Just saw this and man, I totally feel your pain! I have been hunting for vintage Hi-Fi gear and some specific CRT monitors for my basement arcade for years now, and trying to beat the resellers is basically a full-time job. I remember when I was looking for a PVM-14M2U and I swear every time I checked my phone, the good deals were already gone... it was so frustrating but honestly so exciting when I finally scored one after a random price drop at 2 AM! It is such a rush when the setup finally comes together. eBay is definitely getting way stricter with those scrapers and basic extensions lately, which is a total nightmare for us collectors. Before you go down the rabbit hole of trying to code your own API script which is a massive headache for most people, I gotta ask a couple things to see if I can help you narrow it down:

• Are you looking for a specific screen size or model, like a 13-inch unit or one of the massive 36-inch monsters?
• Does that $200 limit include shipping, or are you strictly looking for local pickup listings? Those Trinitrons are getting so heavy that shipping alone usually kills the deal, but I might have a few tricks for filtering the local stuff more effectively if you are open to it. It is such an amazing feeling when you finally get that perfect scanline setup going... you are gonna love it once you find the right one! Definitely dont give up yet tho.

@Reply #1 - good point! those PVMs are a whole different level of stress to find. honestly tho, i have to disagree with the idea of relying too much on automated tools for a sub-$200 budget. be careful because most of those legit api tools are actually geared toward high-volume power sellers and they usually come with a monthly sub that eats your profit margins fast. plus, ebays bot detection is no joke lately and catching a ban isnt worth it for a single flip. you might want to consider if you're overcomplicating things for just one monitor. quick question though, are you looking for a specific model number like a KV series or just any trinitron that fits the setup? and are you strictly looking for shipping? shipping a heavy CRT is usually where the budget blows up, so focusing on local listings might be a better use of your time anyway...

Like someone mentioned, those high-end api tools are a total money pit if you are just looking for a single item. In my experience, they usually eat into your profit margins way too fast. I have tried many different tracking methods over the years and honestly the simple stuff is usually better for staying under budget. I remember once I spent weeks trying to script a custom tracker for some old audio gear and it just kept getting me flagged. It was such a waste of time. These days I mostly rely on the basic saved search feature but I get creative with it. If you are looking for a Trinitron, try searching for generic terms like old heavy tv or silver sony monitor instead of the actual model number. Lots of people dont know what they have and they list them super cheap just to get them out of the house. Setting up phone alerts for those specific low-cost keywords is free and basically real-time anyway. Tbh it is how I scored my last setup for way under the going rate without having to pay for some fancy subscription.

Yep, this is the way

Facts.