Looking to keep an eye on product prices without spending all day copying and pasting? Whether you're tracking competitors, building a price history, or just sick of clicking through endless listings, scraping ecommerce data can save you a ton of time. But let's be real: most scraping tools are either too technical, too expensive, or break the second a site changes.
If you want something that just works (most of the time) and doesn't require code, Instant Data Scraper is worth a look. This guide walks you through scraping product prices step by step, points out what to watch for, and tells you what not to bother with.
What is Instant Data Scraper?
Instant Data Scraper is a free Chrome extension that tries to pull data from whatever web page you’re on. It’s not magic—but for simple ecommerce pages, it can grab product names, prices, and links without writing a line of code.
Who is this for? - People who aren’t coders but want to gather price data fast - Small business owners tracking competitors - Side hustlers comparing prices across sites - Digital marketers or researchers who just need a spreadsheet
If you need to scrape thousands of pages a day, or deal with complex login/captcha hurdles, this tool isn’t for you. But for quick jobs, it’s hard to beat.
Step 1: Install Instant Data Scraper
- Open Chrome. This extension only works with Chrome (or browsers like Brave). If you’re using Firefox or Safari, you’ll have to switch.
- Go to the Chrome Web Store.
- Search for “Instant Data Scraper” or use this official link.
- Click “Add to Chrome.”
- Approve the permissions. It’s not asking for your firstborn, but it does need access to the pages you visit.
Pro tip: Pin the extension to your toolbar so you can find it quickly.
Step 2: Pick Your Target Page
Head to the product listing page of the ecommerce site you want to scrape. This could be: - The search results for "wireless earbuds" on Amazon - A category page on Walmart - A product grid on a niche Shopify store
What works best: - Pages with lists or tables of products (not single product pages) - No logins or paywalls required - No infinite scroll, or at least pages that fully load with a scroll
What’s a pain: - Sites that load content only when you scroll (endless scroll) - JavaScript-heavy pages where products “pop in” as you interact
If you’re just starting, pick a site with paginated listings (numbered page links at the bottom). That’s easiest.
Step 3: Launch Instant Data Scraper
- With the product page open, click the Instant Data Scraper icon.
- The extension will pop up and immediately try to “guess” the data table (product grid) on the page.
- You’ll see a preview of the data it found—usually columns like product name, price, link, maybe image.
If the preview looks right, you’re in business. If it’s a mess (e.g., missing prices, weird columns), try clicking “Try another table.” Sometimes the extension grabs the wrong part of the page, but cycling through options usually fixes it.
Heads up: If you see blank columns, missing prices, or jumbled data, the site might be too complex for Instant Data Scraper. Some sites (like Amazon) are notoriously tough—don't take it personally.
Step 4: Tweak What You Grab
Instant Data Scraper isn’t perfect, but it lets you adjust what you scrape:
- Column selection: You can check/uncheck columns in the preview to drop stuff you don’t need (like image URLs).
- Table selection: Use “Try another table” if the first guess is wrong.
- Pagination: If the site has multiple pages, look for the “Auto-pagination” feature. The extension can often click through pages and keep scraping, but sometimes you’ll have to do it manually.
Things to ignore:
- Don’t bother with the “Export HTML” option unless you know what you’re doing. CSV or XLSX is what you want.
- The built-in filters are basic—do your sorting and cleanup after export.
Step 5: Export Your Data
Once the preview looks good:
- Click “Export to CSV” or “Export to XLSX.”
- CSV is fine for spreadsheets or Google Sheets.
- XLSX plays nicer with Excel.
- The file downloads to your computer, ready to open.
If you need to combine data from multiple pages, repeat for each page or use auto-pagination (if it works).
Pro tip: For bigger jobs (over 500 rows), split your scraping into batches. The extension can get glitchy with huge pages.
Step 6: Clean Up Your Data
Nobody likes a messy spreadsheet. Here’s what usually needs fixing:
- Column names: Rename them to something useful (e.g., “Product Name,” “Price,” “Product Link”).
- Currency issues: Prices may include symbols, spaces, or even ranges (“$19–$25”). Clean these up in your spreadsheet.
- Duplicates: If you scraped multiple pages, watch for repeat rows.
- Weird characters: Some sites use funky Unicode or emojis. Delete or ignore.
Don’t overthink it: If your goal is just to see who’s charging what, a quick cleanup is all you need.
What Works, What Doesn’t
What Works: - Basic product listings on most ecommerce sites - Grabbing product names, prices, links, and sometimes ratings - Small-to-medium jobs (a few hundred products at a time) - Zero coding required
What Doesn’t: - Scraping logged-in, personalized, or heavily dynamic pages - Getting around captchas or anti-bot measures - Scheduled, automated scraping (this is manual—you have to click) - Detailed product specs buried in popups or tabs
Ignore the hype:
If a site’s scraping-blocking is aggressive, no Chrome extension will magically “just work.” Instant Data Scraper is for simple, open pages. For anything more complex, you’ll need code or paid tools, and even then, things break.
Ethics and Legality
Quick reality check:
- Check site terms: Many ecommerce sites ban scraping in their Terms of Service. If you’re scraping for personal use or research, you’re probably fine, but don’t try to build a competing site with scraped data.
- Don’t hammer servers: Scrape slowly—Instant Data Scraper is manual, so you’re unlikely to overload anything, but don’t run it all day on huge sites.
- Respect privacy: Don’t scrape personal or account info.
Troubleshooting Common Headaches
“The extension doesn’t find the prices.”
- Try “Try another table” a few times.
- Scroll the page fully before launching the extension.
- If all else fails, pick a simpler site.
“The data is jumbled.”
- Some pages are just too complex. Try a different category or a competitor’s site.
“I can’t get all the pages.”
- Use auto-pagination, but if it breaks, scrape one page at a time.
“It stops working suddenly.”
- Refresh the page, or restart Chrome. Extensions can be finicky.
Pro Tips and Shortcuts
- Google Sheets can help: Import your CSV into Google Sheets for easy sharing and quick cleanup.
- Try different browser zoom levels: Sometimes, zooming out helps the extension see more of the page.
- Don’t log in: Stay logged out to avoid scraping your own account data and to keep things simple.
- Save time: If you’re scraping the same site regularly, save a sample export so you remember how the columns line up.
Final Thoughts: Keep It Simple
You don’t need a complicated tool or a wall of code to grab pricing data. Start small, use Instant Data Scraper for the low-hanging fruit, and don’t sweat the edge cases. If you hit a wall, try a different site—or decide if you really need that last bit of data.
Most of the time, a quick scrape and a little spreadsheet cleanup is all you need to get the insights you want. If you run into trouble, don’t waste hours fighting it—move on or look for a more robust solution. Just keep it simple and build as you go.