How often can I monitor prices with AlterLab?

As frequently as you need — there are no rate limits on scheduling. For real-time monitoring, use our batch endpoint to check thousands of product pages in parallel. Most users schedule jobs every 15 minutes to 4 hours depending on how fast competitors update prices.

Can AlterLab extract prices from JavaScript-rendered pages?

Yes. AlterLab automatically detects whether a page requires JavaScript rendering and escalates to the appropriate tier. Amazon, Shopify stores, and most modern e-commerce sites render prices client-side — AlterLab handles them without any configuration. Prices are typically available in Tier 1 ($0.0002) for static pages or Tier 4 ($0.004) for JS-rendered pages.

How do I extract structured price data instead of HTML?

Request JSON format in your API call: `"formats": ["json"]`. AlterLab will attempt to extract structured data from JSON-LD, microdata, and Open Graph tags. For custom extraction logic, request HTML or markdown and parse with your preferred library.

Can I monitor prices on Amazon, Walmart, and eBay?

Yes. AlterLab has optimized playbooks for major e-commerce platforms including Amazon, Walmart, eBay, Best Buy, and Shopify. These sites use anti-bot protection — AlterLab automatically applies the right bypass strategy. Amazon product pages use Tier 4 (headless browser) at $0.004/request.

How do I get notified when a price changes?

Combine AlterLab with your application logic: schedule batch scrapes, compare extracted prices to your database, and trigger webhooks or alerts when thresholds are crossed. AlterLab focuses on reliable data extraction — notifications are handled by your application layer.

What does price monitoring at scale cost?

At $0.0002/request for static pages, monitoring 10,000 products hourly costs $2/hour or $48/day. For JavaScript-rendered sites at $0.004/request, the same volume costs $40/hour. Most teams mix tiers — light scraping for static sites, headless browser only for protected platforms — keeping costs well under $100/day for enterprise-scale monitoring.

competitor price trackingMAP compliancee-commerce scraping

Price Monitoring API

Track competitor prices, enforce MAP compliance, and power dynamic repricing — all from one API. AlterLab extracts structured pricing data from any e-commerce site, bypassing anti-bot protection automatically. From $0.0002/request.

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Extract Price Data in One API Call

Send a URL, get structured price data. AlterLab handles anti-bot bypass automatically.

price_monitor.py

import requests, json

# Monitor Amazon price
response = requests.post(
    "https://api.alterlab.io/v1/scrape",
    headers={"X-API-Key": "sk_live_your_key"},
    json={
        "url": "https://amazon.com/dp/B09XYZ",
        "formats": ["json", "html"],
    }
)

data = response.json()
price = data["data"]["metadata"].get("price")

batch_prices.py

# Monitor 100 products at once
product_urls = [
    "https://amazon.com/dp/B001",
    "https://walmart.com/ip/123",
    "# ... up to 1000 URLs"
]

response = requests.post(
    "https://api.alterlab.io/v1/batch",
    headers={"X-API-Key": api_key},
    json={
        "urls": product_urls,
        "formats": ["json"],
    }
)

How Price Monitoring Works with AlterLab

A complete price intelligence pipeline in four steps.

Submit Product URLs

Send your product URLs to AlterLab's scrape or batch endpoint. Include your competitor SKU list, your own marketplace listings, and any sites you need to monitor for MAP compliance. No per-domain configuration required — AlterLab automatically applies the right strategy for each site.

Automatic Anti-Bot Bypass

Major e-commerce platforms — Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy — use aggressive bot detection. AlterLab detects the protection type and escalates automatically: TLS fingerprinting for most sites, headless browser for JavaScript-heavy pages, residential proxies for geo-restricted pricing. You pay only for the tier used.

Extract Structured Price Data

Request JSON output to get structured data extracted from JSON-LD schema, microdata, and Open Graph tags. For custom extraction, use HTML or markdown output with your own parser. Price, currency, availability, and seller information are typically available in the response metadata.

Store, Compare, and Alert

Store extracted prices in your database with timestamps. Run scheduled batch jobs every 15 to 60 minutes to maintain a fresh price feed. Compare against your floor prices, MAP thresholds, or historical data to trigger repricing rules or compliance alerts.

Price Monitoring Use Cases

What teams build with AlterLab's price extraction API.

Competitive Pricing Intelligence

Track competitor prices across Amazon, Shopify stores, and brand websites. Identify pricing gaps, promotion patterns, and seasonal trends.

MAP Compliance Monitoring

Automatically detect when resellers violate Minimum Advertised Price agreements. Monitor dozens of retailer sites daily and flag violations immediately.

Dynamic Repricing Engines

Feed real-time competitor prices into repricing algorithms. Adjust your prices to win the buy box or maintain margin targets automatically.

Price History Databases

Build long-term price trend data for consumer apps, investment research, or procurement optimization. Daily snapshots for 10,000+ SKUs.

Procurement Optimization

Monitor supplier and distributor prices to identify the best purchase windows. B2B price tracking across catalogs and portals.

Marketplace Seller Tools

Help Amazon and eBay sellers monitor competitors, track listing performance, and respond to pricing changes in near real-time.