RouterComp FAQ

Q: How does this work?

It's a mash-up of the Shopping.com API and the eBay API. Specifically, it grabs all of the items from the eBay networking category, and tries to match them up with products listed on Shopping.com. Then it generates pages with relevent auctions and offer.

Q: Why would I use this?

If you're considering buying any network equipment, you might be able to save a lot of money. RouterComp can help you decide if a given item is cheaper on eBay or from an online merchant.

You can easily see if a particular item has a lot of eBay listings, and whether the prices are better than buying from an store. You can compare eBay "Buy It Now" items to online store costs. You can also tell if shipping costs are too high on a given auction. So you can choose which auction to bid in, and get a better deal.

RouterComp tries to make it more fun to research which types of items are good deals on eBay.

Q: Why did you build this?

I thought I could write something that offered a cool way to view eBay listings in a specific category, grouping items using details about the brands, part and model numbers.

Networking was a good candidate category since sellers often list 5-10 auctions of the same item. I thought that aggregating those similar items together would make it easier to find things.

Finally, I think it's amazing to be able to use all the data from eBay and Shopping.com and combine them in interesting ways.

Q: I can't find an auction on routercomp that I see on eBay?

If you're looking for a networking item, this might be because RouterComp makes some decisions about how much to show you at one time. Most every networking item is on there, however.

If you are looking for a non-networking item (like a golf club), RouterComp tries to focus on networking stuff, so it probably shouldn't have the latest golf gear.

Q: Why did you have to copy the Google look and feel?

Hey, who can argue with success? At least you should have an idea of what to expect. And actually, a bit of the inspiration for the listings pages was Kayak.com.

Q: Can I search for other things that aren't networking related?

There are a lot of computer related things, and some consumer electronics, but overall, RouterComp is all about networking equipment.