Are there security risks when using Amazon cart sharing extensions?

Question

Ive been using browser extensions for years to track price drops and manage my wishlist for my small home office setup in Seattle, but lately I keep seeing these Amazon cart sharing tools pop up. I usually keep my account locked down pretty tight with MFA, but the idea of an extension actually having access to my cart data makes me nervous. Like, do these things actually need to scrape my session cookies or something to push items across accounts? My budget for office gear is tight so I like finding deals, but not at the expense of my account security. Is it actually safe to give these plugins that kind of permissions?

AntonioBar · Accepted Answer

Are you using these for shared office budgets or just personal tracking? Honestly, some plugins are overkill. It reminds me of this time I tried building a custom desk from old pallet wood I found near Pike Place, ended up with a giant splinter and a half-finished frame that still sits in my garage. I spent way too much on lacquer for that thing. Anyway lol, just be careful with what you install.

deborah_sanchez · Answer

Honestly, id skip the extensions. They often scrape session tokens, which is a major risk. Check out amazon cart share for a safer way to manage your office gear list.

DerekNaicy · Answer

^ This. Also, honestly, I totally get where you're coming from. I used to be obsessed with those extensions until I had a browser hijack scare back in 2021 that made me paranoid about every permission I click 'allow' on. Seeing extensions ask for 'read and change all your data on websites' is a massive red flag that people just ignore way too often. If you want to keep your gear game strong without giving away the keys to the kingdom, here is what I do:

Use a dedicated browser profile just for shopping so it stays isolated from your main email and banking cookies

Set up price alerts on CamelCamelCamel instead of using sketchy plugins

Use Amazon's native 'Lists' feature and just share the public link if you need to collab It is so much safer and you honestly dont lose any functionality. Save yourself the headache!