# MercadoLibre Price Monitor (Colombia/LATAM) (`joseolmedosotoaguirre/mercadolibre-price-monitor`) Actor

Scrape public MercadoLibre product listings by keyword for legitimate price monitoring and competitive analysis across Colombia and LATAM.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/joseolmedosotoaguirre/mercadolibre-price-monitor.md
- **Developed by:** [jose olmedo soto aguirre](https://apify.com/joseolmedosotoaguirre) (community)
- **Categories:** E-commerce, Lead generation, AI
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $0.75 / 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 web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
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.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — 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

## MercadoLibre Price Monitor (Colombia / LATAM)

Apify Actor that scrapes **public** MercadoLibre product listings by keyword for legitimate **price monitoring** and **competitive analysis**. Optimized for Colombia (`mercadolibre.com.co`) with support for major LATAM sites.

Built with **Crawlee + Playwright** (browser required to pass MercadoLibre anti-bot walls), low concurrency, polite delays, listing-ID deduplication, and Apify Proxy (residential recommended).

***

### What it does

1. Opens MercadoLibre search pages for your keyword on the selected country site
2. Extracts structured listing fields from the rendered results (DOM + optional in-page API)
3. Deduplicates by `listingId` and stops at `maxItems`
4. Writes a clean dataset ready for dashboards, alerts, or competitive analysis

#### Output fields

| Field | Description |
|--------|-------------|
| `listingId` | MercadoLibre item/product ID (e.g. `MCO1027172677`) |
| `title` | Listing title |
| `price` | Numeric price |
| `currency` | Currency code (e.g. `COP`) |
| `seller` | Seller / official store when available |
| `condition` | Condition label when shown (e.g. `Reacondicionado`) |
| `shippingInfo` | Free shipping or shipping hint |
| `url` | Canonical listing URL |
| `thumbnail` | Thumbnail URL when available |
| `country` | Site ID (`MCO`, `MLA`, …) |
| `searchKeyword` | Keyword used for the run |
| `scrapedAt` | ISO timestamp |
| `source` | `api` | `html-json` | `html-css` |

***

### Input

| Field | Required | Default | Description |
|--------|----------|---------|-------------|
| `searchKeyword` | ✅ | — | Search term, e.g. `iphone 15` |
| `country` | | `CO` | `CO`, `AR`, `MX`, `CL`, `PE`, `BR`, `UY`, `EC` |
| `maxPages` | | `2` | Max search pages (cap 20) |
| `maxItems` | | `50` | Max unique listings (cap 500) |
| `proxyConfiguration` | | Apify Proxy + RESIDENTIAL | **Required for reliable runs** |

#### Example input

```json
{
  "searchKeyword": "iphone 15",
  "country": "CO",
  "maxPages": 1,
  "maxItems": 10,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": ["RESIDENTIAL"],
    "apifyProxyCountry": "CO"
  }
}
```

***

### Example output (real run)

Live verification run on Apify (2026-07-29): keyword `iphone 15`, country `CO`, `maxItems: 10`. Extracted **10** unique listings from `listado.mercadolibre.com.co`.

```json
[
  {
    "listingId": "MCO1027172677",
    "title": "Apple iPhone 15 128 GB Negro - Distribuidor Autorizado",
    "price": 3469000,
    "currency": "COP",
    "seller": "Apple",
    "condition": null,
    "shippingInfo": null,
    "url": "https://www.mercadolibre.com.co/apple-iphone-15-128-gb-negro-distribuidor-autorizado/p/MCO1027172677",
    "thumbnail": "https://http2.mlstatic.com/D_Q_NP_2X_832226-MLA95493131564_102025-E.webp",
    "source": "html-css",
    "country": "MCO",
    "searchKeyword": "iphone 15",
    "scrapedAt": "2026-07-29T04:44:25.168Z"
  },
  {
    "listingId": "MCO2000122364",
    "title": "Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max (256 GB) - Titanio Natural - Excelente (Reacondicionado)",
    "price": 4400000,
    "currency": "COP",
    "seller": null,
    "condition": "Reacondicionado",
    "shippingInfo": "Envío gratis",
    "url": "https://www.mercadolibre.com.co/apple-iphone-15-pro-max-256-gb-titanio-natural-excelente-reacondicionado/p/MCO2000122364",
    "thumbnail": "https://http2.mlstatic.com/D_Q_NP_2X_637299-MLA95495400760_102025-E.webp",
    "source": "html-css",
    "country": "MCO",
    "searchKeyword": "iphone 15",
    "scrapedAt": "2026-07-29T04:44:25.168Z"
  },
  {
    "listingId": "MCO2000139746",
    "title": "Apple iPhone 15 (128 GB) - Negro - Excelente (Reacondicionado)",
    "price": 1370444,
    "currency": "COP",
    "seller": null,
    "condition": "Reacondicionado",
    "shippingInfo": "Envío gratis",
    "url": "https://www.mercadolibre.com.co/apple-iphone-15-128-gb-negro-excelente-reacondicionado/p/MCO2000139746",
    "thumbnail": "https://http2.mlstatic.com/D_Q_NP_2X_832226-MLA95493131564_102025-E.webp",
    "source": "html-css",
    "country": "MCO",
    "searchKeyword": "iphone 15",
    "scrapedAt": "2026-07-29T04:44:25.168Z"
  }
]
```

Successful platform run: [console run QvUtMZpGKCI7ZSq2q](https://console.apify.com/actors/7c20OcOOz7g8A2naV/runs/QvUtMZpGKCI7ZSq2q)

***

### Use cases

- Track competitor prices for a product category in Colombia / LATAM
- Feed pricing dashboards or alerts (daily cron via Apify Schedule)
- Market research for electronics, fashion, home, etc.
- Enrich internal catalogs with public marketplace benchmarks

***

### Limits & responsible use

- **Public data only.** Do not use this Actor to access private accounts, bypass login walls for personal data, or scrape non-public information.
- Respect [MercadoLibre Terms of Use](https://www.mercadolibre.com.co/ayuda/terminos-y-condiciones-de-uso_299) and `robots.txt`.
- Default polite settings: concurrency **2**, **1–2s+** delay between requests, small `maxPages` / `maxItems`.
- MercadoLibre applies strong anti-bot controls. **Apify Proxy RESIDENTIAL** (country matched to the site, e.g. `CO`) is strongly recommended.
- Local `apify run` often returns 0 items if your IP is blocked and Apify Proxy *external access* is not enabled — run on the Apify platform instead.
- Do not overload MercadoLibre: keep schedules modest; this tool is for monitoring, not bulk harvesting.

***

### Monetization suggestion

| Model | Suggested price |
|--------|------------------|
| Pay per result | **$0.50 – $1.00 / 1,000 results** |
| Monthly rental | **$19 – $29 / month** |

Position as a lightweight Colombia/LATAM **price monitor** (keyword → clean dataset), simpler/cheaper than full-catalog scrapers.

***

### Run locally

```bash
cd mercadolibre-price-monitor
npm install --registry https://registry.npmjs.org/
export APIFY_TOKEN=$(grep '^APIFY_TOKEN=' ../.env | cut -d= -f2-)
npx --registry https://registry.npmjs.org/ apify-cli run
```

> Note: local runs usually need Proxy external access on your Apify plan. Prefer platform runs.

### Deploy

```bash
export APIFY_TOKEN=$(grep '^APIFY_TOKEN=' ../.env | cut -d= -f2-)
npx --registry https://registry.npmjs.org/ apify-cli push
```

Actor console: https://console.apify.com/actors/7c20OcOOz7g8A2naV

***

### Store publication (manual console steps)

After `apify push`, finish monetization in [Apify Console](https://console.apify.com):

1. Open the Actor → **Settings** → set title, description, categories (`E-commerce`, `Price monitoring`).
2. **README** tab: confirm this README renders correctly.
3. **Pricing**: enable **Rental** ($19–29/mo) and/or **Pay per result** ($0.50–1.00 / 1K).
4. Attach example input + output from a successful run (see sample above).
5. **Publish to Apify Store** (complete Store publishing checklist / approval).
6. Optional: create a **Schedule** for daily keyword monitors.
7. Ensure the default proxy example uses **RESIDENTIAL** for reliable demos.

***

### Tech

- Node.js 20 / Apify SDK 3
- Crawlee `PlaywrightCrawler` (`apify/actor-node-playwright-chrome`)
- Apify Proxy via `Actor.createProxyConfiguration`

MIT License — use responsibly.

# Actor input Schema

## `searchKeyword` (type: `string`):

Product keyword to search on MercadoLibre (e.g. "iphone 15", "audífonos bluetooth").

## `country` (type: `string`):

MercadoLibre country site. Default CO (Colombia → mercadolibre.com.co / MCO).

## `maxPages` (type: `integer`):

Maximum search result pages to crawl (≈50 results per page).

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Maximum unique listings to save (deduplicated by listing ID).

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

Apify Proxy recommended. MercadoLibre blocks many datacenter/home IPs — use Apify Proxy (residential preferred for Colombia).

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "searchKeyword": "laptop",
  "country": "MX",
  "maxPages": 1,
  "maxItems": 5,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": [
      "RESIDENTIAL"
    ],
    "apifyProxyCountry": "MX"
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

Items pushed to the default dataset.

# 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 '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "searchKeyword": "laptop",
    "country": "MX",
    "maxPages": 1,
    "maxItems": 5,
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": true,
        "apifyProxyGroups": [
            "RESIDENTIAL"
        ],
        "apifyProxyCountry": "MX"
    }
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("joseolmedosotoaguirre/mercadolibre-price-monitor").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 '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "searchKeyword": "laptop",
    "country": "MX",
    "maxPages": 1,
    "maxItems": 5,
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": True,
        "apifyProxyGroups": ["RESIDENTIAL"],
        "apifyProxyCountry": "MX",
    },
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("joseolmedosotoaguirre/mercadolibre-price-monitor").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 '{
  "searchKeyword": "laptop",
  "country": "MX",
  "maxPages": 1,
  "maxItems": 5,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": [
      "RESIDENTIAL"
    ],
    "apifyProxyCountry": "MX"
  }
}' |
apify call joseolmedosotoaguirre/mercadolibre-price-monitor --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "mcp-remote",
                "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=joseolmedosotoaguirre/mercadolibre-price-monitor",
                "--header",
                "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_TOKEN>"
            ]
        }
    }
}

```

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/7c20OcOOz7g8A2naV/builds/EDw0yi0EzK8mGyDgG/openapi.json