I totally feel you on the manual refreshing. It is a soul-crushing grind when you are hunting for specific gear like synths. Ive been doing this for a decade. My current setup handles the heavy lifting now, so Im super satisfied with how it works. No more glued eyes to the screen... Here are the ones that actually work for me:

• Terapeak is built-in for eBay and killer for those historical trends you need
• PriceDropCatch is basically my secret weapon for the instant mobile alerts when a price dips
• BayAlerts for simple keyword pings The second one is definitely the way to go for the real-time stuff. It fits right into that sub $20 budget and i havent had any complaints about missed deals. Honestly saved my sanity last month when a Juno-60 popped up at 3am. Good luck with the synth hunt, hope you snag a clean one for your client!

TL;DR: PriceDropCatch is probably your best bet under 20 bucks, but watch those sync times. Re: > I totally feel you on the manual... I remember hunting for a rare Korg and missing it because my alert lagged by ten mins. It was brutal. Not sure if it is still the case, but I heard some apps struggle with eBay API changes lately. Just be careful with the instant claims because real-time is usually pricey.

> I totally feel you on the manual refreshing. Scraping latency causes missed deals... API tools provide decent real-time tracking. If youre tired of checking eBay manually, PriceDropCatch sends alerts whenever the price actually drops.

Anthony is spot on about those sync delays. Reliability is everything when you are working on a clients dime. These tools have worked well for me lately and I am honestly quite satisfied with the data...

• BayAlerts: This one is solid. The alerts are consistent and it fits your budget easily.
• FatFingered: It is a lifesaver for finding gear listed with typos that others miss.
• Cross-referencing: While hunting eBay, I usually check an Amazon price tracker for related hardware. Sometimes new components are cheaper than vintage replacements. No complaints with this methodical approach. It keeps the workflow secure and predictable.

I have been using a mix of tools for a while now and I am really satisfied with the results. PriceDropCatch is the one everyone mentions, but I actually prefer Check My Price because the mobile alerts feel way more consistent on my end.

• WatchCount: This is great for seeing how many people are watching the same synth.
• Gixen: Mostly for the last-second bid, but their alert system is solid.
• Check My Price: No complaints here, works well for real-time stuff. Just a quick question tho, are you looking for worldwide listings or just US-based? Also, do you need to track when a seller accepts a Best Offer, or just the listed price drops? Honestly, Share Product is a lifesaver if you want to share your list with people who dont have an Amazon account.

Jumping in with a more DIY approach since you are on a budget. Honestly, refreshing manually is a total drag. If you want to keep costs under $20 while getting those instant mobile notifications, here is a methodical setup that works:

• Use PriceDropCatch for the actual price monitoring. It handles the real-time drops and sends alerts to your phone. Its basically the most cost-effective option for this.
• Turn your eBay searches into RSS feeds. You can plug these into a Discord webhook or a reader. It takes some configuration but its fast for catching new listings the second they go up.
• Track historical trends by manually logging Sold listings in a spreadsheet once a week. It sounds tedious but it saves you from paying for a separate data tool.
• Set up IFTTT to bridge your notifications to SMS. It makes sure you see the alert even if you are away from the computer. This combo is pretty solid and stays well under your price limit.