guess can miss.

• A weighted blanket: a heavy, cozy layer on the sofa or in bed. Note the weight you prefer.
• A sunrise alarm clock: wakes you with light instead of noise, a gentler start on dark winter mornings.
• A microwavable heat pack: for sore shoulders, cold feet and period cramps.
• A bath pillow: turns a quick bath into a long one.
• A humidifier for the bedroom: for dry winter air and the scratchy throat that comes with it.
• A scalp massager: a small, strange-looking thing that feels great in the shower.
• A nice razor or grooming kit: a daily routine that feels like a treat.
• A few months of a meditation or yoga app: for the person who keeps meaning to start.

Tech

With tech, "a tracker" or "a stand" can mean a dozen different things. Link the one you mean, and say which phone or laptop it has to work with.

• A Bluetooth tracker for your keys: for anyone who has ever torn the house apart looking for them. Check it works with your phone.
• A laptop stand: lifts the screen to eye level, which your neck will thank you for.
• A fitness tracker or smartwatch: for the person who wants to move more and see it add up.
• An external drive: a backup of every photo you'd hate to lose.
• A streaming stick: makes an older TV smart again.
• A portable projector: movie nights on a bedroom wall or in the backyard.
• A multi-port charger: one plug for the phone, the watch and the earbuds, at home or when traveling.
• Smart bulbs or plugs: lights you can dim for movie night or set to switch on before you get home.

Books and learning

The best books and courses on a wishlist are the ones you'd buy tomorrow if you remembered. Name the title, the edition or the subject.

• A coffee-table book on something you love: architecture, a favorite artist, a place you want to visit.
• A field guide: birds, trees or mushrooms for your area, so every walk teaches you something.
• An online course: photography, coding, drawing or writing, learned at your own pace.
• A year of a language-learning app: for the trip you're already daydreaming about.
• A book light: for reading in bed without keeping anyone else up.
• A gift card to your local independent bookstore: you get to browse, which is half the fun.
• The reference book for your hobby: the one everyone in the hobby seems to own.
• A newspaper or magazine subscription: a small daily or weekly habit, already paid for.

Home and kitchen

Home and kitchen things are where duplicates happen most, so this is where a list helps most (and you won't end up with three identical toasters).

• A Dutch oven: stews, bread and one-pot dinners for years. Note the size and the color.
• A knife sharpener: makes the knives you already have feel new again.
• A good pepper mill: a small upgrade you use at every meal.
• A set of glasses: wine glasses, tumblers or the everyday kind, in a number that matches your table.
• Linen napkins or a tablecloth: for anyone who likes to host and wants the table to look finished.
• A rice cooker or slow cooker: dinner that more or less makes itself.
• A cordless handheld vacuum: for crumbs, pet hair and the car.
• Blackout curtains: a dark bedroom for night-shift workers, light sleepers and early summer mornings. Measure the window first.
• A set of glass storage containers: leftovers you can see, microwave and actually finish.

Style

Clothes and accessories are the most specific things you can ask for. A size, a color and a link make the difference between a keeper and a return.

• A warm winter coat: the one you tried on and walked away from. Note your size.
• A leather belt: a good one lasts for a very long time.
• A new strap for your watch: a quick way to make an old watch feel different.
• A pair of sunglasses: the pair you've been meaning to replace since you sat on the last ones.
• A soft scarf: wool or cashmere, in a color you'd wear every day.
• Rain boots: dry feet on the wettest days. Put your shoe size in the note.
• Simple jewelry: plain hoops, a chain or a ring you'll wear daily. Say gold or silver.
• A gift card to a tailor: alterations that make the clothes you already own fit properly.

Wishlist ideas for teens

A wishlist is a teenager's best tool for getting what they actually want, not what someone thinks they want. These leave room for their own taste.

• A skateboard or roller skates: with pads and a helmet in the right size.
• A gaming headset: clearer chat with friends, and quieter evenings for everyone else.
• A drawing tablet: for the teen who sketches in every notebook margin.
• A USB microphone: for podcasts, streaming or recording music.
• A class they choose: guitar, coding, art or boxing. Let them pick.
• A hoodie or jacket they've already picked out: with the size and color in the note, so nothing needs returning.
• A string of photo clips with lights: a way to fill a wall with their own pictures.
• A transit pass top-up: freedom to get around town without asking for a ride.

If they're heading off to college, the college dorm wishlist covers what to ask for.

Ideas for a kid's wishlist, if you're the parent writing it

Parents usually end up writing the list, and that's exactly where a list saves the most clutter. Build it with your child (they'll have opinions), and check the age range on anything you add.

• The building set they keep asking about: name the exact one, since there are countless versions.
• Art supplies: washable markers, a big roll of paper, modeling clay. They run out fast.
• A scooter or balance bike: with a helmet, and the size or age range in the note.
• Swimming lessons: a skill for life, and a gift that doesn't need a shelf.
• A children's museum or zoo membership: a year of rainy-day plans.
• Books one reading level up: the next step from what they're reading now.
• A sleeping bag for sleepovers: for the kid getting their first invitations.
• A family board game: something everyone at home can play together.

Bigger things friends can chip in on

A wishlist is the right place for one bigger ask. Put it on the list with a note saying you'd be happy for people to go in on it together, or to give money toward it.

• A good bike: for commuting, or for weekend rides that go further than the old one would.
• Flights or a weekend away: name the trip, so it feels like a gift and not a transaction.
• A desk chair that's kind to your back: for anyone who works from home.
• A stand mixer: for the baker who has been mixing by hand for years.
• A laptop or tablet: a real upgrade, and a lot for one person to give.
• A course or certification: a step forward at work or in a craft.
• A piece of furniture for a new place: a sofa, a bed frame, a bookshelf.
• A camera and lens: for the hobby that is ready to get serious.

Wishes doesn't collect money or split a gift. When a group wants to give one of these together, one person books the item for everyone, and the rest settle up between themselves. Saying so in the note saves a long group chat.

Wishlist ideas under $25

A few small things on your list give everyone a way in, whatever they're spending. These are good small gifts, not filler.

• A jar of good honey or jam: breakfast, made a little special.
• A box of nice greeting cards: for the thank-you notes and birthdays you mean to send.
• A plant mister: your houseplants will be grateful.
• A shopping bag that folds up tiny: always in your bag, always there when you need it.
• A luggage tag: spot your suitcase on the carousel in seconds.
• A rollerball of the perfume you already wear: a pocket-size refill you can take anywhere.
• A packet of seeds: herbs or flowers for the windowsill.
• Coffee beans from a local roaster: a week of better mornings.

How to write a wishlist people can actually buy from

A good wishlist answers the questions someone would otherwise text you. A few habits make it easy to buy from:

• Add a link to every item. A link takes people straight to the exact thing, in the store where you found it. On Wishes, paste a link from any store and the photo, the name and the link come with it.
• Put sizes and colors in the note. "Medium, navy, not the slim fit" saves a return.
• Give a price range. Write it in the note, so people can find something in their budget at a glance.
• Mark your favorites. Write "top pick" in the note on the two or three things you'd love most, so people know where to start.
• Keep it updated. Delete anything you bought yourself, and add new ideas as you think of them. The link stays the same, so everyone sees the current list.
• Add more than you need. The last person to open the list should still have a real choice.

On Wishes, anyone with the link can open your list in a browser, with no account. When someone decides what to give, they book it with a free Apple or Google sign-in, and it shows as taken to everyone else. You'll see that an item is booked, but not who booked it.

If you'd rather type your list before signing up for anything, the free wishlist maker needs no account to start. Saving it as a shareable list asks for an Apple or Google sign-in.

Wishlists for a birthday or Christmas

Most of these ideas work any time of year. For a specific occasion, the dedicated guides go further: birthday list ideas has milestone birthdays and non-material asks, and Christmas list ideas covers the holiday season, with ideas for the whole family.

Wishlist questions

What should I put on my wishlist?

Put things you'd genuinely use, in a mix of kinds and prices: a couple of everyday upgrades, an experience, something for a hobby, one bigger item people could go in on together, and a few small things under $25. Add a link, a size or color and a rough price to each one.

How many things should I put on a wishlist?

More than the number of people likely to buy from it, so the last person to open it still has a real choice. For most lists that means somewhere between ten and twenty items, with a few at a small price.

How do I make a wishlist people can actually buy from?

Link every item to the exact product, put sizes and colors in a note, give a rough price, and mark two or three favorites. Remove anything you've bought yourself, so nobody gives you a second one.

Can I put experiences or money on a wishlist?

Yes. Experiences like classes, tickets and trips are some of the best things to ask for. For money, name what it's for, like a trip, a bike or a course, so it feels like a gift toward something rather than a transaction.

What should a teenager put on their wishlist?

Things that fit their own taste, with the details written down: a gaming headset, a drawing tablet, a class they choose, clothes they've picked with the size noted, or a transit pass top-up for getting around on their own.

Can I make a wishlist without signing up?

Yes. The free Wishes wishlist maker lets you type your list with no account. To save it as a shareable list, you sign in with Apple or Google, and the people you share it with can open it without an account.

How do I share a wishlist so people don't buy the same thing?

Use a list that tracks what's been booked. On Wishes, you share one link, people open it in a browser with no account, and booking an item (a free Apple or Google sign-in) shows it as taken to everyone else. You can see that an item is booked, but not who booked it.

The things you actually want

A wishlist doesn't ask for more. It asks for better, and it tells the people who love you exactly where to find it.

The coat you walked away from. The class you keep almost booking. The pan you'll finally stop apologizing for.

Make your wishlist in a minute, or read birthday list ideas and Christmas list ideas if you're writing one for an occasion.