Amazon Marketplace Web Service (Amazon MWS) is an integrated web service API that helps Amazon sellers programmatically exchange data on listings, orders, payments, reports, and more. Using Amazon MWS can be a robust way to handle large amounts of data and interact with the Amazon marketplace programmatically. However, there are certain limitations and trade-offs when using Amazon MWS for product data compared to web scraping.
Limitations of Using Amazon MWS for Product Data:
API Access Restrictions:
- Amazon MWS is available only to Amazon sellers with a Professional seller account. You must have an eligible account and also register for MWS, which could be a barrier for some users.
- API access is limited to your own seller account data. If you need data from other sellers or more general product data, Amazon MWS may not suffice.
Throttling and Quotas:
- Amazon enforces request quotas and throttling to control the number of requests that can be submitted to MWS at any one time. This can limit the speed at which you can retrieve large datasets.
- The request limits depend on the particular API section and operation being called, which requires careful management to avoid hitting limits.
Data Availability:
- Not all the data available on Amazon's website is accessible via MWS. For example, customer reviews and detailed product descriptions may not be available through MWS.
- MWS is designed primarily for sellers to manage their Amazon business, so some product-related data might be limited to what is relevant for sellers.
Complexity and Learning Curve:
- Dealing with MWS requires understanding of Amazon's data structures, authentication procedures, and request signatures, which can be complex for new developers.
- The learning curve can be steep compared to scraping, which is, in principle, a simpler process of extracting data from the HTML of web pages.
API Changes and Maintenance:
- Amazon may change the MWS API, deprecate certain features, or introduce new requirements. Users have to constantly keep up with these changes and maintain their code accordingly.
- Amazon is pushing to move from MWS to the newer Selling Partner API (SP-API), which involves additional migration work for existing MWS users.
Cost:
- Although there is no direct charge for using MWS, being a Professional seller on Amazon comes with monthly fees. Additionally, you may incur costs in terms of development and maintenance time.
Comparison with Web Scraping:
In contrast, web scraping is the process of programmatically extracting data from websites through their HTML, CSS, and JavaScript output. Here are some advantages and disadvantages:
Advantages of Web Scraping: - It can be used to collect data from any website, not just data you have access to via an API. - It can extract a wider variety of data that may not be available through official APIs. - No need for API access or a seller’s account; scraping can be done anonymously.
Disadvantages of Web Scraping: - Web scraping is against Amazon's Terms of Service, and doing so can lead to legal issues, IP bans, or other sanctions. - The structure of web pages can change without notice, breaking scrapers and requiring maintenance. - Scraping can be resource-intensive and can be blocked by anti-scraping technologies.
Conclusion:
While MWS provides a legal and structured way to access Amazon data, its use is limited by access requirements, available data types, and request limits. For sellers managing their own data, MWS is usually the best approach. However, for accessing a broader range of product data across different sellers, web scraping might be considered. It's essential to comply with legal restrictions and Amazon's Terms of Service in any data collection activity, whether through MWS or scraping.
