What is the Cartroute API?

Updated September 23, 2026 · API version 2026-09-01 · This page as JSON

The Cartroute API searches 3 US retailers (Amazon, Best Buy, eBay) in one call and returns every matching product with each retailer's offer, shipping, the effective price you would actually pay, stock, delivery time and a 90-day price verdict, as normalized JSON. It is built for AI agents: REST with an OpenAPI 3.1 description, a remote MCP server, stable machine-readable errors and credit-based metering.

Base URL: https://cart-route.com/api/v1

What can I build with it?

Shopping assistants that answer "where is this cheapest right now?" with a sourced number instead of a guess.
Procurement agents that compare landed prices across Amazon, Best Buy and eBay before buying hardware.
Deal and price-drop alerts built on the 180-day daily price history and the good_time_to_buy verdict.
Price checks that tell a shopper whether a price is a real deal against the product's recorded history.

Where should I start?

1 minuteQuickstartGet a key and run your first search. AgentsMCP serverConnect Claude Code, Cursor or any MCP client. ReferenceSearch endpointEvery parameter, with examples. GuideRecommending where to buyTurn a response into a sound recommendation.

What does it cost?

Each successful search, product, price-history or coupon call costs one credit. New accounts receive 100 credits at signup and 100 more after confirming their email, with no card. Paid plans start at $29 a month for 5,000 credits. Details: credits and pricing.

Which endpoints are there?

Endpoint	Purpose	Credits
GETPOST`/search`	Search all retailers	1
GET`/products/{id}`	One product, every offer, specs	1
GET`/products/{id}/price-history`	Daily prices, 7 to 180 days	1
GET`/coupons`	Active coupons and promotions	0
GET`/retailers`, `/categories`	Reference data	0
GET`/account`, `/usage`	Balance and ledger	0
POST`/accounts`	Create an account and key	0

Which conventions does every response follow?

Money is always a number in US dollars, and every money field ends in _usd.
Timestamps are ISO 8601 in UTC.
Every response carries request_id and data_source (live or preview; see data sources).
Errors are RFC 9457 application/problem+json with a stable code; see errors.
Metered responses report credits.charged and credits.remaining.