Item Alert's own registration page currently reads: "New account registration is currently disabled." Its FAQ says that's because it hit eBay's API usage limit and eBay declined to raise it. If you landed here because you couldn't sign up, here is what it offered and what's open right now.
As of August 29, 2026, Item Alert's registration page states new accounts are disabled. It's not shut down, just closed to new users.
Its FAQ names the reason: it hit eBay's API request limit, and eBay didn't approve raising it. Its own FAQ says registration reopens once usage drops.
On paper, the free tier was generous: 500 saved searches, 25 running at once, checked roughly every 20 seconds.
FindersKeepers is open for signups today. Slower on cadence (hourly, not 20 seconds), but no search cap, and it adds price history and deal scoring, which Item Alert never had.
This isn't a case of a bad product. The API limit is an infrastructure ceiling, not a sign the tool stopped being useful for the people already on it.
A far higher ceiling than most free tools in this category, even with only 25 running concurrently.
Genuinely fast, on the searches you have actively running.
Its FAQ references searching for items from a specific seller, a filter we don't offer.
No paid tier; its FAQ frames itself as accepting donations rather than selling a subscription.
Every free eBay alert tool runs on eBay's API, and eBay sets the ceiling on how many calls a tool can make. Item Alert hit that ceiling.
This is a capacity problem, not an abandonment. Its FAQ still gets maintained and answers real user questions in detail. It's a tool that outgrew what eBay would let it serve.
It's worth checking back. If per-seller filtering or a 500-search ceiling is specifically what you need, this may reopen.
We're naming this plainly because it's the same API every free eBay tool, including ours, depends on.
No registration cap in place, and no eBay login required to create an account.
Listings are compared against similar ones in the same results. Twenty percent or more below the average asking price is a hot deal, ten to twenty percent below is a good price, and it needs at least five comparable listings first.
Add an item to your watchlist and the price is recorded every six hours from that point on.
No limit on saved searches and no separate cap on how many can run at once.
| Feature | Item Alert | FindersKeepers |
|---|---|---|
| Accepting new signups | ✕NoRegistration closed | ✓Yes |
| Check frequency | ~20 seconds | !Hourly |
| Saved-search limit | 500 saved, 25 running concurrently | ✓No limit |
| Alert delivery | Pop-up, email, or audio cue | ✓Email + browser push |
| Exclude / filter by specific seller | ✓Yes | ✕NoNot supported |
| Price history on watched items | ✕No | ✓YesFrom the day you add an item |
| Tells you if a price is a good deal | ✕No | ✓YesScored against similar asking prices |
| Collection value tracking | ✕No | ✓Yes |
If Item Alert reopens and its faster cadence and per-seller filter matter more to you, nothing stops you from using both.
We check hourly, not every 20 seconds.
No seller filtering, so no per-seller exclusion.
Our deal score uses asking prices, meaning what comparable listings are currently listed at, not what they sold for.
It searches eBay US only.
No. Checked on August 29, 2026, its own registration page states new account registration is currently disabled, and its FAQ attributes this to hitting eBay's API usage limit. Existing accounts should be unaffected; new signups are not being accepted.
Not shut down, closed to new users. The site, FAQ, and existing accounts appear to still be operating. It's worth checking back if you specifically want this tool, since the FAQ describes registration reopening once usage drops.
A free, web-based saved-search tool: up to 500 saved searches with 25 running at once, checked roughly every 20 seconds, with alerts by pop-up, email, or audio cue. It's a fast, generous free tier on paper.
FindersKeepers is open for signups today. It checks saved searches once an hour rather than every 20 seconds, but has no cap on saved searches and adds price history and deal scoring, which Item Alert never had.
We don't currently meter or cap signups, but the honest answer is that any tool built on eBay's API is subject to that API's usage terms. We're disclosing this because it's the exact failure mode that hit Item Alert, not because we expect to hit it.
If you're comparing free eBay alert tools broadly, not just looking for what replaces Item Alert specifically, the full roundup of free eBay deal-hunting tools covers where each one actually fits.
Hourly alerts, price history, and a read on whether a listing is priced well. No credit card, no eBay login, no waiting list.
Create a free accountFree forever · No credit card · No eBay login