Wishlists
How to review and declutter a wishlist
Review a wishlist one item at a time: keep it if the reason still matters, clarify it if a question is holding you up, remove it if it is no longer useful, or mark it purchased if you bought it. You do not need to turn every saved idea into a buying decision.
Start with one list and its current purpose
Open the list you actually want to use next. Ask what it is for now: choosing a desk chair, remembering books or collecting ideas for later. A list can outlive the project that gave it a name, so decide whether that name still helps.
Reviewing one useful list is enough for a sitting. There is no need to reorganize every saved link before making one decision. Begin with entries you no longer recognise; their titles and notes will show where context has been lost.
Choose one next step for each entry
Read the note before reopening the shop. It may already explain why an item belongs on the list or which detail remains unresolved. If you cannot remember the reason, you can remove the entry without finding a replacement.
Use the following as review prompts. They are choices you make, not extra statuses or tags in Fancies.
- Keep: I can still explain why this is worth returning to.
- Clarify: one missing measurement, version or answer would make it useful.
- Remove: it is a duplicate, no longer relevant or something I do not want to keep.
- Mark purchased: I bought this item and want it in this list’s private archive.
Resolve duplicates without losing the useful note
When two entries point to the same product page and version, compare their notes before deleting either. Put the detail you still need into the entry you will keep. Fancies does not automatically merge duplicates or their notes.
Two shops selling the same model are not necessarily duplicate entries. They may be alternatives you are comparing. Name the listings clearly and keep only the ones that still inform that decision. Remember that active priced alternatives all contribute to the total.
Check stale details where they affect a decision
Reopen the links for items you are close to choosing. Check the selected version, current price and availability, then edit the entry if needed. You do not have to recheck every price on a long ideas list just to tidy its titles.
If a listing has disappeared, decide whether the underlying idea still helps. You can keep a title-only reminder and explain that the original listing is unavailable, or delete it. Saving a URL does not preserve the page, and Fancies does not check all your links for changes.
Use the purchased archive for purchases
Mark purchased moves an item from Active to Archived inside its existing list. It retains the saved details and is visible only to you; it leaves shared views and active totals. Use Mark not purchased to restore it if you made a mistake.
The archive is not a general place for unwanted ideas. Delete an item you no longer want, or keep it active with a useful note if you are still considering it. Purchased items continue to count toward item and image-storage limits, so archiving is not a way to free that capacity.
For a Links only list, active purchase controls are hidden. Existing purchased items remain accessible in that list’s archive and can still be restored. You do not need to change the meaning of an ordinary reference link to keep it organized.
Leave a useful starting point for next time
Put the most useful active entries near the top and replace vague questions with specific ones. “Measure the shelf depth” is easier to pick up than “Research more”. Stop when the list is easier to use; it does not need to be empty.
If the list is shared, reread the active notes after editing. Anyone with its link can see those notes. Removing or archiving an entry stops it appearing on a newly loaded shared view, but cannot recall screenshots someone already took.