Refurbished computer salesA stock system that writes its own listings

Stock and listings for selling refurbished computers: each machine’s specs read from the hardware, a numbered label on every item, and listings ready to paste into eBay and Facebook Marketplace.

The problem

Selling refurbished computers means a lot of retyping. Every machine’s specs have to be found, written down, matched to the right item on the shelf, priced against what similar machines sell for, and typed again into each marketplace in the shape that marketplace wants. It’s slow, and every retype is a chance to list the wrong spec.

What I did

I built a small stock system that runs on the local network and does the retyping itself.

  • A script run on each computer reads its brand, model, processor, memory, storage and screen, and creates the stock record. Nobody types specs.
  • Every item gets a numbered label, and numbers are never reused, so an old label can’t end up pointing at a different machine.
  • Staff add the condition and price, and the system prepares the fields eBay and Facebook Marketplace ask for, within their length limits, with a copy button for each and a warning for anything missing.
  • An AI assistant connects to the stock through its own connector, checks local prices, allows for condition or a missing charger, and drafts the listing for a person to check.

What changed

  • A machine goes from the bench to a draft listing without anyone typing its specs.
  • Listings are consistent, and a listing can’t show another machine’s specs.
  • Stock, prices and sales live in one place.

Under the bonnet

  • Python and Flask, SQLite with automatic schema upgrades
  • A plain JavaScript web app, served in Docker on the local network
  • A PowerShell hardware collector run on each Windows machine
  • An MCP connector so an AI assistant can read and update listings
  • Listing fields shaped to eBay and Facebook Marketplace limits

Services this touched

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