# Product Price Checker – Any Store URL (price, stock, old → new) (`pooh20240/product-url-price-checker`) Actor

Paste product URLs from ANY online store and get price, stock availability and compare-at price, plus old → new change detection on scheduled runs. Plain HTTP (no browser, no proxies), honest per-URL status: ok / no\_price / blocked / not\_found / error / skipped.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/pooh20240/product-url-price-checker.md
- **Developed by:** [Thongpoo Supong](https://apify.com/pooh20240) (community)
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $3.00 / 1,000 url checkeds

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
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.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## 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.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## Product Price Checker – Any Store URL (price, stock, old → new)

Paste product URLs from **any** online store, get **price, currency, compare-at
price and stock availability** read straight from the page's own structured data
(JSON-LD, microdata, OpenGraph) over plain HTTP — no login, no browser, no
proxies. The actor remembers every URL and, on scheduled runs, emits **only what
changed (old → new)**: a product whose price moved looks like
`previousPrice: 24.99 → price: 29.99` in a single row, no dataset joins.

Status: **M3** (pay-per-event `url-checked`, default full list, changes mode for
scheduled monitoring).

Billing: `url-checked` **$0.003**, charged once per URL whose price was actually
read (`status: ok`). Nothing is charged for blocked, not-found, error or
no-price URLs. See `PRICING.md`.

### Input

| Field | Type | Default | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| `productUrls` | array\[string] | required | full product page URLs, e.g. `["https://singer.com/products/singer-smart-heavy-duty-9120-sewing-embroidery-machine", "https://www.nutrimuscle.com/products/native-iso-blend"]` |
| `onlyChanges` | boolean | `false` | **Turn ON for scheduled monitoring:** emit only rows whose `price` / `compareAtPrice` / `inStock` changed since the previous run, plus URLs never seen. OFF (default) emits a row for every URL. The first run of a URL is always emitted (it builds the baseline). |
| `priceChangedOnly` | boolean | `false` | further restrict to rows where `price` or `compareAtPrice` changed (availability-only moves are skipped) |
| `maxItems` | integer | `1000` | hard cap on dataset rows pushed in one run |
| `fallbackToVisiblePrice` | boolean | `true` | if no structured data, try a conservative regex on the HTML near a price class/id/itemprop; result gets `source: "html-heuristic"`, `confidence: "low"` |

URLs are fetched with ≤ 2 concurrent requests per host, ≥ 400 ms between
requests to the same host, 25 s timeout, 3× retries with backoff on
network/5xx/429 (`Retry-After` honoured, capped at 60 s). Response bodies are
capped at 2 MB. Big brands that answer 403/429 with a JS challenge are reported
`blocked` and are **never** bypassed (no header spoofing, no proxies, no
browser).

### Scheduling recipe

For a daily or weekly price/stock alert, schedule the actor with `onlyChanges`
turned **on**:

```json
{
  "productUrls": [
    "https://singer.com/products/singer-smart-heavy-duty-9120-sewing-embroidery-machine",
    "https://ugmonk.com/products/analog-starter-kit-black",
    "https://www.nutrimuscle.com/products/native-iso-blend"
  ],
  "onlyChanges": true,
  "priceChangedOnly": false,
  "maxItems": 1000,
  "fallbackToVisiblePrice": true
}
```

- The **first** run of each URL is always emitted (`isNew: true`) — that is the
  paid baseline. Every run after that emits only the moves.
- A scheduled run with nothing changed pushes **0 rows** but still checks every
  URL and writes a `SUMMARY` (you pay only the `ok` checks).
- Keep the actor's named key-value store `product-url-price-checker-state`
  between runs — that is the snapshot it diffs against. Wiping it resets every
  tracked URL to "new".
- Only runs that actually read a price (`status: ok`) write the snapshot. A
  blocked / not-found / no-price check never overwrites the stored entry, so a
  temporary 403 can't be mistaken for a price change, and the previous known
  price stays on the row for context.
- The default input (`onlyChanges: false`) always yields a row per URL, so an
  unscheduled "run now" or a daily auto-test is never empty.

### Output

One dataset row per URL (one row even for `no_price` / `blocked` / `not_found` /
`error` URLs, so you see every URL in the table). Every row carries the previous
values, so a change reads old → new without any join:

| Field | Type | Example |
|---|---|---|
| `url` / `finalUrl` | string | `https://singer.com/products/…` / final URL after redirects |
| `status` | string | `ok` |
| `title` | string|null | `SINGER® Smart Heavy Duty 9120™ …` |
| `price` | number|null | `499.99` |
| `currency` | string|null | `USD` |
| `compareAtPrice` | number|null | `199.99` (only when it exceeds the price) |
| `inStock` | boolean|null | `true` |
| `sku` / `gtin` / `brand` | string|null | from structured data |
| `imageUrl` | string|null | product image |
| `source` | string | `jsonld` | `microdata` | `opengraph` | `html-heuristic` | `none` |
| `confidence` | string | `high` | `medium` | `low` |
| `platformHint` | string | `shopify` | `woocommerce` | `magento` | `bigcommerce` | `prestashop` | `unknown` (informational) |
| `isNew` | boolean | `true` on the first run of a URL |
| `priceChanged` / `compareAtChanged` / `availabilityChanged` | boolean | what moved vs the previous run |
| `changeType` | string | `new` | `price` | `compareAt` | `availability` | `unchanged` | `none` |
| `previousPrice` / `previousCompareAtPrice` / `previousInStock` / `previousCheckedAt` | …|null | previous run's values |
| `checkedAt` | ISO string | when the URL was checked |
| `httpStatus` | int|null | final HTTP status |

The dataset ships two **built-in views**: **Overview** (every field, image
column included) and **Changes (old → new)** with URL, title, changeType and the
before/after price, stock and compare-at columns. A `SUMMARY` key-value record
lists one slim status row per URL (`url`, `finalUrl`, `status`, `price`,
`source`).

### Per-URL statuses (never silent empty output)

| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| `ok` | price found and read |
| `no_price` | page answered 200 but no price via any enabled source |
| `blocked` | 403 / 429 / CAPTCHA / JS-challenge page — reported, never bypassed |
| `not_found` | 404 / 410 |
| `error` | network or 5xx failure after retries |
| `skipped` | the run stopped before this URL: `maxItems` reached or the pay-per-event charge limit was hit |

Only `ok` rows are charged (one `url-checked`), and `ok` rows are charged even
if `onlyChanges` suppresses the push — the price was read. Every other status is
**free**: you get the loud status row in the table instead. If **zero** URLs are
`ok` the run fails loudly with the status breakdown — never a silent empty
dataset that looks like success.

### Pair with the store-monitor

For whole-store monitoring (a Shopify storefront and all its variants in one
fetch) use **Shopify Price & Stock Monitor** — this actor takes individual URLs
from any platform and is the cheapest way to watch a short list of specific
products.

### What is NOT collected

- **No personal data**: no emails, phone numbers, names+contacts of private
  individuals, social profiles, customer/user records or reviews are ever read
  or output (enforced by a unit test).
- **No login content**: pages that need authentication or a password are out of
  scope.
- **No bypassing**: CAPTCHA/paywall/login walls, browsers, proxy rotation or
  header spoofing are never attempted.

### Limitations

- **JS-only stores**: if a store renders its price entirely in JavaScript with
  no JSON-LD/microdata/OpenGraph fallback on the raw HTML, the URL comes back
  `no_price` (or `html-heuristic` low-confidence when it matches). This actor
  deliberately has no browser.
- **Geo-priced stores**: prices that depend on your IP's country come back as
  whatever the plain HTTP response shows; no geo-spoofing is performed.
- **Blocked big brands**: Dyson, LEGO, Sonos, Helly Hansen, Gymshark, Bombas
  and similar answer 403/429 to plain requests — expected, reported `blocked`,
  never evaded.
- **First run = baseline**: every URL is `new` once (or again if the state store
  was wiped).
- **State = ok checks only**: the snapshot is written only when a price is read
  (`status: ok`). `blocked` / `no_price` / `not_found` runs never change it, so
  the last known-good price survives temporary outages without faking a change;
  an unchanged URL whose row is suppressed by `onlyChanges` still refreshes its
  stored timestamp so it is never re-reported as "new" after 120 days.

# Actor input Schema

## `productUrls` (type: `array`):

Full product page URLs, e.g. \["https://www.singer.com/products/singer-smart-heavy-duty-9120-sewing-embroidery-machine"]. Every URL is fetched on the day of the run; URLs that answer 403/429/CAPTCHA are reported as blocked and never bypassed.

## `onlyChanges` (type: `boolean`):

Emit only rows whose price/compareAtPrice/availability changed since the previous run, plus URLs never seen. The first run of a URL is always emitted (it builds the baseline).

## `priceChangedOnly` (type: `boolean`):

Further restrict to rows where price or compareAtPrice changed; availability-only moves are skipped.

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

Hard cap on the number of dataset rows pushed in one run.

## `fallbackToVisiblePrice` (type: `boolean`):

When no structured data exists, try a conservative regex on the HTML near price class/id/itemprop. Result gets source "html-heuristic" and confidence "low".

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "productUrls": [
    "https://www.singer.com/products/singer-smart-heavy-duty-9120-sewing-embroidery-machine",
    "https://www.skullcandy.com/products/crusher-plyr-720-gaming-headphones",
    "https://ugmonk.com/products/analog-starter-kit-black",
    "https://www.nutrimuscle.com/products/native-iso-blend"
  ],
  "onlyChanges": false,
  "priceChangedOnly": false,
  "maxItems": 1000,
  "fallbackToVisiblePrice": true
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `rows` (type: `string`):

One dataset item per product URL: price, compareAtPrice, inStock, status, changeType and previous values when changed (or only the changed rows with onlyChanges).

## `summary` (type: `string`):

Per-URL status (ok, no\_price, blocked, not\_found, error, skipped), price and extraction source.

# 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 = {
    "productUrls": [
        "https://www.singer.com/products/singer-smart-heavy-duty-9120-sewing-embroidery-machine",
        "https://www.skullcandy.com/products/crusher-plyr-720-gaming-headphones",
        "https://ugmonk.com/products/analog-starter-kit-black",
        "https://www.nutrimuscle.com/products/native-iso-blend"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("pooh20240/product-url-price-checker").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 = { "productUrls": [
        "https://www.singer.com/products/singer-smart-heavy-duty-9120-sewing-embroidery-machine",
        "https://www.skullcandy.com/products/crusher-plyr-720-gaming-headphones",
        "https://ugmonk.com/products/analog-starter-kit-black",
        "https://www.nutrimuscle.com/products/native-iso-blend",
    ] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("pooh20240/product-url-price-checker").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "productUrls": [
    "https://www.singer.com/products/singer-smart-heavy-duty-9120-sewing-embroidery-machine",
    "https://www.skullcandy.com/products/crusher-plyr-720-gaming-headphones",
    "https://ugmonk.com/products/analog-starter-kit-black",
    "https://www.nutrimuscle.com/products/native-iso-blend"
  ]
}' |
apify call pooh20240/product-url-price-checker --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,pooh20240/product-url-price-checker"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/fnW0H3YuAcv0aZ9QS/builds/J06jRAjo85ibk220b/openapi.json