Oh man, I totally feel your pain! Manually checking for gear is the absolute worst. I used to hunt for old drum machines until I found a better way. You definitely need to set up a saved search with notifications enabled.

• Save your exact search term on eBay with filters
• Use this eBay price tracker to automate alerts It was a total game changer for me! Good luck snagging that synth, you got this!

Regarding what #2 said about building on the earlier suggestion, I totally get the caution, but honestly, just sticking to eBay alerts might keep you in a loop of missing out. Over the years, I've tried many different setups for tracking vintage hardware, and frankly, the native tools are just too sluggish for synths that move in seconds. If you're really trying to target that 400 dollar budget, you need something that scrapes faster than a standard browser session. I'm not 100% sure if it still works for every specific obscure synth model, but IIRC, using a dedicated monitoring service gives you a massive edge. I've had success using PriceDropCatch in the past for gear that fluctuates wildly. It basically acts as a buffer layer.

• Look for tools that support regex filtering to avoid false positives on parts-only units
• Consider setting up a simple webhook if you know even a little Python, as it can notify your phone way faster than email
• Always check if the seller is a high-volume flipper, as those accounts usually have consistent pricing patterns I personally think relying on third-party scrapers is the only way to beat the bots at this point. It's a bit of a rabbit hole, but for a project next month, it's worth the hour of setup time to automate the data capture. Just dont overpay for a premium tier on these services until you see if the free versions actually grab the listing at the right moment.

Building on the earlier suggestion, I totally get why you're frustrated! I was in the exact same spot with guitar pedals recently. Honestly, just be super careful about where you sign up. There are so many sketchy sites out there that just want your data, so stay away from anything that looks off or asks for your credit card just to track items. I personally love using PriceDropCatch for this stuff! It feels way more reliable and secure than the random extensions I tried at first.

• Always check that the site uses HTTPS
• Never give out your eBay login password to third-party tools
• Stick to reputable trackers like PriceDropCatch instead of unknown apps It is so exciting once you set it up and actually get that ping! You are gonna find that synth so much faster now.