What are the free ways to get eBay alerts?
There are four: eBay saved searches, the eBay Watchlist, SpotterOtter’s free plan and checking by hand. Most people looking for a free eBay alert app or a free eBay tracker want one of a few things: free new listing alerts for an item, free eBay price notifications for one listing that’s already up, free deal alerts for listings under what an item usually sells for, or simply to stop checking eBay every evening.
| Free tool | What it tells you about | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| eBay saved search | New items in a search you saved, by email and in the eBay app | Browsing a category or a broad search |
| eBay Watchlist | A listing you’re already watching: offers, ending soon and other updates | One listing you’ve found and are waiting on |
| SpotterOtter free plan | Each new listing that matches your words, price and filters, one email per listing | One specific item you don’t want to miss |
| Checking by hand | Whatever is new since you last looked, sorted by Time: newly listed | A quick look when you have a minute |
They work well together. A common setup is a saved search for the broad category, a Spotter for the exact item you’re after, and the Watchlist for anything you’re thinking about buying.
How to get free eBay new listing alerts with a saved search
Every eBay account can save searches, and eBay can send free eBay notifications about new items in them by email and in the eBay app.
- Search the way sellers write titles. Use the brand, the model and the words sellers actually use, such as Pyrex butterfly gold casserole or Shimano Ultegra R8000 crankset.
- Filter the results. Set a price range, condition, Buy It Now or auction, free shipping and item location. The filters are saved with the search.
- Save it. Select Save this search on the website, or use the save button at the top of the results in the app.
- Switch updates on. Check the communication preferences in your eBay account and the notification settings in the app, so saved-search updates actually reach you.
Saved searches are excellent for a category you like to browse. For one specific item they have limits worth knowing: updates often arrive as a summary of several items, so a well-priced Buy It Now listing can sell before you see it, and filtering out cases, parts and empty boxes means adding a minus sign before each word (-case -box -parts). How to get eBay alerts covers the setup in more detail.
Free eBay watch alerts for a listing you’ve already found
For a listing that’s already up, use Add to Watchlist; it’s free and new-listing alerts won’t help here. eBay can then remind you before an auction ends and let you know about offers from the seller, and many sellers send offers to watchers. If the listing says or Best Offer, you can make an offer yourself. Keep eBay’s notifications on so you don’t miss them.
A free eBay listing tracker for one specific item
SpotterOtter has a free plan that emails you each new eBay listing matching what you asked for. It watches eBay in the United States (ebay.com) for new listings, and each saved search is called a Spotter. How many Spotters you can run and how often they check depend on your plan.
- Create a Spotter. Enter the item keywords, the same seller words you’d use on eBay.
- Set a price range. A maximum keeps alerts to listings you’d buy. A minimum skips the cheap accessories and spare parts that share the item’s name. Prices are in U.S. dollars, before shipping.
- Choose the details. Condition, Buy It Now or auction, free shipping only, local pickup within 10, 25, 50 or 100 miles of your ZIP code, or an item year range.
- Require and block words. Put must-have words in Must include and junk in Exclude, with no minus signs to remember.
Only listings posted after your Spotter starts are alerted, and each listing alerts you once, so every email is something new. You also get an Alerts page on the site with the last 30 days of matches, browser notifications while SpotterOtter is open in a tab, and an optional daily report email. There’s no app to install; it works in any phone browser.
When a listing can’t be fully confirmed against your search, it’s labelled Maybe match so you can judge it yourself. SpotterOtter never buys, bids or makes offers. Every alert links to the listing on eBay, and you decide.
Is there a free eBay deal tracker?
Yes: a new-listing alert with a maximum price below the going rate works as a free eBay deal tracker. To build one:
- Find the going price. Search the item, turn on eBay’s Sold items filter, and note where most sales of the same condition land. eBay sold listings explains how to read them.
- Set your maximum below it. How far below depends on whether you want a fair price or only a bargain.
- Get free eBay deal alerts at that price. Save the search on eBay with that price filter, or create a Spotter with that maximum. Each new listing under your number reaches you.
- Prefer Buy It Now for real deals. A new auction shows its starting bid, which can sit under your maximum and still finish well above it.
Where underpriced listings come from, such as misspelled and vague titles, is in the eBay deal finder guide.
How to make free alerts worth opening
Name the exact version and block the junk, so alerts fire for the item and not its accessories.
- Block the usual junk. Nearly every item has things sold “for” it. For a console that’s case, skin, box only, for parts; for a camera body, strap, battery grip, cap.
- Name the version. Model numbers, sizes, editions and years separate the item you want from its cheaper relatives: a 5.5 quart Dutch oven, not just a Dutch oven.
- Think about shipping. Prices are before shipping on eBay and in SpotterOtter. For heavy items, lower your maximum or turn on free shipping only.
- Give it time. Rare items can take weeks to come up. A free alert that keeps watching beats searching by hand.
For exclusions, exact phrases and seller shorthand, see eBay search tips.
Which free option should you use?
You like browsing vintage Pyrex: an eBay saved search for vintage Pyrex with a price cap. You’ll enjoy scrolling the summary.
You need one discontinued part: a Spotter with the part number in the keywords and for parts, not working in Exclude, so the only emails you get are listings of that part.
You found a jacket you like at the wrong price: add it to your Watchlist and wait for an offer, and start a Spotter for the same jacket in your size below your price, in case another seller lists one.
Good to know: SpotterOtter is independent and not part of eBay. It watches ebay.com in the United States, and every alert opens the listing on eBay, where you buy as usual.