# Sotheby's Auctions Scraper (`parseforge/sothebys-auctions-scraper`) Actor

Follow Sotheby's upcoming and past auction lots by keyword. Each lot returns the title, estimate range, sale name, sale date, lot reference, image, and url. Great for tracking fine art and collectible values, sourcing pieces, or watching what the top auction house sells.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/parseforge/sothebys-auctions-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [ParseForge](https://apify.com/parseforge) (community)
- **Categories:** Developer tools, Automation, Other
- **Stats:** 3 total users, 2 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $19.00 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

![ParseForge Banner](https://github.com/ParseForge/apify-assets/blob/ad35ccc13ddd068b9d6cba33f323962e39aed5b2/banner.jpg?raw=true)

## 🖼️ Sotheby's Auctions Lot Scraper

> 🚀 **Export Sotheby's auction lots and estimates in seconds. Direct from https://www.sothebys.com to a structured dataset ready for any spreadsheet, database, or BI tool.**

The Sotheby's Auctions Lot Scraper turns the <https://www.sothebys.com> public storefront into a clean structured dataset. Enter a search query, choose how many items you want, and get back a flat table with title, estimate, image, lot, sale, date, url.

Built for analysts, marketplace operators, and product researchers who need Sotheby's auction lots and estimates without writing a single line of client code.

| 🎯 Target Audience | 💡 Primary Use Cases |
|---|---|
| 📊 Market analysts | Track pricing and stock across the catalog |
| 🛒 Marketplace operators | Benchmark competitor listings |
| 💼 Procurement teams | Sourcing and supplier discovery |
| 🤖 ML engineers | Build product datasets for training |
| 📰 Journalists | Snapshot listings for stories |
| 👩‍💻 Developers | Mirror public catalog data into your own database |

### 📋 What the Sotheby's Auctions Scraper does

- Hits the public https://www.sothebys.com search endpoint with the query you supply.
- Parses the GraphQL response and flattens each result into one row.
- Normalizes field names so they import cleanly into any spreadsheet or warehouse.
- Skips duplicates and short circuits when the upstream returns no further results.
- Surfaces upstream errors as a single diagnostic record instead of crashing.
- Exports to dataset in every format Apify supports.

> 💡 **Why it matters** Direct access to https://www.sothebys.com catalog data without writing scraping infrastructure, rotating proxies, or maintaining selectors. One run, one clean table.

### 📊 Data fields

Each record includes: `date`, `id`, `imageUrl`, `location`, `query`, `scrapedAt`, `status`, `title`, `type`, `url`. All 10 field names come from a real production run, so what you see here is what lands in your dataset.

> ⚠️ **Good to Know** This actor only reads publicly available pages from https://www.sothebys.com. No login or API key is required.

### 🚀 How to use

1. Click **Try for free**.
2. Enter a search term in `query`.
3. Set `maxItems` to the number of records you want.
4. Click **Start**. Within seconds your dataset is ready to download.

### 🔗 Recommended Actors

| Actor | What it does |
|---|---|
| [ParseForge Alpha Vantage Scraper](https://apify.com/parseforge/alpha-vantage-public-scraper) | Public market data, FX and crypto quotes. |
| [ParseForge OurAirports Scraper](https://apify.com/parseforge/ourairports-scraper) | Global airport database. |
| [ParseForge Yahoo Finance Scraper](https://apify.com/parseforge) | Equities, funds, indices. |
| [ParseForge NBA Stats Scraper](https://apify.com/parseforge/nba-stats-scraper) | Player and team stats from NBA. |

> 💡 **Pro Tip** browse the complete [ParseForge collection](https://apify.com/parseforge) for 900+ production grade scrapers across business intelligence, real estate, e commerce, sports, finance, and public records.

**Disclaimer.** This actor reads only publicly available data. ParseForge is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any of the third party services referenced. Users are responsible for complying with the target site terms of service and applicable law. [Create a free account w/ $5 credit](https://console.apify.com/sign-up?fpr=vmoqkp).

### 🆘 Need Help?

If you hit a bug, have questions about setup, or need a scraper we haven't built yet, open our [contact form](https://tally.so/r/BzdKgA) or write to parseforge@protonmail.com. We also take on paid custom data projects.

For faster answers, join our [Discord](https://parseforge.co/discord). It's the best place to get support and suggest new actors.

# Actor input Schema

## `query` (type: `string`):

Keyword to search across Sotheby's auctions and sale results (for example an artist, brand, or category such as 'monet', 'rolex', or 'wine'). Trimmed before use.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

How many auction lots to collect per run.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "query": "monet",
  "maxItems": 10
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "query": "monet",
    "maxItems": 10
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("parseforge/sothebys-auctions-scraper").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "query": "monet",
    "maxItems": 10,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("parseforge/sothebys-auctions-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"])
for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "query": "monet",
  "maxItems": 10
}' |
apify call parseforge/sothebys-auctions-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "mcp-remote",
                "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=parseforge/sothebys-auctions-scraper",
                "--header",
                "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_TOKEN>"
            ]
        }
    }
}

```

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/sKe20F5GxfoghDPar/builds/AyqEha1giQreP2xva/openapi.json