# EC21 Buying Leads Extractor (`starshaped_bullsnake/ec21-buying-leads-extractor`) Actor

Extract public EC21 Buying Leads for export sales and sourcing intelligence, with contact details redacted.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/starshaped\_bullsnake/ec21-buying-leads-extractor.md
- **Developed by:** [Starshape Tools](https://apify.com/starshaped_bullsnake) (community)
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $4.00 / 1,000 buying lead produceds

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?

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

## EC21 Buying Leads Extractor

Extract normalized buying leads from publicly accessible EC21 Buying Leads list pages. It is intended for exporters, manufacturers, B2B sales teams, and sourcing-intelligence workflows that need a small feed of public business requirements.

The Actor does not log in, create accounts, access the EC21 Buyer Database, bypass Premium restrictions, solve CAPTCHAs, or crawl lead detail pages. It uses conservative sequential requests and stops once `maxItems` valid unique records have been emitted.

### Input

```json
{
  "keyword": "steel",
  "category": "Construction",
  "maxItems": 10,
  "postedWithinDays": 30
}
```

All fields except `maxItems` are optional. The default `{ "maxItems": 10 }` works without credentials, proxies, or external setup. Keyword and category matching is case-insensitive and applied to public list-page fields.

### Output

```json
{
  "leadId": "24460771",
  "title": "We Buy Galvanized Steel Grating",
  "requirementText": "We need hot dip galvanized steel grating, drain cover and stair tread for construction projects. Qualified manufacturers please offer best price by email.",
  "buyerCountry": "China",
  "category": "Construction & Real Estate > Metal Building Materials",
  "keywords": ["steel grating", "drain cover", "stair tread"],
  "postedAt": "2026-06-02T00:00:00.000Z",
  "url": "https://importer.ec21.com/buy-lead/We_strong_Buy_strong_Galvanized--24460771.html",
  "scrapedAt": "2026-09-10T00:00:00.000Z"
}
```

Unavailable scalar fields are `null`; unavailable keywords are an empty array. Leads are deduplicated by the numeric ID in the public canonical URL, then by the public inquiry reference, with a deterministic URL hash as a final fallback.

### Privacy and redaction

The Actor does not intentionally collect direct personal contact details. Before output, requirement text is screened for obvious email addresses (including common `name at provider.com` obfuscation), labeled phone numbers, international phone numbers, and WhatsApp details. Matches are replaced with `[REDACTED EMAIL]`, `[REDACTED PHONE]`, or `[REDACTED WHATSAPP]`.

Redaction is best-effort and cannot recognize every creative obfuscation. Review downstream data before sharing it.

### Public-only scope and limitations

- Source: public EC21 Buying Leads list/search pages under `https://importer.ec21.com/`.
- No detail-page crawling is performed, so `requirementText` may be the public list-page excerpt rather than a full requirement.
- Public HTML, availability, pagination, dates, and field coverage can change.
- EC21 may show old, sparse, inconsistent, or unusual records; this Actor reports public fields and does not verify lead quality or buyer identity.
- Keyword and category filters are evaluated locally while paging, so narrow filters can require more list-page requests. The MVP caps a run at 100 pages.
- No proxy is required or configured by default. Access can still vary by network or over time.

# Actor input Schema

## `keyword` (type: `string`):

Optional case-insensitive text to match in the title, requirement, category, or related keywords.

## `category` (type: `string`):

Optional case-insensitive category name to match.

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

Stop after emitting this many unique matching leads.

## `postedWithinDays` (type: `integer`):

Optional freshness filter based on the public posted date.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "maxItems": 10
}
```

# Actor output Schema

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

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("starshaped_bullsnake/ec21-buying-leads-extractor").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 = {}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("starshaped_bullsnake/ec21-buying-leads-extractor").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 '{}' |
apify call starshaped_bullsnake/ec21-buying-leads-extractor --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,starshaped_bullsnake/ec21-buying-leads-extractor"
        }
    }
}
```

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/VetgECnBhPHp2PvxR/builds/Rge9SKrnWtiOW4OFy/openapi.json