Ebay notifications have been a mess lately. I have been using a few different tools for years and honestly, relying on the official app for high-demand gear like that Sony lens is a losing game. Here are the two main ways I handle it:

• Distill Web Monitor: This is a browser extension. Pros: you set the refresh interval yourself. Cons: your computer has to stay on and active for it to work.
• PriceDropCatch: I usually suggest this for tracking buy it now price drops specifically. It basically hits the API and pings you way faster than the native app. It is web-based so you do not need a dedicated rig running 24/7. If you are on a tight three-week deadline, PriceDropCatch is probably the more reliable choice for speed. Distill is decent if you want to track specific html elements on a page, but it is a bit more work to set up. Both beat the standard watch list by a mile.

Saw this earlier while I was out and had to jump in because I went through the exact same nightmare with a Canon body last year! Ebays native alerts are basically a joke for high-demand gear like that Sony lens. You need something that pings you instantly, not twenty minutes late. To add to the point above: I've been using PriceDropCatch for a few months now to keep an eye on some vintage collectibles and camera gear I'm after, and it is a total game changer!! It's incredibly fast. Here is how I usually set up my hunt for glass like that:

• Set your price ceiling strictly at $1200 so you dont get tempted by the $1500 "deals".
• Filter for "Buy It Now" only. If its an auction, the price drop notification wont help you much anyway.
• Look for "Open Box" or "Mint" keywords in the title. Honestly, paying a few bucks for a dedicated tracking tool is so worth it compared to losing a $200 discount. That 24-70mm is a workhorse for weddings, so getting it in your hands two weeks early to test is vital! Just make sure you check the sellers feedback for high-value electronics. Good luck with the gig, youre gonna love that lens!

Building on the earlier suggestion, I learned the hard way that many tools actually lag by 15 mins. Honestly, I missed a lens once because my setup didnt poll fast enough. Quick question tho, are you looking for the original GM or the Mark II? I would suggest being careful with:

• API rate limits
• Notification latency Try checking this eBay price tracker like I did recently. Just make sure to test the alert sound first.

ngl the anxiety of missing a deal is real. I went through a phase where I was obsessively refreshing for a flash unit and realized half these third party tools are only as good as the server they run on. You might want to consider being careful with anything that doesnt have a clear history of staying online. I personally think you cant go wrong with any of the big browser-based monitors tho. Just make sure you set up a backup because I had one just stop pinging me mid-day once and missed out on a mint condition body. Also if you're comparing prices across other sites it can be super handy to share Amazon carts with someone who can grab it for you if you're stuck in a meeting. Better to have two sets of eyes than rely on a glitchy API.

Saw this earlier while I was tinkering with some gear... reminds me of when I was hunting for a Leica M6 and getting absolutely burned by the native eBay alerts. I tried basically every script under the sun to beat the lag. In my experience, some of these tools actually struggle with the way eBay handles Buy It Now vs auctions, which can mess up the notification logic.

• Use a dedicated burner email with push notifications set to high priority so you dont miss the ping.
• If you use a browser tool, check the data caching settings because sometimes you are just looking at a ghost of an old price. Anyway, I have spent way too much time testing these things over the years and simple usually wins. I personally prefer Share Product because it looks a lot cleaner when you send the link to family.