E-Commerce Price Tracker

An advanced e-commerce price tracking web application that leverages real-time data to help users identify and capitalize on arbitrage opportunities across multiple online platforms.

Features

• Price Tracking: Monitor product prices across Amazon, eBay, Walmart, and AliExpress
• Arbitrage Finder: Identify profitable buying/selling opportunities between platforms
• Research Bot: Discover trending products and potential arbitrage opportunities
• Data Visualization: Track price history with interactive charts
• Alerts System: Get notified when prices drop below your set thresholds
• Platform Shortcuts: Quick access to login pages of major e-commerce platforms

Setup Instructions

Prerequisites

• Python 3.11 or higher
• PostgreSQL database (or SQLite for development)
• pip package manager

Quick Installation

Windows

1. Clone the repository

   git clone <repository-url>
   cd e-commerce-price-tracker

2. Run the startup script

   run_local.bat

macOS/Linux

1. Clone the repository

   git clone <repository-url>
   cd e-commerce-price-tracker

2. Make the script executable and run it

   chmod +x run_local.sh
   ./run_local.sh

The application will be available at http://localhost:5000

Manual Installation

If you prefer manual installation, follow these steps:

1. Set up a virtual environment (recommended)

   python -m venv venv

   • On Windows:

   venv\Scripts\activate

   • On macOS/Linux:

   source venv/bin/activate

2. Install dependencies

   pip install apscheduler beautifulsoup4 email-validator flask flask-login flask-sqlalchemy gunicorn psycopg2-binary requests selenium sqlalchemy trafilatura uuid werkzeug

3. Database Setup

   • For PostgreSQL:

     • Create a PostgreSQL database
     • Set the DATABASE_URL environment variable:

       # Windows
       set DATABASE_URL=postgresql://username:password@localhost:5432/dbname
       
       # macOS/Linux
       export DATABASE_URL=postgresql://username:password@localhost:5432/dbname
       

   • For SQLite (development):

     • No additional setup needed, SQLite will be used by default

4. Initialize the application

   python local_setup.py

5. Run the application

   python main.py

The application will be available at http://localhost:5000

For more detailed installation instructions, see the INSTALLATION.md file.

Configuration

Configuration is done through environment variables:

• DATABASE_URL: Database connection string
• SESSION_SECRET: Secret key for session management
• SMTP_SERVER: SMTP server for email alerts (optional)
• SMTP_PORT: SMTP port (optional)
• SMTP_USERNAME: SMTP username (optional)
• SMTP_PASSWORD: SMTP password (optional)

Usage

1. Adding Products

   • Click "Track New Product"
   • Enter the product URL from any supported platform
   • Set your price threshold (optional)
   • Select additional platforms to compare (optional)

2. Research

   • Visit the Research tab
   • Select product categories to research
   • Set minimum profit margin
   • Run the research bot

3. Monitoring

   • View all tracked products on the Products page
   • Check price history and platform comparisons on product detail pages
   • Use the Dashboard for a quick overview of all your tracked items

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter any issues:

1. Make sure all dependencies are installed correctly
2. Check database connection settings
3. Verify that required directories exist (data/ directory and subdirectories)
4. For scraping issues, make sure you have a stable internet connection and the platform hasn't changed its page structure