# Cheapest Carsandbids Scraper (`confidential_gnat/cheapest-carsandbids-scraper`) Actor Use this cheap actor to scrape auction listings, sale prices, vehicle specs, and photos from Cars & Bids \[carsandbids.com] website. - **URL**: https://apify.com/confidential\_gnat/cheapest-carsandbids-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [Night Owl](https://apify.com/confidential_gnat) (community) - **Categories:** E-commerce, Automation, Developer tools - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, NaN bookmarks - **User rating**: No ratings yet ## Pricing from $2.00 / 1,000 results This Actor is paid per event and usage. You are charged both the fixed price for specific events and for Apify platform usage. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours, and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store. In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server. Actors are written with capital "A". ## How to integrate an Actor? If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects. You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready. The best way to integrate Actors is as follows. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md). For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below. For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt). # README ## Cheapest Carsandbids Scraper Scrape auction listings from [Cars & Bids](https://carsandbids.com) — a modern enthusiast car auction site. The actor extracts sale data, vehicle details, photos, and additional listing information from both active and past auctions. Results are delivered in structured JSON, ready to download or integrate into your workflows. ### ✨ Features - **Auction data extraction** — scrapes sale status, bid amounts, vehicle specs, photos, and detailed listing sections for each auction - **Pagination support** — automatically follows next-page links on past auction listing pages until `maxItems` is reached - **Proxy support** — integrates with residential and datacenter proxies to avoid blocks during large-scale runs ### 🔧 Input Configuration | Field | Type | Required | Default | Description | |-------|------|----------|---------|-------------| | Start URLs | array | ✅ | `https://carsandbids.com/past-auctions/` | URLs to scrape. Accepts listing pages or direct auction detail URLs. | | Max Items | integer | — | `3` | Maximum number of auction detail pages to scrape. | | Proxy Configuration | object | — | Residential proxy | Proxy settings for the crawler. Defaults to Apify Residential proxy. | **Supported URL types:** - Homepage: `https://carsandbids.com/` - Past auctions listing: `https://carsandbids.com/past-auctions/` - Featured auctions listing: `https://carsandbids.com/featured-auctions/` - Direct auction detail: `https://carsandbids.com/auctions//` ### 📦 Output The dataset includes one **Overview** view showing the auction URL, sale data, and feature image for each scraped listing. Each full record also contains vehicle specs, photo galleries grouped by category (exterior, interior, mechanical, docs), and detailed listing sections. **Sample output:** ```json { "url": "https://carsandbids.com/auctions/3L4jv0G3/2007-bentley-continental-gt", "saleData": { "status": "ended", "soldFor": "$63,000" }, "featureImage": "https://media.carsandbids.com/da6e8a1d4896127a9d2adf83461993b45339474c/photos/rkJP6XWb-p3xyX3U--UwPVMiNh0.jpg?t=177834302757", "vehicleData": [ { "attributeName": "Make", "attributeValue": "Bentley" }, { "attributeName": "Engine", "attributeValue": "6.0L Turbocharged W12" } ], "additionalInfo": [ { "infoName": "Highlights", "infoValue": "THIS... is a 2007 Bentley Continental GT, finished in Beluga with a Beluga interior..." }, { "infoName": "Known Flaws", "infoValue": "Some scratches around exterior" } ], "photos": { "docs": [ "https://media.carsandbids.com/da6e8a1d4896127a9d2adf83461993b45339474c/photos/rkJP6XWb-p3xyX3U--UwPVMiNh0.jpg?t=177834302757", "https://media.carsandbids.com/da6e8a1d4896127a9d2adf83461993b45339474c/photos/rkJP6XWb-YYGJLBE-ZKQAbPUcqS.jpg?t=177834306382" ], "exterior": [ "https://media.carsandbids.com/da6e8a1d4896127a9d2adf83461993b45339474c/photos/exterior/rkJP6XWb-S45hHpK/edit/Qqxsw.jpg?t=177834109767", "https://media.carsandbids.com/da6e8a1d4896127a9d2adf83461993b45339474c/photos/exterior/rkJP6XWb-P3f0smO/edit/rFz_a.jpg?t=177834104525" ], "interior": [ "https://media.carsandbids.com/da6e8a1d4896127a9d2adf83461993b45339474c/photos/application/s-bBmlfrh/edit/W88lp.jpg?t=177834121842", "https://media.carsandbids.com/da6e8a1d4896127a9d2adf83461993b45339474c/photos/interior/rkJP6XWb-faCFWwd/edit/8ckxn.jpg?t=177834124347" ], "mechanical": [], "other": [ "https://media.carsandbids.com/a8332e2878d8c40f91df01b2d3a6177be0570178/photos/interior/rkJP6XWb-Bph4AaU.jpg?t=177223820877", "https://media.carsandbids.com/a8332e2878d8c40f91df01b2d3a6177be0570178/photos/interior/rkJP6XWb-XIzP86t.jpg?t=177223820877" ] } } ```` ### 💡 Uses of This Data - **Auction price research** — track what specific makes, models, and years are actually selling for - **Market trend analysis** — monitor how enthusiast car values shift over time across past auction results - **Inventory sourcing** — identify vehicles matching specific criteria before bidding or making offers elsewhere - **Competitive benchmarking** — compare dealer pricing against real auction hammer prices - **Photo asset collection** — gather high-resolution vehicle photo sets for listings, training data, or research ### 🚀 How to Use 1. [Sign up](https://apify.com/sign-up) for a free Apify account — includes **$5 monthly credit**. 2. Open the actor page and click **Try for free**. 3. Fill in the **Input** fields (start URL is required). 4. Click **Start** and wait for the run to complete. 5. Download results from the **Output** tab in JSON, CSV, or Excel format. You can also run this actor via the [Apify API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2) or integrate it directly into your workflows using [Zapier](https://zapier.com/apps/apify), [Make](https://www.make.com/), or [n8n](https://n8n.io/). ### ⚠️ Limitations & Known Issues - **Rate limiting** — Heavy usage may trigger rate limits; use the built-in proxy configuration to avoid blocks. - **Login-required pages** — The actor cannot access content behind authentication (e.g. private seller profiles). ### 📝 Notes - **Proxy recommended for large-scale scraping** — For high-volume runs, enable the Apify Residential proxy to avoid blocks. - **API integration** — This actor can be called as an API from any automation platform (Zapier, Make, n8n, custom scripts). ### 🔗 Other Actors [Rightmove Listing Availability Checker](https://apify.com/confidential_gnat/rightmove-listing-availability-checker) # Actor input Schema ## `startUrls` (type: `array`): URLs to scrape. Accepts listing pages (/, /past-auctions/, /featured-auctions/) or direct auction detail URLs (/auctions/...). ## `maxItems` (type: `integer`): Maximum number of auction detail pages to scrape. ## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`): Proxy settings for the crawler. ## Actor input object example ```json { "startUrls": [ { "url": "https://carsandbids.com/past-auctions/" } ], "maxItems": 3, "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": true, "apifyProxyGroups": [ "RESIDENTIAL" ] } } ``` # Actor output Schema ## `results` (type: `string`): No description # API You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup. ## JavaScript example ```javascript import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; // Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token // Replace the '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "startUrls": [ { "url": "https://carsandbids.com/past-auctions/" } ], "maxItems": 3, "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": true, "apifyProxyGroups": [ "RESIDENTIAL" ] } }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("confidential_gnat/cheapest-carsandbids-scraper").call(input); // Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any) console.log('Results from dataset'); console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); items.forEach((item) => { console.dir(item); }); // 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs ``` ## Python example ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient # Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token # Replace '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "startUrls": [{ "url": "https://carsandbids.com/past-auctions/" }], "maxItems": 3, "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": True, "apifyProxyGroups": ["RESIDENTIAL"], }, } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("confidential_gnat/cheapest-carsandbids-scraper").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{ "startUrls": [ { "url": "https://carsandbids.com/past-auctions/" } ], "maxItems": 3, "proxyConfiguration": { "useApifyProxy": true, "apifyProxyGroups": [ "RESIDENTIAL" ] } }' | apify call confidential_gnat/cheapest-carsandbids-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=confidential_gnat/cheapest-carsandbids-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "Cheapest Carsandbids Scraper", "description": "Use this cheap actor to scrape auction listings, sale prices, vehicle specs, and photos from Cars & Bids [carsandbids.com] website.", "version": "1.0", "x-build-id": "zRu6ltuQOAOBdQAh0" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/confidential_gnat~cheapest-carsandbids-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-confidential_gnat-cheapest-carsandbids-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/confidential_gnat~cheapest-carsandbids-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-confidential_gnat-cheapest-carsandbids-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/confidential_gnat~cheapest-carsandbids-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-confidential_gnat-cheapest-carsandbids-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "required": [ "startUrls" ], "properties": { "startUrls": { "title": "Start URLs", "type": "array", "description": "URLs to scrape. Accepts listing pages (/, /past-auctions/, /featured-auctions/) or direct auction detail URLs (/auctions/...).", "items": { "type": "object", "required": [ "url" ], "properties": { "url": { "type": "string", "title": "URL of a web page", "format": "uri" } } } }, "maxItems": { "title": "Max Items", "minimum": 1, "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum number of auction detail pages to scrape.", "default": 3 }, "proxyConfiguration": { "title": "Proxy Configuration", "type": "object", "description": "Proxy settings for the crawler." } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```