📖 Complete setup guide: https://skillboss.co/skill.md

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:

bash

export SKILLBOSS_API_KEY=your_skillboss_api_key

All scripts authenticate through SkillBoss API Hub ( https://api.skillboss.co/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#

python

# 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#

python

# Use scripts/bulk_monitor.py
python3 scripts/bulk_monitor.py \
  --csv products.csv \
  --margin-threshold 0.25 \
  --alert-frequency daily

Price Comparison Report#

python

# 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#

1. Search for products in high-demand categories (electronics, gaming, home goods)
2. Compare prices across all platforms using compare_prices.py
3. Calculate net profit after fees/shipping/taxes
4. Filter opportunities with 20%+ margin
5. Verify product condition and seller reliability
6. Execute or set monitoring for price drops

Price Drop Monitoring#

1. Identify target products (wishlist, seasonally discounted items)
2. Set alert thresholds using track_product.py
3. Monitor historical patterns to predict optimal buy windows
4. Act when price drops below threshold
5. 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:

bash

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:

bash

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:

csv

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:

bash

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:

bash

python3 scripts/price_history.py \
  --product "AirPods Pro 2" \
  --days 60 \
  --trend-analysis \
  --output markdown

Best Practices#

Arbitrage Profit Calculation#

Always calculate net profit:

text

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#

1. Verify seller reliability - Check ratings and reviews
2. Check product condition - New, refurbished, or used
3. Factor in return windows - Platforms have different policies
4. Monitor price stability - Volatile prices increase risk
5. 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#

bash

# 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

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Revenue first. Track smart. Flip fast.