Python script for Amazon Bestseller Rank alerts using SellerMagnet API

Creating a Python Script for Amazon Bestseller Rank Alerts

By Michael Chen | July 10, 2025

Python Web Scraping Amazon Ecommerce

Creating a Python Script for Amazon Bestseller Rank Alerts

For Amazon businesses and market analysts, staying ahead of the competition means constantly monitoring product performance. One crucial metric is the Bestseller Rank (BSR). Tracking BSR changes can provide invaluable insights into sales trends, competitor performance, and overall market dynamics. This post will guide you through creating a Python script to monitor Amazon BSR using the SellerMagnet API, an enterprise-grade solution for Amazon data.

Why Monitor Amazon Bestseller Rank?

BSR isn't just a vanity metric; it's a powerful indicator of product popularity and sales velocity. By tracking BSR, you can:

  • Identify trending products: A sudden rise in BSR can signal a hot new product or a surge in demand.
  • Monitor competitor performance: Track your competitors' BSR to gauge their sales performance and market share.
  • Optimize inventory management: Predict demand fluctuations and adjust inventory levels accordingly.
  • Assess marketing campaign effectiveness: See how your marketing efforts impact BSR.

With SellerMagnet API, you can efficiently gather and analyze BSR data to make data-driven decisions.

Setting Up Your Python Environment

Before diving into the code, ensure you have Python installed (version 3.6 or higher) along with the requests library:

pip install requests

Creating the Python Script

Here’s a Python script example that leverages the SellerMagnet API to fetch and monitor the BSR of an Amazon product.

import requests
import time

# Replace with your SellerMagnet API key, ASIN, and Marketplace ID
API_KEY = "YOUR_API_KEY"
ASIN = "B08N5WRWNW"  # Example ASIN
MARKETPLACE_ID = "ATVPDKIKX0DER"  # Example: US Marketplace ID


def get_bsr(asin, marketplace_id, api_key):
    """Fetches the Bestseller Rank (BSR) for a given ASIN using the SellerMagnet API."""
    url = "https://sellermagnet-api.com/amazon-product-statistics"
    params = {
        "asin": asin,
        "marketplaceId": marketplace_id,
        "api_key": api_key
    }
    try:
        response = requests.get(url, params=params)
        response.raise_for_status()  # Raise HTTPError for bad responses (4xx or 5xx)
        data = response.json()
        if data['success']:
            return data['data']['bestSellerRank']
        else:
            print(f"Error: {data.get('errors', 'Unknown error')}")
            return None
    except requests.exceptions.RequestException as e:
        print(f"Request failed: {e}")
        return None


# Initial BSR
initial_bsr = get_bsr(ASIN, MARKETPLACE_ID, API_KEY)
if initial_bsr is not None:
    print(f"Initial BSR: {initial_bsr}")

    # Monitor BSR for changes (e.g., every 60 seconds)
    while True:
        time.sleep(60)
        current_bsr = get_bsr(ASIN, MARKETPLACE_ID, API_KEY)

        if current_bsr is not None:
            if current_bsr != initial_bsr:
                print(f"BSR changed from {initial_bsr} to {current_bsr}")
                initial_bsr = current_bsr  # Update initial BSR
            else:
                print("BSR unchanged")
        else:
            print("Failed to retrieve BSR.")

else:
    print("Failed to retrieve initial BSR.")

This script first fetches the initial BSR of a product using the Amazon Product Statistics endpoint. It then continuously monitors the BSR, alerting you when it changes. The get_bsr function encapsulates the API call and error handling.

Example Response:

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "asin": "B08N5WRWNW",
    "amazonPrice": 2999,
    "bestSellerRank": 125,
    "buyBoxPrice": 3299,
    "buyBoxFulfillment": "FBA",
    "buyBoxSellerIdHistory": [
      [
        "2024-07-27T10:30:00Z",
        "A1234567890"
      ]
    ],
    "salesRankHistory": [
      [
        "2024-07-27T10:30:00Z",
        125
      ]
    ],
    "trackingSince": "2024-07-01"
  }
}

Practical Use Cases

  • Competitive Analysis: Use this script to track the BSR of competing products. Significant BSR improvements for competitors could indicate successful marketing campaigns or product improvements.
  • Inventory Management: Monitor the BSR of your products to anticipate sales surges. A consistently improving BSR suggests increasing demand, prompting you to increase inventory levels.
  • Promotional Campaign Tracking: Implement this script before, during, and after promotional campaigns to measure their impact on product visibility and sales.

Enhancements and Integrations

Here are some ways to enhance this script:

  • Threshold Alerts: Set specific BSR thresholds. Trigger alerts only when the BSR crosses these thresholds, reducing noise.
  • Data Logging: Store BSR data in a database for historical analysis.
  • Email/SMS Notifications: Integrate with notification services to receive real-time alerts via email or SMS.
  • Scheduled Execution: Utilize a task scheduler (e.g., cron) to run the script automatically at regular intervals. Consider using DataPipeline to automate your workflow.

Leveraging SellerMagnet's API for Comprehensive Data

The SellerMagnet API offers a range of endpoints beyond just BSR, providing you with a holistic view of product performance:

Handling Marketplace IDs

Amazon operates in multiple marketplaces, each with its own unique ID. You can use the SellerMagnet API to fetch a list of supported marketplaces and their corresponding IDs. This ensures that your script works correctly across different Amazon regions. You can use the Amazon Categories to find valid IDs.

Code Example: Fetching Marketplace IDs

import requests

API_KEY = "YOUR_API_KEY"

url = "https://sellermagnet-api.com/amazon-get-marketplaces"
params = {
    "api_key": API_KEY
}

try:
    response = requests.get(url, params=params)
    response.raise_for_status()
    data = response.json()

    if 'marketplaces' in data:
        for marketplace in data['marketplaces']:
            print(f"ID: {marketplace['id']}, Name: {marketplace['name']}, Country: {marketplace['country']}")
    else:
        print("Error: Marketplaces data not found in response.")

except requests.exceptions.RequestException as e:
    print(f"Request failed: {e}")

Example Response:

{
    "marketplaces": [
        {
            "id": "A1PA6795UKMFR9",
            "name": "Amazon.de",
            "country": "Germany"
        },
        {
            "id": "ATVPDKIKX0DER",
            "name": "Amazon.com",
            "country": "United States"
        }
    ]
}

Conclusion

Monitoring Amazon BSR is critical for businesses aiming to optimize their Amazon presence. By leveraging the SellerMagnet API and a Python script, you can automate this process and gain valuable insights into product performance, market trends, and competitor strategies. Embrace the power of data-driven decision-making and elevate your Amazon business to new heights. Visit our Pricing page to select the best plan for you. You can also check our Documentation and Code Examples. If you have any questions please Contact us.

Back to Blog