# Collectingcars Cars Search Scraper (`stealth_mode/collectingcars-cars-search-scraper`) Actor Scrape live and upcoming car auction listings from CollectingCars.com. Extract 50+ fields per vehicle including bids, pricing, make/model, location, sale format, and listing stage — perfect for dealers, collectors, and market analysts. - **URL**: https://apify.com/stealth\_mode/collectingcars-cars-search-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [Stealth mode](https://apify.com/stealth_mode) (community) - **Categories:** Automation, Developer tools, E-commerce - **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. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events. Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have. 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 ## CollectingCars.com Search Scraper: Extract Car Auction Listings at Scale --- ### What Is CollectingCars.com? CollectingCars.com is a fast-growing online auction platform specialising in classic, sports, and enthusiast vehicles. It hosts curated listings with detailed provenance, high-quality photography, and transparent bidding. For anyone tracking auction trends, pricing benchmarks, or inventory availability, manually browsing the platform is impractical. The **CollectingCars.com Search Scraper** automates collection of structured listing data directly from search and filter pages. --- ### Overview This scraper targets CollectingCars.com search result pages — including filtered views by listing stage (e.g., `comingsoon`, `live`, `ended`) — and extracts rich auction data for each vehicle. Ideal for: - **Classic car dealers** monitoring market pricing and competition - **Collectors** tracking specific makes, models, or variants - **Market researchers** analysing auction trends and price bands - **Aggregator platforms** ingesting curated enthusiast car listings --- ### Input Format ```json { "urls": [ "https://collectingcars.com/buy?page=2&refinementList%5BlistingStage%5D%5B0%5D=comingsoon" ], "ignore_url_failures": true, "max_items_per_url": 50 } ```` | Field | Type | Description | |---|---|---| | `urls` | `array` | One or more CollectingCars.com search/filter page URLs. Supports filtered views by stage, make, model, etc. Add URLs one by one or via bulk edit. | | `max_items_per_url` | `integer` | Maximum number of listings to collect per URL. Default: `20`. | | `ignore_url_failures` | `boolean` | If `true`, the scraper continues running when a URL fails rather than stopping the entire run. Recommended for bulk jobs. | **URL tips:** - Use the site's filter UI to build your query, then copy the resulting URL. - The `refinementList[listingStage]` parameter accepts values like `comingsoon`, `live`, or `ended`. - Paginate by incrementing `page=N` across multiple URLs to collect larger datasets. *** ### Output Format **Sample output** ```json { "accepts_offers": false, "auction_id": 88077, "coords": [ 42.93800354003906, 12.621621131896973 ], "country_code": "IT", "currency_code": "eur", "current_bid": 0, "drive_side": "left", "dt_stage_ends_utc": null, "embedding": [ 0.20958299934864044, 0.4811711311340332, -0.04391103982925415, -0.18119440972805023, -0.14103807508945465, 0.002100928220897913, -0.05640484020113945, 0.36233898997306824 ], "embedding_price_band": [ 0.10715838521718979, 0.5759180188179016, -0.22132427990436554, -0.3829845190048218, -0.039388883858919144, 0.3739745318889618, -0.11291992664337158, -0.24612067639827728, -0.03143339604139328, 0.4728073179721832, 0.3573031723499298, -0.23668378591537476, -0.25384587049484253, -0.11005544662475586, 0.06305769830942154, -0.00645893020555377, 0.20438207685947418, -0.06973008066415787, 0.111756332218647, -0.3939947783946991, -0.11149656027555466, -0.13000597059726715, -0.07519514113664627, -0.14619222283363342, 0.1853833794593811, 0.12888315320014954, -0.016481582075357437, -0.28398948907852173, 0.20834700763225555 ], "features": { "drive_side": "LHD", "fuel_type": "Petrol", "mileage": "92,592 Km (Indicated)", "model_year": "1969", "transmission": "Automatic" }, "generation_id": "2144", "generation_name": "W114/W115", "has_taxonomy": true, "id": "88077", "is_boosted": "0", "is_sold_price_hidden": false, "listing_stage": "comingsoon", "location": "Umbria", "lot_type": "car", "main_image_path": "/088077/AS-14-05-10.jpg", "main_image_url": "https://images.collectingcars.com/088077/AS-14-05-10.jpg", "make_id": "8", "make_name": "Mercedes-Benz", "model_id": "3673", "model_name": "E-Class", "no_bids": 0, "no_reserve": "false", "object_id": null, "popularity": 9, "powertrain_id": "3182", "powertrain_name": "2.5L I6 (M114)", "price_band": "10000-15000", "price_buy_now": 0, "price_sold": 0, "product_make": "Mercedes-Benz", "product_year": "1969", "rank": 501795010520, "region_code": "Europe", "reserve_lowered": false, "reserve_met": false, "sale_format": "auction", "slug": "1969-mercedes-benz-w114-250-ce-1", "stage": "comingsoon", "tags": [ "italy" ], "taxonomy_id": "38857", "title": "1969 Mercedes-Benz (W114) 250 CE", "ts_published_utc": null, "variant_id": "2978", "variant_name": "250CE", "vat_q": "false", "vehicle_make": "Mercedes-Benz", "vendor_type": "private", "from_url": "https://collectingcars.com/buy?page=2&refinementList%5BlistingStage%5D%5B0%5D=comingsoon" } ``` Each listing returns up to 53 fields. Below is a full breakdown by category: #### Identification | Field | Meaning | |---|---| | `ID` | Internal listing identifier | | `Object ID` | Algolia search index object ID | | `Auction ID` | Unique auction reference number | | `Slug` | URL-friendly listing identifier | | `Title` | Full listing title as displayed on site | #### Vehicle Classification | Field | Meaning | |---|---| | `Make ID` / `Make Name` | Manufacturer identifier and name (e.g., Porsche) | | `Model ID` / `Model Name` | Model identifier and name (e.g., 911) | | `Variant ID` / `Variant Name` | Specific variant (e.g., Carrera RS) | | `Generation ID` / `Generation Name` | Model generation grouping | | `Taxonomy ID` | Internal taxonomy classification ID | | `Has Taxonomy` | Whether the listing has a taxonomy classification assigned | | `Product Make` / `Vehicle Make` | Make as stored in product and vehicle data layers | | `Product Year` | Model year of the vehicle | | `Powertrain ID` / `Powertrain Name` | Drivetrain type (e.g., petrol, electric) | | `Features` | Notable features or highlights extracted from the listing | | `Tags` | Keyword tags associated with the listing | #### Auction & Sale Data | Field | Meaning | |---|---| | `Listing Stage` | Current stage: `comingsoon`, `live`, `ended`, etc. | | `Stage` | Normalised stage value used internally | | `Sale Format` | Auction format (e.g., timed auction, buy now) | | `Lot Type` | Type of lot (standard, featured, etc.) | | `Current Bid` | Latest bid amount in the listing currency | | `Price Buy Now` | Fixed buy-now price if available | | `Price Sold` | Final sold price for completed auctions | | `Is Sold Price Hidden` | Whether the sold price is publicly visible | | `Price Band` | Estimated price range category | | `Embedding Price Band` | Price band used for search embedding/ranking | | `No Bids` | Number of bids placed | | `No Reserve` | `true` if the auction has no reserve price | | `Reserve Met` | Whether the reserve price has been reached | | `Reserve Lowered` | Whether the seller has lowered the reserve | | `Accepts Offers` | Whether the seller accepts pre-auction offers | | `DT Stage Ends UTC` | UTC timestamp when the current listing stage ends | | `TS Published UTC` | UTC timestamp when the listing was published | #### Listing Visibility & Ranking | Field | Meaning | |---|---| | `Rank` | Position rank in search results | | `Popularity` | Engagement/popularity score | | `Is Boosted` | Whether the listing has paid promotion applied | | `Embedding` | Vector embedding identifier for semantic search | #### Location & Region | Field | Meaning | |---|---| | `Location` | Human-readable location string (city, country) | | `Coords` | Geographic coordinates (lat/lng) | | `Country Code` | ISO country code (e.g., `GB`, `US`) | | `Region Code` | Regional subdivision code | | `Drive Side` | Left-hand or right-hand drive | #### Vendor & Commercial | Field | Meaning | |---|---| | `Vendor Type` | Seller type (private, trade/dealer) | | `Currency Code` | Currency for all price fields (e.g., `GBP`) | | `VAT Q` | VAT qualification flag (relevant for UK/EU buyers) | #### Media | Field | Meaning | |---|---| | `Main Image URL` | Full URL of the primary listing image | | `Main Image Path` | Relative CDN path for the main image | *** ### How to Use 1. **Build your search URL** — Apply filters on CollectingCars.com (stage, make, year, etc.) and copy the filtered URL from your browser. 2. **Configure input** — Paste URLs into the `urls` array. For multi-page scraping, create one URL entry per page. 3. **Set item limit** — Use `max_items_per_url` to cap results per page (typically 24–48 listings per page on site). 4. **Enable failure tolerance** — Keep `ignore_url_failures: true` for bulk runs. 5. **Export** — Download results as JSON, CSV, or Excel. **Best practices:** - Scrape `comingsoon` listings early to monitor upcoming auctions before bidding opens. - Combine multiple filtered URLs (by make or region) in a single run for comprehensive market snapshots. - Use `DT Stage Ends UTC` to sort and prioritise time-sensitive listings. *** ### Use Cases & Business Value - **Price benchmarking:** Analyse `Price Sold` and `Current Bid` across makes and models to understand true market value - **Inventory monitoring:** Track `comingsoon` and `live` listings for specific vehicles - **Vendor analysis:** Distinguish private vs. trade seller behaviour using `Vendor Type` - **Regional insights:** Filter by `Country Code` or `Region Code` for geographic market analysis - **Feed integration:** Power a custom car search tool or dealership platform with live auction data *** ### Conclusion The **CollectingCars.com Search Scraper** delivers structured, granular auction data from one of the most respected classic and enthusiast car platforms online. With 50+ output fields covering pricing, taxonomy, location, media, and auction mechanics, it provides everything needed to analyse the market or build data-driven tools. # Actor input Schema ## `urls` (type: `array`): Add the URLs of the Cars list urls you want to scrape. You can paste URLs one by one, or use the Bulk edit section to add a prepared list. ## `ignore_url_failures` (type: `boolean`): If true, the scraper will continue running even if some URLs fail to be scraped. ## `max_items_per_url` (type: `integer`): The maximum number of items to scrape per URL. ## Actor input object example ```json { "urls": [ "https://collectingcars.com/buy?page=2&refinementList%5BlistingStage%5D%5B0%5D=comingsoon" ], "ignore_url_failures": true, "max_items_per_url": 20 } ``` # 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 = { "urls": [ "https://collectingcars.com/buy?page=2&refinementList%5BlistingStage%5D%5B0%5D=comingsoon" ], "ignore_url_failures": true, "max_items_per_url": 20 }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("stealth_mode/collectingcars-cars-search-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 = { "urls": ["https://collectingcars.com/buy?page=2&refinementList%5BlistingStage%5D%5B0%5D=comingsoon"], "ignore_url_failures": True, "max_items_per_url": 20, } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("stealth_mode/collectingcars-cars-search-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 '{ "urls": [ "https://collectingcars.com/buy?page=2&refinementList%5BlistingStage%5D%5B0%5D=comingsoon" ], "ignore_url_failures": true, "max_items_per_url": 20 }' | apify call stealth_mode/collectingcars-cars-search-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=stealth_mode/collectingcars-cars-search-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "Collectingcars Cars Search Scraper", "description": "Scrape live and upcoming car auction listings from CollectingCars.com. Extract 50+ fields per vehicle including bids, pricing, make/model, location, sale format, and listing stage — perfect for dealers, collectors, and market analysts.", "version": "0.0", "x-build-id": "dA1bbKx4u4Lcw2eTS" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/stealth_mode~collectingcars-cars-search-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-stealth_mode-collectingcars-cars-search-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": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/stealth_mode~collectingcars-cars-search-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-stealth_mode-collectingcars-cars-search-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$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": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/stealth_mode~collectingcars-cars-search-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-stealth_mode-collectingcars-cars-search-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$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", "properties": { "urls": { "title": "URLs of the Cars list urls to scrape", "type": "array", "description": "Add the URLs of the Cars list urls you want to scrape. You can paste URLs one by one, or use the Bulk edit section to add a prepared list.", "items": { "type": "string" } }, "ignore_url_failures": { "title": "Continue running even if some URLs fail to be scraped", "type": "boolean", "description": "If true, the scraper will continue running even if some URLs fail to be scraped." }, "max_items_per_url": { "title": "Max items per URL", "type": "integer", "description": "The maximum number of items to scrape per URL." } } }, "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 } } } } } } } } } } ```