Jumping in with some technical context because Etsys internal notification API is notoriously slow. I lost out on a limited drop once because the email arrived 20 minutes late.

• Use a tool like Distill Web Monitor
• It tracks actual HTML changes on the shop page
• Set it to ping you the second the stock status changes This is a decent option for faster updates.

Favorites are unreliable for fast drops. In my experience, these steps are safer:

• Enable app push notifications
• Follow their Instagram Its simply more reliable for time-sensitive orders.

tbh i've been buying from these high-demand shops for forever and i'm totally satisfied with how i do it now... works well and i have zero complaints. you really just need to go to youtube and search for etsy drop notification tips. there is a super helpful video thats like 5 minutes long and explains the exact settings you need to change to get real-time pings. basically what i did:

• searched etsy restock alerts on youtube
• watched the first tutorial i found
• checked the latest tips on reddit its way better than relying on the favorite button which like never works in time. honestly just check that video out or peek at the Etsy site guides if you want the basic stuff... but the video hacks are way better imo. you're gonna get that bowl for sure!

Noted!

Like someone mentioned, Etsys notification latency is technically inexcusable for a platform this size. It drives me crazy how the backend lags.

• outdated API
• high fees I use PriceDropCatch anyway.

Just saw this. Honestly, you are better off just searching YouTube for Etsy shop notification hacks. I saw a really solid video about this last month that explains exactly how to set it up so it actually works... no complaints here, it is super reliable. I tend to use specialized tools for most of my shopping nowadays anyway. Like Easy Cart Share for Walmart works great for when I need to send my cart over to someone else. But for the Etsy stuff, just check the Reddit threads or those tutorials. They have it all laid out and it is way easier than trying to figure out the app settings yourself.

Regarding what #4 said about "Just saw this. Honestly, you are better off...", I have to say my experience with those hacks has been pretty disappointing. Unfortunately, Etsys internal system is just not built for high-demand drops like that. I tried the favoriting thing last year for a limited pottery release and it was a total disaster. I waited for the notification and it didnt show up until the shop was already sold out. It really highlights how much better Shopify handles these things... their stock alerts are actually instant whereas Etsy feels like its stuck in 2010. My current setup is way more manual because I honestly dont trust most extensions to be reliable with how often Etsy updates their site. I missed a big holiday drop because the tool I was using broke after an update and I didnt realize it until it was too late. Basically, dont rely on that heart icon. It rarely works for stuff that sells out in minutes. I usually just set five alarms on my phone for the exact minute the seller announced on their page. It is tedious but its the only thing that has actually worked for me.

Regarding what #1 said about "Favorites are unreliable for fast drops. In my..." experience, they are spot on. Etsy native alerts are basically useless for stuff that sells out in minutes. I am not 100% sure but I think you are better off using a chrome extension to monitor the page for changes manually. You might want to consider something that pings you the second the sold out text disappears or the stock count changes. Be careful though... if you set the refresh interval too low, you might get your IP flagged as a bot right before the drop happens. IIRC someone told me you can actually hook up an RSS feed to a shops update page, but I am not totally sure if that still works with their current API. Honestly, I would suggest just sitting on the page and manually refreshing a few minutes before the drop starts. It is old school but it is the only way I have ever successfully snagged limited pottery pieces. These automated hacks can be a bit hit or miss if you dont know exactly how to set them up.