Monitoring price drops on a wish list can help you save money and make smarter purchases. Here’s a comprehensive guide on how to track wish list price drops effectively:
How to Monitor Wish List Price Drops
1. Use Dedicated Price Tracking Tools
There are several tools specifically designed to monitor product prices and notify you when they drop. Popular ones include:
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CamelCamelCamel – Ideal for tracking Amazon price changes. It allows you to set up alerts and see historical price data.
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Honey – A browser extension that not only finds coupons but also tracks price drops and offers a droplist feature.
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Keepa – Another powerful Amazon price tracker that offers detailed graphs and notifications.
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PriceBlink – Compares prices across multiple retailers and notifies you of better deals.
2. Set Alerts on Retailer Websites
Many e-commerce platforms allow you to save items to a wish list and receive notifications when there’s a price change.
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Amazon: Add items to your wishlist; some users receive alerts when prices change.
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eBay: “Watch” an item to get updates on price drops or ending auctions.
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Best Buy, Walmart, Target: These platforms often send push or email notifications for wishlist items.
3. Leverage Browser Extensions
Extensions can automatically track prices on websites you visit and notify you when a better deal appears:
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Slickdeals: Tracks user-submitted deals and lets you create alerts for specific products or brands.
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OctoShop: Notifies you when items drop in price or when a cheaper seller becomes available.
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Shoptagr (now Karma): Allows you to save products and alerts you on price changes or restocks.
4. Create a Google Alert
You can use Google Alerts creatively to monitor keywords like:
This won’t give you exact price tracking, but it can notify you about news, sales, or promotions related to a specific product.
5. Use Spreadsheets + Scraping Tools
If you’re tech-savvy, you can create a Google Sheet with:
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Product URLs
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Use IMPORTXML to pull current prices
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Set conditional formatting to highlight price changes
You can also use tools like:
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Web Scraper (Chrome extension)
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Apify
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Puppeteer (for advanced use)
This custom method gives you control over how you monitor and compare prices.
6. Enable Notifications on Shopping Apps
Download mobile apps of major retailers and shopping comparison tools. Most apps offer push notifications for:
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Price drops
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Back-in-stock alerts
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Flash sales
Apps like ShopSavvy, Flipp, and Rakuten can also alert you when prices drop or offer cashback options.
7. Monitor Daily Deals Sites
Websites like:
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Slickdeals
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DealNews
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TechBargains
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Brad’s Deals
These platforms showcase current deals and price drops, including trending wish list items. Create accounts and set alerts or use RSS feeds for niche monitoring.
8. Use Cashback and Reward Services
While not strictly a price drop alert, using tools like:
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Rakuten
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TopCashback
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Swagbucks
Can provide additional savings or cashback, effectively lowering the overall price when you’re ready to purchase.
9. Track Holiday and Seasonal Sale Trends
Prices for popular items often drop during:
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Black Friday
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Cyber Monday
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Back-to-school sales
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End-of-season clearances
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Amazon Prime Day
Knowing when these sales occur helps in timing your purchases, and wish list items often go on sale during these periods.
10. Automate With IFTTT or Zapier
For more tech-savvy users, automation platforms like IFTTT or Zapier can help you monitor changes:
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Get notified via SMS, email, or Slack
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Monitor RSS feeds of deals
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Integrate with price trackers or spreadsheets
Example IFTTT Recipe:
If price drops below $X on CamelCamelCamel, then send me a notification.
Best Practices for Monitoring Price Drops
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Set a target price: Know what you’re willing to pay and configure alerts accordingly.
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Keep wish lists organized: Categorize by urgency or budget.
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Act fast: Some deals are time-sensitive or have limited stock.
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Use incognito mode: Some retailers adjust prices based on browsing behavior.
Conclusion
Tracking price drops on wish list items no longer requires manual checking. With the right combination of tools and strategies—ranging from browser extensions and mobile apps to spreadsheets and automation platforms—you can ensure you never miss a deal. Stay vigilant, set up alerts smartly, and leverage seasonal trends to maximize your savings.
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