Inventory Hunter

This bot helped me snag an RTX 3070... hopefully it will help you get your hands on your next CPU, GPU, or game console.

Requirements

• Raspberry Pi (alternatively, you can use an always-on PC)
• Docker (tutorial)
• SMTP relay to send automated emails (tutorial)

Quick Start

These steps should work on any supported Docker platform, but they have been specifically tested on Raspberry Pi OS with Docker already installed.

1. Clone this repository and build a Docker image using the provided Dockerfile:

$ git clone https://github.com/EricJMarti/inventory-hunter.git
$ cd inventory-hunter
$ docker build -t inventory-hunter .

Note: The docker build command may take a while to complete. If you experience issues building your Docker image, please try again using this build command:

$ docker build --build-arg requirements=requirements_lite.txt -t inventory-hunter .

2. Create your own configuration file based on one of the provided examples:

• Newegg RTX 3070 config
• B&H Photo Video RTX 3070 config
• Micro Center RTX 3070 config

3. Start the Docker container, specifying the required arguments. See the example docker run command in docker_run.bash or run:

$ ./docker_run.bash -c <config_file> -e <email_address> -r <relay_ip_address>

For example:

$ ./docker_run.bash -c ./config/newegg_rtx_3070.yaml -e myemail@email.com -r 127.0.0.1

How it works

The general idea is if you can get notified as soon as a product becomes in stock, you might have a chance to purchase it before scalpers clear out inventory. This script continually refreshes a set of URLs, looking for the "add to cart" phrase. Once detected, an automated email is sent, giving you an opportunity to react.

Known issues

SMTP

Some users are having trouble getting an SMTP relay configured. I am working to address this by providing alternative solutions such as Discord.

Support for other retailers

Currently, only B&H, Micro Center, and Newegg have been tested, so YMMV for other retailers. Lots of users requested support for Amazon and Best Buy, but unfortunately, these retailers have web scraping protections built into their websites. I am currently developing a workaround. I am also working on a guide to help users develop their own scraper plugins.

FAQ

How is this different from existing online inventory trackers?

Before developing inventory-hunter, I used several existing services without any luck. By the time I received an alert, the product had already been scalped. This bot alerts faster than existing trackers for several reasons:

• it runs on your own hardware, so no processing time is spent servicing other users
• you get to choose which products you want to track
• you are in control of the refresh frequency

What if inventory-hunter gets used by scalpers?

I sure hope this doesn't happen... 2020 is bad enough already. My hope is that inventory-hunter levels the playing field a bit by giving real customers a better opportunity than they had previously. Serious scalpers will continue using automated checkout bots, and it is up to online retailers to combat this malarkey.

Do I really need Docker?

No, but I highly recommend it. If you know your way around python and pip/conda, then you should be able to replicate the environment I created using Docker.