What are Residential Proxies Used for? With Practical Examples

Residential proxies are a kind of proxy that uses real IP addresses given by Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to real homes. This makes them look like they come from actual people instead of a data center. 

Because of this, it's harder for websites to detect or block them. That’s why residential proxies are often used for certain online activities. 

Let’s take a look at some of the most common ways people can use residential proxies

Example 1: Scraping Web Data Without Getting Blocked

Imagine you run a small business and want to track your competitors’ prices on websites like Amazon, eBay, and Etsy.

If you try to check all this by yourself, it would take a lot of time. And if you use a bot or software to collect the prices quickly, the websites might block you after a few tries.

This is where residential proxies help. With residential proxies, you can use many different IP addresses, so every time you collect information from a site, it looks like a real person is doing it. 

This way, you can gather the data fast without getting blocked. These proxies act like real internet users, which makes it harder for websites to stop your price checks.

Example 2: Monitoring Flight Prices While Traveling

You're planning a European trip and want to find the cheapest flight. If you search from your country, the prices you see might differ from those of someone in another country because of location-based pricing.

You want to compare prices from different places without using different devices.

A residential proxy lets you change your online location. For example, you can make it look like you're searching from the UK, the US, or France.

This helps you see deals based on different locations and find cheaper flights. 

I did this before booking my trip to Spain and saved $100 by "searching" from a UK-based IP.

Example 3: Sneaker Copping for Limited Edition Shoes

For instance, you're a big fan of sneakers, like me, waiting to grab the newest limited-edition Nike shoes. You know they’ll sell out in minutes, and you need a way to boost your chances.

If you use a regular internet connection or datacenter proxy, you might get blocked because these websites have strong security to stop bots.

With residential proxies, you can send multiple requests to the sneaker website without getting blocked. The proxies switch your IP address, so it looks like each request is from a different real person.

This is how many sneaker fans manage to buy more than one pair of exclusive shoes. 

I’ve tried it myself, and while I didn’t get every pair, I was able to get a couple!

Example 4: Social Media Management

If you run a marketing agency, it’s quite natural that you’ve to handle several social media accounts for your clients.

Platforms like Instagram and Facebook might block or flag accounts if you manage them all from the same IP address. This can be a real hassle and might even get your client's accounts in trouble.

By using residential proxies, you can give each account a different IP address. This will look like they’re being managed from different locations. This is super helpful for people like me who need to handle many clients' accounts. 

Using this method, I was able to manage 15 different accounts smoothly without any problems.

Example 5: Ad Verification for Your Business

Doing Ad verification is super crucial for any digital marketing business. So, if you run online ads for your business in different countries, you'll want to ensure the ads are showing up correctly. 

But since you're not in those countries, it's hard to know if your ads are reaching the right people or even appearing at all.

With residential proxies, you can check your ads as if you're in those countries. For example, if you want to see if your ads are showing in the UK, you can use a UK-based IP. This lets you see exactly what people in the UK are seeing. 

I used this method last year to check my ads in Canada and Australia to make sure my money was being used correctly.

Example 6: Avoiding Geo-Restrictions for Streaming

I once wanted to watch a show on Netflix that was only available in the UK. From my country, I couldn't access it, and a VPN didn't work because Netflix blocked it.

By using a UK-based residential proxy, I could access Netflix as if I were a regular user in the UK. Unlike VPNs or data center proxies, residential proxies look more real because they come from actual devices and ISPs.

Important Things to Keep in Mind While Using Residential Proxies

Here are some important things to keep in mind when you use residential proxies for different tasks:

General Considerations

Here are some simple tips for choosing the right proxy provider:

Knowing which providers give both the best and cheapest residential proxies in 2024 is highly recommended. If you’re interested, check out this blog to learn.

FAQs