Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No boundary was crossed if the list is public. The whole purpose for the public wish list is for people to look at it and get you something and give Amazon more business. And that's what people do.

How dare anyone cross a "boundary" and look at a public wish list and then be so nasty as to take the time to personally choose a gift for you that you appear to want.

That is not the whole purpose of the list. A lot of people use it as a general shopping list, not as a universal gift registry.

Then set it to private, or put in the "Notes" section "Don't buy this, I'm just reminding myself I want to get it some day." This really is not nuclear physics.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No boundary was crossed if the list is public. The whole purpose for the public wish list is for people to look at it and get you something and give Amazon more business. And that's what people do.

How dare anyone cross a "boundary" and look at a public wish list and then be so nasty as to take the time to personally choose a gift for you that you appear to want.

So, when you shop for relatives, you automatically go to Amazon and search for their names and if there's a list, you buy them something off of it? Have you ever done that? Has anyone here ever done that? Who does that unless the person told you they wanted something off that list?

Yes, a boundary was crossed.

I never have, but I think it is kind of brilliant to do. Resourceful MIL!

I quote from the Amazon Wish List tour on Amazon:

"You'll be surprised how many people you know have Amazon Wish Lists. First search and find someone, then click "Remember" to keep track of their lists and make gift giving a snap."

Hmm, it almost sounds as if this was designed for other people to look at and find out what you might like as a gift.

Oh my aching boundaries.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No boundary was crossed if the list is public. The whole purpose for the public wish list is for people to look at it and get you something and give Amazon more business. And that's what people do.

How dare anyone cross a "boundary" and look at a public wish list and then be so nasty as to take the time to personally choose a gift for you that you appear to want.

So, when you shop for relatives, you automatically go to Amazon and search for their names and if there's a list, you buy them something off of it? Have you ever done that? Has anyone here ever done that? Who does that unless the person told you they wanted something off that list?

Yes, a boundary was crossed.

Lots of families share Amazon wish lists to organize gift giving. Is it so hard to imagine this lady being accustomed to choosing gifts for various relatives from their Amazon wish lists and then searching for DIL's list to finish off her Xmas shopping? How is that crossing a boundary? It sounds thoughtful at worst.

I love a good MIL bashing as much as anyone, but this is dumb. She went out of her way to get you what she thought you wanted. You had changed your mind. No big deal. Still more thoughtful than picking out something random that you never wanted in the first place.

I also didn't realize my list was public and a relative ended up buying me a book from the list and I was so touched that she took the time to try to figure it out. When I got the book I shouted "oh I have been eying this book forever!" and that's when she told me she saw the list. I thought it was sweet.

Anonymous wrote:No boundary was crossed if the list is public. The whole purpose for the public wish list is for people to look at it and get you something and give Amazon more business. And that's what people do.

How dare anyone cross a "boundary" and look at a public wish list and then be so nasty as to take the time to personally choose a gift for you that you appear to want.

That is not the whole purpose of the list. A lot of people use it as a general shopping list, not as a universal gift registry.

Anonymous wrote:You can return gifts to Amazon for free return shipping. I have and got full credit for some useless new baby presents (selected by people who don't have kids so didn't know better). Unless the list aspect makes it different I would assume you can do the same. Go to your account page and muck around with the return page.

Not everything has free return shipping, especially if the item came from a third party seller.

Anonymous wrote:No boundary was crossed if the list is public. The whole purpose for the public wish list is for people to look at it and get you something and give Amazon more business. And that's what people do.

How dare anyone cross a "boundary" and look at a public wish list and then be so nasty as to take the time to personally choose a gift for you that you appear to want.

So, when you shop for relatives, you automatically go to Amazon and search for their names and if there's a list, you buy them something off of it? Have you ever done that? Has anyone here ever done that? Who does that unless the person told you they wanted something off that list?

Yes, a boundary was crossed.

Wow! You sound ungrateful. It sounds like your MIL went out of her way to pick something you would like. Cut her a break!

You can return gifts to Amazon for free return shipping. I have and got full credit for some useless new baby presents (selected by people who don't have kids so didn't know better). Unless the list aspect makes it different I would assume you can do the same. Go to your account page and muck around with the return page.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Women like OP are who scare me to death when I think of my sons getting married someday...

I agree. My oldest is engaged, and so far his fiancee doesn't seem to be like that, but it's early days. For all I know she's angrily gnawing holes in the gift I spent hours choosing for her this Christmas.

lol! as long as it wasn't a pet store gift card.

No boundary was crossed if the list is public. The whole purpose for the public wish list is for people to look at it and get you something and give Amazon more business. And that's what people do.

How dare anyone cross a "boundary" and look at a public wish list and then be so nasty as to take the time to personally choose a gift for you that you appear to want.

Nope, I'm with OP. I have a wish list that I use for exactly the same reason and the list is public by default. Unless the list is publicized to the family as a registry, why on earth would anyone go to look at it much less select a random item off of it. The MIL will never understand that she crossed a boundary.

OP, my recommendation is to return the item and take the loss. You will lose the same amount if you try to resell the item anyway. And change that list to private. I'm going to do that right now because my FIL is the kind to do the same thing.

Anonymous wrote:Women like OP are who scare me to death when I think of my sons getting married someday...

I agree. My oldest is engaged, and so far his fiancee doesn't seem to be like that, but it's early days. For all I know she's angrily gnawing holes in the gift I spent hours choosing for her this Christmas.