Custom Ricardo.ch Early Car Listing Detection Tool

Job ID: 39516714

Budget: $1,500 – $3,000 USD

Project Title:

Early Detection of Car Listings on ricardo.ch – Development of a Standalone Tool


Project Description:

I'm looking for a skilled and technically experienced developer to build a custom tool capable of detecting new vehicle listings on ricardo.ch before they appear publicly on the official website.

I previously had such a tool, which worked reliably and consistently – it was able to retrieve listings 1–2 minutes ahead of their public appearance. So I know for a fact: This is absolutely possible.
The goal of this project is to develop a completely independent solution that replicates or improves upon that capability — without using my old tool, login credentials, or internal Ricardo infrastructure.


What Should the Tool Do?

Continuously monitor the "Vehicles" category on ricardo.ch for new listings.

Detect and retrieve listings as early as possible — ideally before they appear publicly.

Once detected, display each result in a clean and visual interface (image, title, price, and core details).

Include filtering features (e.g. brand, price, model).

The tool must be fast, stable, and resource-efficient.

Optional but recommended: a server-based implementation that runs 24/7 in the background (not a requirement, but a clear plus).

Core Requirement – The Heart of This Project:

> Early Detection
The most critical and non-negotiable part of this tool is the ability to detect listings before they go live on the public Ricardo website.
I am not looking for a basic scraper that fetches listings as soon as they become public.
I need a solution that gives me a real-time edge — a head start.


Possible Technical Directions (for reference):

Inspecting browser dev tools (XHR, Fetch, or NEXT_DATA tags from Next.js)

Detecting hidden or undocumented JSON endpoints

Monitoring preloaded feeds, cached resources, or consistent internal query patterns

Reverse engineering, similar to how my original tool was built — no login, no API key, no official access


Again, this is not about hacking Ricardo. My previous tool worked entirely through observation, technical know-how, and clever analysis.

What I’m Looking for in a Developer:

Strong experience in web scraping / reverse engineering

Solid knowledge of Python, Node.js, or similar

Familiarity with Next.js-based websites and JSON parsing

Ability to identify hidden or undocumented data sources

Independent, analytical, and solution-focused mindset

Willingness to explore creatively and deeply

Project Phases & Payment:

Phase 1: Research & Proof of Concept (demo or test video)

Phase 2: Stable beta version with GUI

Phase 3: Final adjustments, performance tuning, optional server deployment


I’m fully willing to pay well if you can prove the key feature: early detection of listings before public release.

Summary:

This is possible – I had a working tool
No login or official API involved
Main goal: detect listings before they go live
I’m not looking for a basic scraper – I need technical depth
Related categories: Python Web Scraping JSON Web Development Selenium