How to create a gift exchange manually

Manual mode is for when you already have the list in front of you: you type the names and emails yourself, and the exchange is drawn at the very moment you create it.

It is the fastest route when the group is fixed and known. It is also the most final one, and it is worth understanding why before you choose it.

How it differs from a shared link

The big difference is not how people get in, but when the draw happens.

• With a shared link, the exchange waits. You decide when to run the draw.
• In manual mode, the draw runs automatically as soon as creation finishes. There is no separate draw step afterwards.

Everything else follows from that, so read it before deciding.

The five steps

The first four steps are identical to any other exchange: name, group type, gift category, and celebration details (date, location, currency and budget).

The difference shows up in step 5. Under "How do you want to invite participants?" choose Add guests manually.

Adding the people

Choosing manual mode brings up two participant rows, ready to fill. Each one asks for a name and an email address.

You count as a participant and are already included: the counter at the top shows the total with you in it. That is why the real minimum is two guests besides yourself, meaning three people in total.

Add another participant gives you as many rows as you want. While there are only two, no delete button appears: that is how the exchange is kept from dropping below the minimum.

Repeated email addresses

Two people cannot share an email address, and your own organizer address counts inside that check. If you repeat one, the screen flags the specific row and will not let you continue.

The check ignores capitalisation and stray spaces, so "Luis@Mail.com " and "luis@mail.com" are treated as the same address. The server checks again when saving.

What happens when you press the final button

In a single operation:

• The exchange is created.
• It is drawn, with every participant you typed.
• The exchange is marked as drawn, with no active join link.
• An email goes out to each participant with their assignment.
• You land on a confirmation screen.

If any email could not be delivered, the confirmation screen tells you how many failed out of the total. The exchange is created either way: a mail failure does not undo the draw, but fixing it is on you, because you are the one who can reach that person through another channel.

The consequences of drawing at creation

This is what to be clear about up front.

• There are no exclusions. Exclusions are set up on the draw screen, and in manual mode you never pass through it. If you need two people kept apart, use the shared-link mode instead.
• The draw cannot be repeated. An exchange that has already been drawn refuses any attempt to draw again.
• Participants cannot be removed. Removing a participant is only available on link exchanges, and only before the draw. A manual exchange meets neither condition.
• There is no link to share. Nobody joins on their own: the list is the one you typed.

If you got a name or an address wrong, you can still correct it from the participants tab, as long as that address has not already been verified by its owner.

When to choose manual and when not to

Choose manual if:

• You already have the complete list and it will not change.
• Nobody needs to be kept apart from anybody.
• You want people to get their assignment today.

Choose the shared link if:

• People are still confirming.
• There are couples or siblings who should not draw each other.
• You would rather see who joined before drawing.

Worth knowing

• The budget must be greater than zero and the location cannot be empty; the wizard will not let you past step 4 without them.
• The welcome message takes up to 500 characters.
• The draw deals one single circle: everyone gives once and receives once, nobody draws themselves, and no two people are paired with each other.
• The country prefix of the address you create the exchange on decides which Amazon store is used later to search for products.