Looking for an easy way to grab product lists or prices from ecommerce sites, but don’t know how to code? You’re not alone. Maybe you want to compare prices, track competitors, or just get a big product catalog into a spreadsheet. Problem is, most scraping tools assume you know your way around code or APIs.
But there is a way: Apify. It’s a platform that lets you scrape websites using ready-made tools—no coding required. In this guide, I’ll show you how to use Apify to extract product data, what actually works, and what’s just wishful thinking.
If you’re a small business owner, a marketer, or anyone who just wants data in a spreadsheet (without learning Python), this one’s for you.
What is Apify (and why should you care)?
Apify is a platform built for scraping and automating web tasks. The pitch: you pick a “scraper” (they call them Actors or Store Actors), point it at a site, and it does the dirty work. You get structured data—usually CSV, Excel, or JSON—no coding needed.
Why bother? Because manually copying product info from ecommerce sites is soul-crushing, and most “copy-paste” browser extensions break on anything complex. Apify’s ready-made scrapers can handle pagination, extract images, prices, reviews, and more.
But there’s a catch: Not every site works perfectly, and “no code” doesn’t mean “no hassle.” Still, compared to building your own scraper or hiring a developer, it’s a breath of fresh air.
Step 1: Sign up for Apify and poke around
First off, head over to Apify and create a free account. You’ll get some free credits (enough to run a few scrapes and see if it works for you).
What you’ll see:
- A dashboard showing your tasks, scrapers, and usage.
- An “Actors” section—the marketplace for prebuilt scrapers.
- Usage limits: Free plans are limited, but good enough to get started.
Pro tip:
Don’t bother with the tutorials or “Academy” unless you get stuck. The real action is in the marketplace of Actors.
Step 2: Find the right scraper (Actor) for your ecommerce site
Here’s where the rubber meets the road. Most people get stuck here, so let’s be honest about what works:
- Popular sites: There are ready-made Actors for Amazon, eBay, Walmart, Etsy, and a bunch of others. These are maintained by Apify staff or power users and usually, they work well.
- Niche or regional sites: There might be an Actor, but it could be dated or broken. Sometimes, you’ll find one made by a hobbyist—results may vary.
- Totally obscure sites: You’re probably out of luck unless the site’s structure is super simple.
How to search: 1. Go to the “Actors” marketplace. 2. Type in the site name (e.g., “Amazon scraper”). 3. Check reviews, last update, and documentation.
What to avoid:
- Actors that haven’t been updated in ages or don’t have documentation.
- Actors that require you to fill in confusing technical fields.
If you can’t find an Actor:
- Try a generic “Web Scraper” Actor (like “Web Scraper” or “Cheerio Scraper”). These let you point and click to set up scraping, but there’s a learning curve.
Step 3: Enter your target URL(s) and tweak settings
Once you’ve picked an Actor, click “Try for free” or “Start.” You’ll see a form asking for input.
The basics: - Start URL: Paste the link to the product listing page you want to scrape (e.g., all Nike shoes on Amazon). - Max items/pages: Limit how many products you want (helpful if there are thousands). - Filters: Some Actors let you set price range, categories, or other filters. - Login: For sites requiring login, some Actors support session cookies (but expect headaches).
Pro tips: - Start with a small number of items (10-20) to test. No need to burn through credits. - If the Actor asks for a “selector” or weird technical term, check the docs. If it’s still gibberish, move on to another Actor.
What doesn’t work:
- Scraping search results with endless scrolling (infinite scroll) often fails or gives partial data.
- Scraping sites with heavy anti-bot protection (like sneaker drops) is hit-or-miss, even with Apify.
Step 4: Run the scraper and wait
Hit “Run.” You’ll see a progress bar, logs, and maybe some error messages.
What to expect: - Small jobs finish in a few minutes. - Big jobs (hundreds of products) can take longer or even fail partway through. - Apify will email you when it’s done.
Common errors: - “Blocked by site”: The site detected scraping and shut it down. Try again later, reduce speed, or use a different Actor. - “Out of memory”: Too much data. Limit the number of products. - “Empty results”: The Actor’s broken, or the site changed its layout.
Don’t panic:
Most issues are either (a) temporary, or (b) not your fault. Try a different Actor or tweak the settings.
Step 5: Download and use your data
When the run is finished, you’ll see a summary and download options.
Formats: - CSV – Best for spreadsheets (Excel, Google Sheets). - JSON – Best if you want to load into another tool or app. - XLSX – For direct Excel use (sometimes formatting is weird).
Columns you’ll get: - Usually: Product name, price, link, image URL, rating, sometimes description or specs. - Rarely: Stock status, reviews, or hidden info.
What works:
- Downloading and opening in Excel or Google Sheets is painless.
- Data is usually clean, but check for missing fields or weird characters.
What doesn’t:
- Don’t expect perfectly structured, ready-to-import data for every site.
- Some scrapers miss images or mangle special characters.
Pro tip:
If the data is a mess, use “Find and Replace” or Google Sheets formulas to clean up columns. It’s faster than fiddling with settings.
Troubleshooting and managing expectations
Let’s be real: no-code scraping isn’t magic. Here’s what you’ll bump into:
- Sites change their layout—the scrapers break. It may take days or weeks for someone to fix it.
- Captcha or anti-bot popups—if you hit these, you’re probably stuck unless you upgrade to paid plans with proxies (which isn’t always worth it).
- Limits on free plans—you’ll run out of credits fast on big jobs. Paid plans start around $49/mo, so budget accordingly.
- Privacy and legality—scraping public product data is usually fine, but don’t scrape personal info or private pages.
What to ignore:
- “AI-powered” scraping promises—these rarely mean anything for your use case.
- Fancy automation chains if you just want a spreadsheet.
Alternatives and when to call it quits
If Apify doesn’t work for your site: - Try browser extensions like Data Miner or Instant Data Scraper (less reliable, but easier for dead-simple pages). - Hire someone on a freelance site to build a quick custom scraper (costs more, but can be worth it). - For massive needs, consider paying for commercial datasets.
Don’t waste time:
If you’ve spent more than an hour fighting with a scraper, try another Actor or tool. Your time is worth more than perfect data.
Keep it simple, and don’t overthink it
You don’t need to become a data scientist to pull product info from most ecommerce sites. Apify’s prebuilt scrapers get you 80% of the way there—fast. If it works, great. If it doesn’t, don’t blame yourself or get lost in the weeds.
Start small, check your data, and don’t be afraid to try a few Actors before settling. Most of all: If you just need a spreadsheet, keep it simple and move on. There’s no prize for making it complicated.