METHODOLOGY
Trust the record, not the guess.
The collector is intentionally conservative around removals, transfers, and incomplete scans.
Public sources only
Dealer discovery uses Old Hickory’s public sitemap and dealer pages. No authentication, CAPTCHA, or access control is bypassed.
One respectful daily scan
Requests use delays, retries, caching, timeouts, and an identifying user agent. Access restrictions stop collection.
Raw + normalized
Every observation retains the original extracted source payload alongside searchable normalized fields.
Strong identity first
Inventory ID, serial number, stable product ID, and URL outrank descriptive fingerprint matching.
Suspicion quarantine
A failed or abnormal zero-result page cannot remove a dealer’s entire known inventory. The prior trusted set remains current.
Removed is not sold
Disappearance produces Removed / No Longer Listed. Cross-dealer reappearance can become Possible Transfer, then human-confirmed.