Hi, I’m Lala. I made Giftlist.

I love giving gifts, and I’m good at it. People love the gifts I pick for them. But the gifts I get back? Not so much.

I got tired of hinting and asking in roundabout ways. Tired of forgetting birthdays, and of the awkward conversations about what anyone actually wants. Tired of faking a smile, wishing it was something else, and feeling like a bad person for it while still being grateful someone thought of me.

It shouldn’t be this complicated.

I wanted a way for everyone to win:

• The person giving knows exactly what you want, and it still stays a surprise.
• You get something you really want, without knowing who it’s from or which thing it’ll be.

It’s like entering a prize draw where you love every single prize. You don’t want one out of thirty things, you’d be happy with any of them. Thirty out of thirty. Whatever you get, you win.

That’s Giftlist: save what you like from any shop, share one link, and friends claim gifts anonymously so nobody buys the same thing twice. Here’s how it works.

Birthdays are the start. Giftlist is turning into one place to organise anything, from anywhere: shows you want to watch, books you’ve read, shopping lists you share and add to together, private lists you keep like a journal, and lists you own with someone else.

It’s still under construction. If you have an idea or found a bug, tell me.

Lala made Giftlist after one too many polite smiles over the wrong gift, and writes about why giving and getting gifts is so complicated.

I write the articles in the Giftlist hub: guides and stories about giving and getting better gifts.