In this post, I'll show you how to extract and download eBay data using a free account (there’s a limit on scraped data) with Apify.
(if you'd also like to see how to scrape Youtube comments with Apify for free, check out this post)
Key takeaways
You can download data from eBay directly into a file in CSV, Excel and XML and use it for your products and research with web scraping.
Scraping eBay data responsibly means navigating eBay’s anti-scraping measures: using proxy servers and user-agent rotation to not get blocked and implementing delays between requests to not overwhelm eBay’s servers.
Official eBay APIs vs web scraping: While eBay offers APIs for data access, they come with limits like call restrictions and licensing requirements. Web scraping offers more flexibility and scalability for data gathering, especially for complex or large scale tasks.
Why scrape eBay data?
eBay is a goldmine of market research data with over 1.3 billion product listings. By scraping data from eBay you can do competitor analysis and get insights to inform their pricing and stay competitive in the market. Web scraping gives you even more by giving you deeper understanding of market trends, customer behavior and product demand which are all important for making business decisions.
Problems with scraping
eBay has implemented various anti-scraping measures to prevent bots from scraping data, making it hard to scrape due to the platform’s complexity and frequent updates. While eBay’s terms of service prohibit web scraping, it’s generally legal as long as you do it responsibly and within certain ethical boundaries. These require careful navigation to comply with legal standards and platform policies.
Setting up your eBay Web Scraper
When scraping eBay you should choose a web scraping tool or library that can handle the platform’s complexity and anti-scraping measures. To not get blocked, setting up a proxy server to rotate IP addresses is a must to have access. Also, you should define what data fields you want to extract, like product title, price and description to make the scraping process targeted and efficient.
Great alternative to custom scrapers is an easy-to-use, no-code ebay scraper offered by platforms like Apify which we're going to use today.
How to scrape ebay listings with Apify
My favorite scraper is Apify - I have zero coding and engineering skills and I can scrape ebay listings without any problems. The UI can be a bit technical but it’s very easy to use and that’s why I’m writing these guides.
To scrape comments, it’s very simple. Just create an account. Apify offers three tiers but their free tier is very generous and you can scrape comments for free.
Once you have the account, go to Store and search for eBay Scraper.
There you’ll see a list of data scrapers. Most of them are pay-per-download or subscription based but if you still have free credits on your tier you won’t get charged (just don’t forget to cancel your subscription when you’re done). I always recommend going with the most used and upvoted one - eBay Scraper by Tin Duong.
The page says the pricing is $50/month + usage but they offer 3-day free trial to try it out. When you click on the scraper you’ll land on this page. I know it looks like a lot of tech info but it’s not.
To start using the actor click on “Go to Actor”
You only need to provide three things:
eBay URL - The URL can be any search/category page.
Number of items you want to scrape
Proxy - Like many web scrapers used in the retail industry, this actor requires proxy servers to work. For basic tasks like gathering a small sample of data, a free account is enough but we don’t recommend it for more complex operations. If you plan to scrape a lot of data, subscribing to the Apify platform will give you access to more proxies and will make the process smoother and better.
Once you fill in the details click “Start”. Then you’ll need to wait for a few minutes to see the results.
Once the scraper finishes scraping data you can download or share the results. Just click on “Export results” and select your desired format. Apify offers various export options: JSON, CSV, XML, Excel, HTML table, RSS, JSONL. You can also integrate your account with services like Google Drive and Gmail but you may need to upgrade your plan for that.
eBay API vs. Web Scraping
eBay has over a dozen APIs and you can access them through the eBay Developers Program. However, there are a few issues: you need to go through an approval process and there are limits on the number of API calls you can make. Some of the most valuable APIs like the Buy APIs that retrieve item details require an additional license on top of these call limits. eBay also deprecates its APIs frequently making them less and less available to the public - a common trend among big platforms.
As a result, extracting data from eBay listings through their API is not always easy. If your use case is simple, the official eBay APIs might be enough. But if you want the benefits of an API and more, web scraping is the way to go and you can collect data more efficiently.
Best Practices for Scraping eBay Data
Respect eBay’s Terms of Service and Don’t Scrape Personal Data
One of the most important aspects of ethical web scraping is to comply with eBay’s terms of service. As a responsible scraper you should avoid scraping any data that can be considered personal or sensitive like user names, email addresses or private messages. This is not only against eBay’s policies but also data protection laws like GDPR which has strict regulations on collecting and handling personal data.
Scraping publicly available data from eBay like sold prices, item titles and descriptions can be done if done ethically. But to be compliant and avoid any legal issues always avoid scraping user specific data. By respecting eBay’s terms and staying within what’s publicly available you protect yourself and your business from any complications.
Use a Proxy Server and User-Agent Rotation to Avoid Getting Blocked
eBay like many big platforms has various anti-scraping measures to detect and block unauthorized scraping. One of the most effective measures against scraping is IP blocking. If the platform detects multiple requests from the same IP in a short period it may flag it as suspicious activity and block the IP temporarily or permanently. To avoid this using a proxy server is a good practice.
Proxy servers act as an intermediary, routing your requests through different IP addresses making it look like your requests are coming from different locations. By rotating proxies you reduce the chances of getting blocked as eBay’s systems will not be able to identify your activity as suspicious.
Add a Delay Between Requests to Avoid Overloading eBay’s Servers
Another important aspect of responsible scraping is to not overload eBay’s servers with too many requests in a short time. eBay’s systems are designed to detect such high frequency activity and will block or throttle your connection if they suspect abusive behavior.
To avoid this, you should add a delay between requests. A short pause even just a few seconds between requests will allow eBay to handle traffic normally without any stress. More importantly, this will prevent your scraper from getting detected and blocked by rate limiting mechanisms.
Conclusion
Scraping eBay data gives you valuable insights into market trends and customer behavior so you can make better decisions. By choosing the right tools, like Apify, you can scrape data efficiently and responsibly and be compliant with the ethical guidelines. Using this data you can refine your strategies, optimize your pricing and stay competitive in a ever changing market.
FAQs
Is web scraping on eBay allowed?
Web scraping on eBay is not allowed according to eBay’s terms of service which explicitly prohibits the use of bots or automated methods to extract data from the site. eBay has anti-scraping measures in place to prevent such activities including blocking bots and limiting access to certain data. So scraping eBay without permission can get you blocked from the platform or other consequences.
However for a compliant solution eBay offers official APIs that allows controlled access to their data but with restrictions such as call limits and additional licensing for certain features.
How to scrape eBay sold prices?
To scrape eBay sold prices using Apify you would need to set up a web scraping workflow that extracts data from the sold listings section of eBay:
Find or Build an eBay Scraper:
Search the Apify Store for an existing eBay Scraper. If you find one that fits your needs (many are designed to scrape product listings, prices and more) you can use it directly.
If there’s no existing scraper you can create your own using Apify SDK (for Node.js) or by using the Actor tool. You’ll need to write a custom script to navigate to the “Sold Listings” section and extract the relevant data.
Set Target URL for Sold Listings:
eBay has a filter that shows Sold Listings for specific products. Perform a search on eBay, apply the “Sold Listings” filter and copy the URL.
For example: Perform a search on eBay, click on the “Sold Items” checkbox and use this URL to feed into the scraper.
Customize the Scraper to Extract Sold Prices:
If you’re using a pre-built eBay scraper ensure it is configured to extract the sold prices, item titles, dates and any other relevant data (like shipping costs or auction format).
If you are writing your own script locate the HTML element containing the sold price (usually within the <span> or <div> tags).
eBay uses anti-scraping measures like IP rate limits. To avoid being blocked it’s recommended to use proxies. Apify provides proxy services and you can integrate a proxy pool into your scraper to rotate IP addresses.
Run the Scraper:
Once your scraper is ready run it on Apify’s platform. You can do this manually or you can set up a recurring task (like running it daily) to continuously collect sold prices.
Export the Extracted Data:
After scraping is complete Apify allows you to export your data in various formats like JSON, CSV, Excel etc. Simply click on “Export results” and choose your preferred format.
You can also set up integrations with services like Google Drive or email to automatically send the data to a destination of your choice.
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