Automated Xianyu Trading: AI-Powered Monitoring Bot and Search API Solutions

In today’s digital marketplace, automating secondhand trading platforms gives you a competitive edge on Xianyu. This comprehensive guide explores two distinct approaches: an AI-enhanced visual monitoring tool for consumers and a developer-friendly search API.

The Need for Xianyu Automation Tools

As China’s leading secondhand marketplace, Xianyu hosts thousands of high-value deals daily. Manual monitoring presents significant challenges:

Time-consuming product searches
Missed opportunities on limited-time offers
Difficulty verifying product authenticity
Inefficient price comparisons

Automation solutions address these pain points by:

Providing 24/7 product monitoring
Implementing AI-powered quality verification
Delivering instant restock notifications
Preventing substandard purchases

Solution 1: Xianyu AI Monitoring Bot

Core Functionality Highlights

This Playwright and OpenAI-based solution offers a complete visual interface requiring no programming skills:

🖥️ Comprehensive Web Dashboard: Unified task management, logging, and results filtering
🤖 Natural Language Task Creation: Automatically converts purchase requirements into monitoring rules

Example: “Find Sony A7M4 cameras over 95% new condition under ¥13,000 with <5,000 shutter count”
🔔 Multi-platform Notifications: Push alerts to mobile/desktop via ntfy
🚀 Concurrent Multi-task Monitoring: Simultaneously track multiple product categories
🛡️ Intelligent Anti-Blocking: Simulates human interaction patterns

Technical Architecture Breakdown

Component	Function
Playwright	Browser automation control
FastAPI	Web service framework
OpenAI GPT-4o	Multimodal product analysis
ntfy	Cross-platform notifications
JSONL	Data storage format

Four-Step Implementation Guide

Step 1: Environment Setup

git clone https://github.com/dingyufei615/ai-goofish-monitor
cd ai-goofish-monitor
pip install -r requirements.txt

Step 2: Essential Configuration

Create .env file with:

OPENAI_API_KEY="your_api_key" 
OPENAI_BASE_URL="https://api.openai.com/v1"
OPENAI_MODEL_NAME="gpt-4o"
NTFY_TOPIC_URL="https://ntfy.sh/your-topic"

Step 3: Xianyu Authentication

python login.py

Authenticate by scanning the QR code with Xianyu mobile app

Step 4: Launch Service

python web_server.py

Access dashboard at http://127.0.0.1:8000

Web Interface Walkthrough

Task Management Center

AI-Assisted Setup: Natural language to monitoring rules conversion
Real-time Status Tracking: Visual task operation indicators
Batch Operations: One-click start/stop for all tasks

Product Results Display

Card-Based Layout: Visual product presentation
AI Recommendations: Smart highlighting of high-value items
Detail Inspection: Full analysis reports

Mobile Notification Sample

Notification Example
Instant AI-verified product alerts

Advanced Command Line Operations

Task Creation

python prompt_generator.py \
  --description "Sony A7M4 over 95% new under ¥13k" \
  --output prompts/sony_a7m4.txt \
  --task-name "Sony Monitor" \
  --keyword "a7m4" \
  --min-price "10000" \
  --max-price "13000"

Debug Mode Execution

python spider_v2.py --debug-limit 2

Workflow Visualization

graph TD
    A[Start Monitoring] --> B[Search Target Products]
    B --> C{New Items Found?}
    C -- Yes --> D[Scrape Details]
    D --> E[Download Images]
    E --> F[AI Multi-factor Analysis]
    F --> G{Recommended?}
    G -- Yes --> H[Send Mobile Notification]
    H --> I[Save Analysis]
    G -- No --> I
    C -- No --> J[Wait/Paginate]
    J --> B

Project Structure Overview

ai-goofish-monitor/
├── web_server.py       # Web service entry
├── spider_v2.py        # Core crawling logic
├── prompts/            # AI rule repository
├── config.json         # Task configuration
├── login.py            # Authentication module
└── images/             # Product image cache

Solution 2: Xianyu Product Search API

Core Technical Features

This FastAPI-based solution targets developers:

⚡ Asynchronous Processing: Handles dozens of requests/second
🧩 Plug-and-Play API: RESTful endpoint design
🧠 Smart Deduplication: Hash-based duplicate detection
💾 Data Persistence: MySQL database storage
📊 Result Analytics: New item count reporting

Technology Stack Composition

Component	Function
FastAPI	API framework
Playwright	Headless browser control
Tortoise ORM	Async database operations
MySQL	Persistent data storage
Uvicorn	ASGI server

Implementation Guide

1. Environment Initialization

pip install -r requirements.txt
playwright install chromium

2. Database Configuration

Create .env file:

DATABASE_URL=mysql://user:password@localhost/xianyu

3. Service Launch

python spider.py

API Documentation

Search Endpoint

POST /search/

Request Example:

{
  "keyword": "digital camera",
  "max_pages": 3
}

Response Example:

{
  "status": "success",
  "keyword": "digital camera",
  "total_results": 45,
  "new_records": 8,
  "new_record_ids": [201,202,205,209,210,215,218,220]
}

Client Implementation Samples

cURL Request

curl -X POST "http://localhost:8000/search/" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"keyword": "laptop", "max_pages": 2}'

Python Integration

import requests

response = requests.post(
    "http://localhost:8000/search/",
    json={"keyword": "mechanical keyboard", "max_pages": 1}
)
print(response.json())

Performance Optimization

Database Tuning:
- Configure connection pooling
- Implement data archiving
Anti-Scraping Measures:
- Use proxy IP rotation
- Implement randomized delays
- Simulate human interaction patterns
Caching Implementation:
- Add Redis caching layer
- Enable request result caching

Solution Comparison

Feature	AI Monitoring Bot	Search API
Target Users	General consumers	Developers
Complexity	Low (visual interface)	Medium (programming required)
Core Function	AI recommendations + alerts	Data collection + storage
Technical Barrier	Basic computer skills	API integration knowledge
Output Format	Visual alerts + local storage	Structured JSON
Ideal Use Case	Personal deal hunting	System integration

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does this cost?

Both projects are MIT-licensed open source tools. Note that OpenAI API usage incurs separate costs.

Will my account get banned?

Built-in safeguards include:

Randomized operation intervals

Human behavior simulation

Request throttling
Excessive requests may still trigger restrictions.

What technical skills are required?

Monitoring Bot: Basic computer literacy

Search API: Command line and API integration knowledge

What notification methods are supported?

Currently supports ntfy.sh with delivery to:

iOS/Android apps

Desktop browsers

Email clients

Telegram and other messaging platforms

How can I extend functionality?

Both projects feature modular designs:

Monitoring Bot: Modify spider_v2.py core logic

Search API: Extend /search/ endpoint
Well-documented code simplifies customization.

Real-World Applications

Case Study: Photography Equipment

A photographer configured:

"Find Canon 5D4 over 95% new condition
Under ¥6,500 with <20k shutter count
Full packaging, exclude professional sellers"

Discovered a qualified item within 72 hours, saving ¥1,200 after AI verification.

Case Study: Price Monitoring

An e-commerce company:

Hourly price checks via Search API
Data warehousing for analysis
Market trend reporting
Optimized pricing strategy for their secondhand inventory.

Future Development Directions

Notification Expansion:
- Add WeChat/DingTalk integration
- Implement email alerts
Analytics Enhancement:
- Multi-AI provider support (Claude/Gemini)
- Historical price tracking
Deployment Improvements:
- Docker containerization
- One-click cloud deployment

Conclusion

Whether you’re a consumer seeking deals or a developer needing Xianyu integration, these solutions deliver:

AI Monitoring Bot – Your 24/7 personal shopping assistant
Product Search API – Instant marketplace data integration

Important: Use tools in compliance with China’s Cybersecurity Law and Xianyu’s platform policies. Both projects are actively maintained – star their repositories for updates.

pie
    title Tool Usage Distribution
    “Personal Monitoring” : 65
    “Price Analysis” : 20
    “Market Research” : 10
    “Other Applications” : 5

Automation transforms secondhand trading by saving time, preventing mistakes, and maximizing value. For technical support, visit the projects’ issue trackers.

Automate Your Success on Xianyu: AI Tools & API Solutions for Smarter Trading