price-tracker

Monitor product prices across Amazon, eBay, Walmart, and Best Buy to identify arbitrage opportunities and profit margins. Use when finding products to flip,...

Security Scan

The skill roughly matches its stated purpose (cross‑platform price tracking) but has mismatches and missing declarations (required API key, undeclared dependencies, unknown source) that warrant caution before installing.

Purpose & Capability

The code and SKILL.md implement cross‑platform price monitoring and arbitrage calculations consistent with the skill name/description. However the registry metadata reported 'no required env vars' while both SKILL.md and scripts require SKILLBOSS_API_KEY (os.environ["SKILLBOSS_API_KEY"]). Also the package provides code that depends on the 'requests' library but no dependency/install instructions are declared. These mismatches are unexpected and reduce confidence.

Instruction Scope

Runtime instructions and scripts limit their actions to searching product listings (via the SkillBoss API Hub), extracting structured price data, analyzing margins, reading optional CSV input, and printing reports/alerts. There are no instructions to read arbitrary system files or to exfiltrate environment variables beyond SKILLBOSS_API_KEY. The scripts do post data to an external service (https://api.skillboss.co/v1/pilot) as intended by the design.

Install Mechanism

No install spec is provided (instruction-only install), but the skill bundle includes multiple Python scripts. There is no guidance to install Python dependencies (requests). Lack of declared install steps or dependency list is a quality/safety concern (users might run without required packages or not realize network/HTTP client is used).

Credentials

Only one credential (SKILLBOSS_API_KEY) is required by the code and SKILL.md, which is proportionate to a design that routes web/LLM requests through a third‑party hub. The registry metadata incorrectly lists no required env vars, which is inconsistent. The skill does not request unrelated credentials or system config paths.

Persistence & Privilege

The skill does not request always:true and does not modify other skills or system settings. It runs as invoked and prints alerts to stdout/stderr for integration; no persistent elevated privileges are requested.

What to consider before installing

Key things to consider before installing: (1) The code requires SKILLBOSS_API_KEY (the scripts call https://api.skillboss.co/v1/pilot) but the registry metadata omitted that — you must supply and trust that API key and the SkillBoss service. (2) The package contains Python scripts that use the 'requests' library but no dependency/install instructions are provided — install dependencies in a controlled environment (virtualenv) before running. (3) All product searches and extracted content are sent to the external SkillBoss API; do not use this skill with queries containing sensitive/personal data. (4) The source/homepage are unknown and README contains placeholder repo text; prefer skills with a verifiable upstream repository or review the code yourself. (5) If you decide to run it, run in a sandbox or isolated environment, review/verify the SKILLBOSS service's privacy/security policy, and rotate or limit the API key's permissions where possible.

📖 Complete setup guide: https://skillboss.co/skill.md

Overview

Track product prices across multiple e-commerce platforms to identify arbitrage opportunities, profit margins, and optimal buying/selling windows. This skill enables automated price monitoring, historical tracking, and revenue-focused decision making.

Powered by SkillBoss API Hub — real-time product prices are fetched via web search and structured extraction through the unified /v1/pilot endpoint. No platform-specific API keys required.

Setup

Set the following environment variable before running any script:

export SKILLBOSS_API_KEY=your_skillboss_api_key

All scripts authenticate through SkillBoss API Hub (https://api.skillboss.co/v1/pilot) using SKILLBOSS_API_KEY.

Core Capabilities

1. Product Discovery & Monitoring

Search and Track Products:

• Search products by keyword across Amazon, eBay, Walmart, Best Buy
• Add products to monitoring lists
• Set target price thresholds
• Configure alert frequency (hourly, daily, weekly)

Example Request: "Monitor iPhone 15 Pro prices across Amazon and eBay. Alert me if the price drops below $800 or if eBay listing is $150+ cheaper than Amazon."

2. Arbitrage Analysis

Cross-Platform Comparison:

• Compare identical product prices across platforms
• Calculate profit margins after fees and shipping
• Identify flip-worthy opportunities (20%+ margin after costs)
• Factor in platform fees, shipping costs, and taxes

Fee Structure Reference:

• Amazon: ~15% referral fee
• eBay: ~13% final value fee + listing fees
• Walmart: ~8-15% referral fee

Example Request: "Find Nintendo Switch bundles where eBay price is 20%+ higher than Amazon, accounting for all fees and shipping costs."

3. Historical Price Tracking

Price History:

• Track price changes over time (30, 60, 90 days)
• Identify seasonal pricing patterns
• Detect price manipulation or flash sales
• Export historical data for analysis

Example Request: "Show me the price history for AirPods Pro 2 over the last 60 days. Identify the best buying window."

4. Automated Alerts

Alert Configuration:

• Price drop alerts (below threshold)
• Arbitrage opportunity alerts (margin threshold)
• Competitor price alerts (when competitor lowers price)
• Bulk product monitoring

Example Request: "Set up alerts for all Sony TV models. Alert me if any model drops below $400 or has 25%+ arbitrage margin."

Quick Start

Track a Single Product

# Use scripts/track_product.py
python3 scripts/track_product.py \
  --product "Apple iPhone 15 Pro 256GB" \
  --platforms amazon,ebay \
  --alert-below 800 \
  --alert-margin 0.20

Bulk Monitor Products from CSV

# Use scripts/bulk_monitor.py
python3 scripts/bulk_monitor.py \
  --csv products.csv \
  --margin-threshold 0.25 \
  --alert-frequency daily

Price Comparison Report

# Use scripts/compare_prices.py
python3 scripts/compare_prices.py \
  --keyword "Sony WH-1000XM5" \
  --platforms amazon,ebay,walmart,bestbuy \
  --report markdown

Workflow

Arbitrage Opportunity Discovery

1. Search for products in high-demand categories (electronics, gaming, home goods)
2. Compare prices across all platforms using compare_prices.py
3. Calculate net profit after fees/shipping/taxes
4. Filter opportunities with 20%+ margin
5. Verify product condition and seller reliability
6. Execute or set monitoring for price drops

Price Drop Monitoring

1. Identify target products (wishlist, seasonally discounted items)
2. Set alert thresholds using track_product.py
3. Monitor historical patterns to predict optimal buy windows
4. Act when price drops below threshold
5. Repeat for seasonal shopping events (Prime Day, Black Friday)

Scripts

track_product.py

Track a single product across platforms with configurable alerts.

Parameters:

• --product: Product name/keyword
• --platforms: Comma-separated platforms (amazon,ebay,walmart,bestbuy)
• --alert-below: Alert when price drops below this amount
• --alert-margin: Alert when arbitrage margin exceeds this fraction (e.g., 0.20 = 20%)
• --frequency: Check frequency (hourly,daily,weekly)
• --output: Output format (json,csv,markdown)

Example:

python3 scripts/track_product.py \
  --product "Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra 256GB" \
  --platforms amazon,ebay,walmart \
  --alert-below 900 \
  --alert-margin 0.25 \
  --frequency daily \
  --output markdown

compare_prices.py

Compare prices for a product across all platforms.

Parameters:

• --keyword: Product search keyword
• --platforms: Comma-separated platforms (default: all)
• --report: Report format (markdown,json,csv)
• --sort-by: Sort by price, margin, or rating
• --min-rating: Minimum seller rating

Example:

python3 scripts/compare_prices.py \
  --keyword "PlayStation 5 Slim" \
  --platforms amazon,ebay,walmart,bestbuy \
  --report markdown \
  --sort-by margin \
  --min-rating 4.5

bulk_monitor.py

Monitor multiple products from a CSV file.

CSV Format:

product,platforms,alert_below,alert_margin
"Apple MacBook Air M3 256GB",amazon,ebay,walmart,899,0.20
"Sony PlayStation 5",amazon,ebay,399,0.25
"Dyson V15 Detect",amazon,walmart,bestbuy,500,0.18

Parameters:

• --csv: Path to CSV file
• --margin-threshold: Minimum margin to report
• --alert-frequency: Frequency of alerts
• --output: Output file for alerts

Example:

python3 scripts/bulk_monitor.py \
  --csv products.csv \
  --margin-threshold 0.20 \
  --alert-frequency daily \
  --output alerts.txt

price_history.py

Retrieve and analyze historical price data.

Parameters:

• --product: Product name/keyword
• --days: Number of days of history (default: 30)
• --platform: Specific platform (optional)
• --output: Output format (markdown,json,csv)
• --trend-analysis: Include trend analysis and predictions

Example:

python3 scripts/price_history.py \
  --product "AirPods Pro 2" \
  --days 60 \
  --trend-analysis \
  --output markdown

Best Practices

Arbitrage Profit Calculation

Always calculate net profit:

Net Profit = (Sell Price - Buy Price)
            - Platform Fees
            - Shipping Costs
            - Payment Processing Fees
            - Taxes

Recommended minimum margin: 20-25% to account for:

• Unexpected shipping delays
• Returns/refunds
• Market price fluctuations
• Time value of money

Risk Mitigation

1. Verify seller reliability - Check ratings and reviews
2. Check product condition - New, refurbished, or used
3. Factor in return windows - Platforms have different policies
4. Monitor price stability - Volatile prices increase risk
5. Stay within limits - Don't over-leverage on single opportunities

Seasonal Patterns

• Q4 (Oct-Dec): Holiday sales, best for electronics
• January: Post-holiday clearance
• Prime Day (July): Amazon-specific deals
• Black Friday/Cyber Monday: Cross-platform discounts
• Back-to-School (Aug-Sep): Laptops, tablets, accessories

Automation Integration

Set Up Cron Jobs for Automated Monitoring

# Check prices every 6 hours
0 */6 * * * /path/to/price-tracker/scripts/bulk_monitor.py --csv products.csv --output alerts.txt

# Daily arbitrage scan
0 9 * * * /path/to/price-tracker/scripts/compare_prices.py --keyword "high-demand-products" --report markdown >> /path/to/reports.txt

Integration with Notifications

Combine with notification systems (email, Discord, Telegram) to receive real-time alerts when opportunities are detected.

Limitations

• SkillBoss API Hub search rate limits may affect high-frequency polling
• Real-time prices may have slight delays depending on search index freshness
• Some platform pages may restrict scraping (comply with ToS)
• Seller inventory changes rapidly

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Revenue first. Track smart. Flip fast.