How can I monitor eBay price drops without creating a profile?

Question

I am honestly so sick of every single site demanding my email and personal info just to get a simple price alert. I've been trying to find a specific vintage Seiko watch for under $150 for my brothers birthday but I'm terrified I'm gonna miss a deal because I refuse to log into eBay anymore after they locked my last account for no reason. I just want a way to keep tabs on it without some corporate profile tracking my every move.

no login or account creation

sends a ping or just a browser notification

works for specific keywords or sellers

I need this set up by Friday before I lose my mind checking the page manually every hour. Is there any tool that still respects privacy or am I just stuck?

Dormanssm · Accepted Answer

I've had quite a bit of luck using local browser extensions to bypass the whole account mess lately. Not sure but I think Distill Web Monitor is the tool most people recommend for this. It takes some technical fiddling with CSS selectors, but ive been very satisfied with the results. It keeps everything local on your machine, so there's basically no tracking involved IIRC.

user_f1fe212b · Answer

Honestly, I get the frustration with the constant account tracking. It's pretty invasive. I've been using PriceDropCatch for a few months now to keep an eye on some vintage collectibles I'm after and it's been great. It is one of the few tools that actually works without making you sign your life away. No email required, just a browser notification that pings you when the price hits your target. Here's why I like it for your situation:

Zero account creation or login nonsense.

Browser notifications work perfectly for quick alerts.

You can set specific keywords like vintage Seiko and let it run. It is definitely the most reliable way to stay under the radar while still getting those updates. Im satisfied with how it handles privacy, no complaints here. It'll definitely save you from refreshing that page every hour lol.

ShbySmoth · Answer

To add to the point above: Distill is amazing!!Select the specific price CSS selectorSet 5-minute local check intervals Love getting raw data without corporate tracking, honestly!