# price-tracker

Price Tracker Overview Track product prices across multiple e-commerce platforms to identify arbitrage opportunities, profit margins, and optimal buying/selling windows. This skill enables automated price monitoring, historical tracking, and revenue-focused decision making. Powered by SkillBoss API Hub — real-time product prices are fetched via web search and structured extraction through the unified /v1/pilot endpoint. No platform-specific API keys required. Setup Set the following environment variable before running any script:

export SKILLBOSS_API_KEY=your_skillboss_api_key

All scripts authenticate through SkillBoss API Hub (https://api.heybossai.com/v1/pilot) using SKILLBOSS_API_KEY. Core Capabilities

1. Product Discovery & Monitoring Search and Track Products: Search products by keyword across Amazon, eBay, Walmart, Best Buy Add products to monitoring lists Set target price thresholds Configure alert frequency (hourly, daily, weekly) Example Request: "Monitor iPhone 15 Pro prices across Amazon and eBay. Alert me if the price drops below $800 or if eBay listing is $150+ cheaper than Amazon."
2. Arbitrage Analysis Cross-Platform Comparison: Compare identical product prices across platforms Calculate profit margins after fees and shipping Identify flip-worthy opportunities (20%+ margin after costs) Factor in platform fees, shipping costs, and taxes Fee Structure Reference:

Amazon: ~15% referral fee
eBay: ~13% final value fee + listing fees
Walmart: ~8-15% referral fee

Example Request: "Find Nintendo Switch bundles where eBay price is 20%+ higher than Amazon, accounting for all fees and shipping costs." 3. Historical Price Tracking Price History: Track price changes over time (30, 60, 90 days) Identify seasonal pricing patterns Detect price manipulation or flash sales Export historical data for analysis Example Request: "Show me the price history for AirPods Pro 2 over the last 60 days. Identify the best buying window." 4. Automated Alerts Alert Configuration: Price drop alerts (below threshold) Arbitrage opportunity alerts (margin threshold) Competitor price alerts (when competitor lowers price) Bulk product monitoring Example Request: "Set up alerts for all Sony TV models. Alert me if any model drops below $400 or has 25%+ arbitrage margin." Quick Start Track a Single Product

# Use scripts/track_product.py

python3 scripts/track_product.py
--product "Apple iPhone 15 Pro 256GB"
--platforms amazon,ebay
--alert-below 800
--alert-margin 0.20 Bulk Monitor Products from CSV

# Use scripts/bulk_monitor.py

python3 scripts/bulk_monitor.py
--csv products.csv
--margin-threshold 0.25
--alert-frequency daily Price Comparison Report

# Use scripts/compare_prices.py

python3 scripts/compare_prices.py
--keyword "Sony WH-1000XM5"
--platforms amazon,ebay,walmart,bestbuy
--report markdown Workflow Arbitrage Opportunity Discovery Search for products in high-demand categories (electronics, gaming, home goods) Compare prices across all platforms using compare_prices.py Calculate net profit after fees/shipping/taxes Filter opportunities with 20%+ margin Verify product condition and seller reliability Execute or set monitoring for price drops Price Drop Monitoring Identify target products (wishlist, seasonally discounted items) Set alert thresholds using track_product.py Monitor historical patterns to predict optimal buy windows Act when price drops below threshold Repeat for seasonal shopping events (Prime Day, Black Friday) Scripts track_product.py Track a single product across platforms with configurable alerts.

Parameters:
--product: Product name/keyword
--platforms: Comma-separated platforms (amazon,ebay,walmart,bestbuy)
--alert-below: Alert when price drops below this amount
--alert-margin: Alert when arbitrage margin exceeds this fraction (e.g., 0.20 = 20%)
--frequency: Check frequency (hourly,daily,weekly)
--output: Output format (json,csv,markdown)
Example:

python3 scripts/track_product.py
--product "Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra 256GB"
--platforms amazon,ebay,walmart
--alert-below 900
--alert-margin 0.25
--frequency daily
--output markdown compare_prices.py Compare prices for a product across all platforms.

Parameters:
--keyword: Product search keyword
--platforms: Comma-separated platforms (default: all)
--report: Report format (markdown,json,csv)
--sort-by: Sort by price, margin, or rating
--min-rating: Minimum seller rating
Example:

python3 scripts/compare_prices.py
--keyword "PlayStation 5 Slim"
--platforms amazon,ebay,walmart,bestbuy
--report markdown
--sort-by margin
--min-rating 4.5 bulk_monitor.py Monitor multiple products from a CSV file. CSV Format: product,platforms,alert_below,alert_margin "Apple MacBook Air M3 256GB",amazon,ebay,walmart,899,0.20 "Sony PlayStation 5",amazon,ebay,399,0.25 "Dyson V15 Detect",amazon,walmart,bestbuy,500,0.18

Parameters:
--csv: Path to CSV file
--margin-threshold: Minimum margin to report
--alert-frequency: Frequency of alerts
--output: Output file for alerts
Example:

python3 scripts/bulk_monitor.py
--csv products.csv
--margin-threshold 0.20
--alert-frequency daily
--output alerts.txt price_history.py Retrieve and analyze historical price data.

Parameters:
--product: Product name/keyword
--days: Number of days of history (default: 30)
--platform: Specific platform (optional)
--output: Output format (markdown,json,csv)
--trend-analysis: Include trend analysis and predictions
Example:

python3 scripts/price_history.py
--product "AirPods Pro 2"
--days 60
--trend-analysis
--output markdown Best Practices Arbitrage Profit Calculation Always calculate net profit: Net Profit = (Sell Price - Buy Price)

• Platform Fees
• Shipping Costs
• Payment Processing Fees
• Taxes Recommended minimum margin: 20-25% to account for: Unexpected shipping delays Returns/refunds Market price fluctuations Time value of money Risk Mitigation Verify seller reliability - Check ratings and reviews Check product condition - New, refurbished, or used Factor in return windows - Platforms have different policies Monitor price stability - Volatile prices increase risk Stay within limits - Don't over-leverage on single opportunities Seasonal Patterns Q4 (Oct-Dec): Holiday sales, best for electronics

January: Post-holiday clearance

Prime Day (July): Amazon-specific deals Black Friday/Cyber Monday: Cross-platform discounts Back-to-School (Aug-Sep): Laptops, tablets, accessories Automation Integration Set Up Cron Jobs for Automated Monitoring

# Check prices every 6 hours
0 */6 * * * /path/to/price-tracker/scripts/bulk_monitor.py --csv products.csv --output alerts.txt
# Daily arbitrage scan
0 9 * * * /path/to/price-tracker/scripts/compare_prices.py --keyword "high-demand-products" --report markdown >> /path/to/reports.txt

Integration with Notifications Combine with notification systems (email, Discord, Telegram) to receive real-time alerts when opportunities are detected. Limitations SkillBoss API Hub search rate limits may affect high-frequency polling Real-time prices may have slight delays depending on search index freshness Some platform pages may restrict scraping (comply with ToS) Seller inventory changes rapidly Revenue first. Track smart. Flip fast.