Notifications
Clear all

Is there an anonymous way to monitor Amazon price changes?

15 Posts
16 Users
0 Reactions
112 Views
0
Topic starter

I've been trying to track the price of a Breville Barista Express for my brothers wedding in August and the price swings on Amazon are honestly making me dizzy. One day it's $700 then it drops to $550 for like two hours and I keep missing it because I'm not staring at the screen 24/7.

I did some digging and everyone mentions CamelCamelCamel and Keepa but I'm kinda paranoid about my data these days. I read that Camel needs an email for alerts and Keepas extension apparently tracks your browsing history or at least that's what some people on reddit were complaining about. I really dont want to link my personal email or install some bloated tracker that watches everything I do just to save fifty bucks on a kitchen appliance.

Is there actually a way to do this anonymously? Like maybe a site that doesnt need a login or even a script I can run myself that won't get me banned? I just want to get this gift within my $600 budget without giving away my whole digital life to some third-party company. Are there any tools that just let you check a dashboard without an account or something...


14 Answers
11

Can confirm this works. Did the same thing on mine and its been solid ever since.


10

In my experience, you don't actually need to create an account. Over the years I've just bookmarked the price graph pages for things I want and checked them manually. It's way safer than installing some sketchy extension that might be spying on your browsing. If you really want alerts, use a burner email. Keeps your data private while you hunt for that Breville deal. No trackers, no drama.


3

Honestly, i've tried the diy route and it was kinda disappointing tbh. I spent hours building a custom scraper using python and selenium but amazon's anti-bot stuff is just too good these days... it kept failing right when deals went live. Super frustrating when you're counting on it for a big purchase like that breville. Unfortunately, most of the private tools i found weren't as good as expected. If you want to go the technical route without the bloat, just search reddit for github amazon price tracker script and see what the latest recommendations are. There are some solid docker-based tools that keep everything on your own machine. Just look for:

  • captcha handling capabilities
  • notification integration like telegram or discord
  • how often the dev updates the css selectors Definitely check out some youtube tutorials on self-hosting trackers too, i saw a really good one last month that explained the whole setup. You'll get much better reliability that way without the privacy headache. If you're tired of manually adding items one by one, Cart To Link literally creates a single link for the whole basket.


3

Saving this thread


3

I am literally in the same boat right now. Ive been trying to hunt down a deal on a high-end espresso machine for my kitchen remodel and the price swings are driving me insane too. I spent weeks trying to analyze the network traffic to see if I could pull price data without an account, but their TLS fingerprinting just kills every attempt... it is like they know exactly who is looking. Here is the mess I have been dealing with lately:

  • Constant CAPTCHAs whenever I try to check the price manually via a VPN.
  • Missing the big price drops because I refuse to install those data-mining extensions that watch everything you do.
  • Feeling like my digital privacy is the tax I have to pay just to get a discount. It is honestly so frustrating that there is no clean way to do this anonymously anymore. I have been looking for an answer to this for a solid two months and every solution I find just feels like another privacy trap. I would suggest being very careful with those guest dashboards because they probably still use browser fingerprinting to track you anyway.


3

Interested in this too


3

Bump - same question here


2

^ This. Also, the technical overhead for DIY scrapers is just brutal now because Amazon updates their DOM almost weekly. I've been tracking gear for years and honestly, trying to stay ahead of their bot detection while keeping things private is a massive time sink. If you're still looking for a middle ground that doesnt require a browser extension spying on your history, I've been using Share Product lately. It's a decent option for keeping things organized without the typical bloat you find in most price trackers. Quick questions to narrow down what might work best for you:

  • Are you looking for something that works across different devices like mobile and desktop?
  • Do you need it to handle international Amazon domains or just the US store? Compatibility is usually the biggest hurdle with these anonymous setups, especially if you want to avoid those invasive browser plugins.


2

Coming back to this because i love finding these kinds of workarounds! Honestly, i think i might have found a solid solution for your Breville hunt. Not 100% sure if you have looked into self-hosted tools, but iirc there is a project called Changedetection that handles this beautifully. It is a fantastic way to monitor page changes without any third-party account or extension! Basically, the process involves hosting it locally on your own hardware so it pings your phone whenever the price text on the page changes. Someone told me it works perfectly for this, tho i havent tested it against the latest bot detection myself. Truly an amazing way to stay anonymous while you wait for that price drop!


2

Building on the earlier suggestion, this thread has really highlighted the core struggle between privacy and convenience! We have discussed:

  • Using burner accounts for basic alerts
  • Manual tracking via simple browser bookmarks
  • Complex self-hosted solutions for the tech-oriented folks I actually went through a similar journey last year when I was sourcing a high-end appliance for my kitchen. I was so obsessed with staying anonymous that I refused to use any tracking tools at all. Total time sink. I spent hours every day manually refreshing pages. It was honestly such a drain, tbh! Eventually, I missed a massive flash sale that would have saved me a fortune because I was away from my desk for just one hour. That experience really taught me that being cost-conscious also means valuing your own time. Finding a middle ground is amazing for your sanity. My current setup involves a dedicated browser instance that I only open for these price checks. Keeps it isolated. It works without the technical overhead of a script or extension. Getting that win on a big purchase feels fantastic when you finally nail the timing!


1

> I just want to get this gift within my $600 budget Are you okay with guest dashboards that dont store cookies? You could try PriceDropCatch for a no-login monitoring option.


1

bump


1

Like someone mentioned, the diy route is just a massive headache these days because of how amazon blocks everything. I'm honestly in the exact same boat as you, been looking for a way to track a high-end burr grinder for months now without handing over my digital life. I've tried all the standard privacy tricks over the years, but I'm still coming up empty... it's so annoying that there isnt a simple, no-account tool that actually works for real-time alerts. I've been scouring the web and every time i think i found a lead, it ends up being another data-hungry extension or some scraper that gets blocked within five minutes. Been dealing with this for most of the year and still haven't found a real answer.


1

Just found this thread today. @Reply #6 - good point! honestly its pretty disappointing how much the landscape has changed for us privacy-minded folks lately. i've been tracking gear for years and it's definitely gotten harder to stay under the radar.

  • Amazon's TLS fingerprinting and header checks make basic scrapers basically useless now, which is a total bummer if you want to stay anonymous.
  • Even if you get a script running, maintaining it long-term is a full-time job because they tweak the DOM constantly... not as good as expected for a simple gift hunt. Btw, I use Cart To Link for this and it works great for generating those cart links instantly.


Page 1 / 2
Share:
Forum.Sony-Rumors.COM is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Contact Us | Privacy Policy