Quote API for agents & developers

Lists every format we digitize with its exact name, accepted aliases, unit, quality tiers with per-unit prices, and any minimum-charge tier. Call this first when you are unsure which format name to send. Cached for five minutes.

GET https://www.capture.com/api/quote/formats

Film footage — film formats carry a film object because the per-reel price depends on length: the listed price covers up to baseFeet (100 ft), each foot beyond that adds overagePerFoot ($0.20), and defaultReelFeet (50 ft, a 3" reel) is assumed when a quote item omits reelFeet. Ask the customer for reel sizes and pass reelFeet per item; the quote line's note echoes the footage used.

{
  "format": "8mm Film", "category": "film", "unit": "reel",
  "qualities": [{ "quality": "SD", "unitPrice": 19.99, "default": true }],
  "film": {
    "baseFeet": 100, "overagePerFoot": 0.20, "defaultReelFeet": 50,
    "pricing": "Per-reel price covers up to 100 ft per reel, then $0.20 per additional foot. Reels are assumed to be 50 ft (3\") when reelFeet is omitted; …"
  },
  "aliases": ["8mmfilm", "regular8", "standard8", "8mmreel", "8mm"]
}

Returns an itemized estimate for one or more formats. Request and response are JSON.

POST https://www.capture.com/api/quote/calculate
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "items": [
    { "format": "VHS", "quantity": 12, "quality": "FHD" },
    { "format": "8mm film", "quantity": 3, "reelFeet": 200 },
    { "format": "old photos", "quantity": 300, "quality": "4K" }
  ],
  "usbDrives": 1,
  "postalCode": "90210",
  "source": "my-agent-name"
}

Request fields

• items[] — required, 1–25 entries.
• items[].format — required. Fuzzy names are accepted ("vhs tapes", "hi8", "old camcorder tapes" → best match, or a 400 listing suggestions).
• items[].quantity — required, 1–100,000 (tapes, reels, photos, slides, albums, discs). Fractions are rounded down.
• items[].quality — optional. Video: SD (default), FHD, UHD. Photos: 2K (default), 4K, 6K. Slides and negatives are always 4K.
• items[].reelFeet — film only, footage per reel, 1–5,000 (3" = 50 ft, 5" = 200 ft, 7" = 400 ft). Defaults to 50. The per-reel price covers up to 100 ft; longer reels add $0.20 per extra foot (a 400 ft reel at a $19.99 base is $79.99).
• items[].photosPerAlbum — albums and scrapbooks only, approximate photos per album (1–2,000).
• usbDrives — optional 0–10. Cloud delivery is always included. FHD/UHD video orders automatically include at least one USB drive, matching checkout. Leave it out and the response says how many drives it assumed (see below).
• postalCode — optional 5-digit US ZIP code (ZIP+4 accepted). When present the response adds estimatedTax, inboundShipping and estimatedTotal (see below). Anything that is not a US ZIP returns 400; an optional country field is accepted but must be US. Without postalCode the response is exactly the base quote.
• source — optional short string identifying your agent or app. Used only for aggregate usage stats.

Response

{
  "currency": "USD",
  "lines": [
    { "format": "VHS / S-VHS", "category": "videotapes", "quality": "FHD",
      "quantity": 12, "unit": "tape", "unitPrice": 29.99, "subtotal": 359.88 },
    { "format": "8mm Film", "category": "film", "quality": "SD",
      "quantity": 3, "unit": "reel", "unitPrice": 39.99, "subtotal": 119.97, "note": "200 ft per reel" },
    { "format": "Print Photos", "category": "photos", "quality": "4K",
      "quantity": 300, "unit": "photo", "unitPrice": 0.39, "subtotal": 117.49 }
  ],
  "usb": { "quantity": 1, "unitPrice": 14.99, "subtotal": 14.99 },
  "returnShipping": { "price": 12.49 },
  "mediaSubtotal": 597.34,
  "total": 624.82,
  "turnaround": { "minDays": 14, "maxDays": 21, "description": "Processing typically takes 2–3 weeks…" },
  "notes": ["FHD/UHD video orders include at least one USB drive ($14.99) …", "…"],
  "caveats": ["Prices are estimates at current catalog rates. The final price is confirmed after we receive and count your items …", "…"],
  "quoteId": "q_k3m8x2p7q4rs",
  "source": "api",
  "country": "US",
  "catalogVersion": "7c1e2a9d04b5",
  "pricesEffectiveAt": "2026-09-18T22:00:00.000Z",
  "createdAt": "2026-09-18T22:00:00.000Z",
  "expiresAt": "2026-10-18T22:00:00.000Z",
  "quoteUrl": "https://www.capture.com/free-quote?quote=q_k3m8x2p7q4rs&utm_source=ai_agent&utm_medium=ai&utm_campaign=agent_quote_api",
  "checkoutUrl": "https://www.capture.com/setup",
  "supportUrl": "https://www.capture.com/contact",
  "generatedAt": "2026-09-18T22:00:00.000Z",

  // The next four fields appear only when postalCode was sent
  "postalCode": "90210",
  "estimatedTax": {
    "amount": 1.42, "taxableSubtotal": 14.99, "ratePercent": 9.5,
    "basis": "Combined sales-tax rate for ZIP code 90210 (California, Los Angeles County, …), applied to the taxable portion of the quote ($14.99).",
    "isEstimate": true
  },
  "inboundShipping": {
    "options": [
      { "id": "own_box", "name": "Ship in your own box", "price": 0, "estimatedTotal": 626.24,
        "serviceName": "Return Shipping", "description": "You pack your media in your own box …" },
      { "id": "prepaid_label", "name": "Prepaid inbound label (2-Way Shipping)", "price": 12.49, "estimatedTotal": 638.73,
        "serviceName": "2-Way Shipping (includes prepaid shipping label to send in your media)", "description": "We email you a prepaid FedEx label …" }
    ],
    "note": "Each option's estimatedTotal is the quote total plus that option's price plus estimated tax. …"
  },
  "estimatedTotal": 626.24
}

Quote metadata

• quoteId — every quote is stored and can be re-read or reopened by this id.
• expiresAt — quotes stay retrievable for 30 days; after that the id returns 410 and a fresh quote is needed.
• catalogVersion / pricesEffectiveAt — the price-list fingerprint and the moment the quote was priced. If the catalog changes later, retrieval says so instead of re-pricing.
• country — always US: prices are in US dollars for orders shipped within the United States, before sales tax.
• quoteUrl, checkoutUrl, supportUrl — reopen this exact quote, start a blank order, or reach a human about it.

When quality or USB count is omitted

Omitting quality prices the default tier (SD video, 2K photos), but the response then carries an alternatives block: for each media family whose quality you left out, the other tiers with the full quote total if those formats were switched to it, the delta versus the returned total, the USB drive that tier requires, and a one-line description of what the customer gets. It is only present when at least one format with more than one tier had no quality — a request that specifies quality on every line never gets it. Omitting usbDrives adds usbAssumption: the drive count assumed (0, or 1 when HD video forces one) and the total with one more. Both cases also add a plain-language entry to notes. Use them to ask the customer a clarifying question rather than presenting the default as the only price.

POST https://www.capture.com/api/quote/calculate
{ "items": [ { "format": "VHS", "quantity": 10 } ] }

{
  "lines": [ { "format": "VHS / S-VHS", "quality": "SD", "quantity": 10, "unitPrice": 19.99, "subtotal": 199.90 } ],
  "usb": null,
  "total": 212.39,
  "alternatives": [
    {
      "family": "video",
      "formats": ["VHS / S-VHS"],
      "assumedQuality": "SD",
      "options": [
        { "quality": "FHD", "total": 327.38, "delta": 114.99,
          "usb": { "quantity": 1, "unitPrice": 14.99, "subtotal": 14.99 },
          "description": "Full HD (1080p): AI upscaling with de-interlacing, noise reduction and color correction; delivered on USB, so at least one drive is included." },
        { "quality": "UHD", "total": 427.38, "delta": 214.99,
          "usb": { "quantity": 1, "unitPrice": 14.99, "subtotal": 14.99 },
          "description": "Ultra HD (4K, 2160p): maximum AI upscaling and frame interpolation; delivered on USB, so at least one drive is included." }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "usbAssumption": {
    "quantity": 0,
    "reason": "usbDrives was not specified; assumed cloud download only (no USB drive).",
    "addOne": { "unitPrice": 14.99, "total": 227.38 }
  },
  "notes": [
    "Quality was not specified for VHS / S-VHS, so this quote uses SD. Confirm the quality tier with the customer before they order; at the other tiers the total would be FHD $327.38, UHD $427.38 (see alternatives).",
    "usbDrives was not specified; assumed cloud download only (no USB drive). Adding one USB drive costs $14.99 (total $227.38); ask the customer if they want a USB copy.",
    "…"
  ],
  "…": "…"
}

All-in estimate (with postalCode)

• estimatedTax — estimated sales tax from the ZIP code alone (via Stripe Tax), applied to the taxable portion of the quote; ratePercent and basis say how it was derived and isEstimate is always true. The final tax is calculated from the full shipping address at checkout. Only some items are taxable (for example USB drives); when nothing in the quote is taxable the amount is 0 with ratePercent: null. If the tax service cannot be reached, estimatedTax and estimatedTotal are null and notes says tax could not be estimated — the itemized quote is still returned (never a hard failure).
• inboundShipping.options[] — the inbound choices sold at checkout: own_box (customer ships their own box, price: 0; return shipping is already in total) and prepaid_label (a prepaid FedEx label, priced from the catalog as the difference between 2-Way Shipping and Return Shipping). Each option carries its own estimatedTotal. We never send boxes or packing materials.
• estimatedTotal — total plus estimatedTax.amount, assuming the customer ships in their own box. Present it as an estimate.
• The all-in blocks are stored with the quote, so GET /api/quote/:quoteId returns the same estimate the agent showed. Tax rates are cached for a few minutes per ZIP code, so repeated calls in one conversation are cheap; the 60 requests/minute limit still applies.

Errors — validation problems return 400 with an error message and, for unrecognised formats, suggestions. Malformed JSON, bodies over 5 MB and non-UTF-8 payloads return 400/413/415 with the same { "error": … } shape. Never an empty 200.

HTTP 400
{
  "error": "Unknown format \"laserdisc\". Supported formats: Slides, Print Photos, DVD / MiniDVD, VHS / S-VHS, …",
  "suggestions": ["Slides", "Print Photos", "DVD / MiniDVD", "VHS / S-VHS", "…"]
}

Returns a stored quote exactly as it was calculated — lines, total, notes and links are never re-priced. Alongside it you get the original request, the wizard prefill and approximations that quoteUrl uses, and a drift report: pricesChanged, human-readable priceChanges and currentPricing (the same request priced at today's rates) whenever the catalog moved since the quote was created. status carries two booleans — leadSaved and orderPlaced — so you can tell whether the customer continued on the site without the response ever exposing lead or order identifiers.

GET https://www.capture.com/api/quote/q_k3m8x2p7q4rs

{
  ...same fields as the original quote (lines, total, notes, quoteId, expiresAt, quoteUrl, …),
  "request": { "items": [ … ], "usbDrives": 1 },
  "prefill": { "selectedCategories": ["videotapes", "film", "photos"], "quantities": { … }, "usbQty": 1, "categoryQualities": { … } },
  "approximations": ["8mm Film: 200 ft reels are entered as 5" reels in the quote tool …"],
  "currentCatalogVersion": "7c1e2a9d04b5",
  "pricesChanged": false,
  "priceChanges": [],
  "currentPricing": null,
  "status": { "leadSaved": false, "orderPlaced": false }
}

HTTP 410 (expired)            HTTP 404 (unknown)
{ "error": "Quote q_… expired on 2026-10-18T22:00:00.000Z. Request a fresh quote …",
  "code": "quote_expired", "quoteId": "q_k3m8x2p7q4rs" }

Unknown ids return 404 with code: "quote_not_found"; expired ids return 410 with code: "quote_expired". Both messages tell the agent to request a fresh quote.

Same request body as /calculate. Instead of one quote it returns one complete total per quality tier for each media family in the request — video (SD, FHD, UHD) and photo (2K, 4K, 6K for photos, slides, negatives, albums) — so you can show the customer "SD $X / FHD $Y / UHD $Z" and let them choose.

POST https://www.capture.com/api/quote/compare
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "items": [
    { "format": "VHS", "quantity": 10 },
    { "format": "old photos", "quantity": 250 }
  ]
}

• Each tier's total is a full quote: every format in that family switched to the tier, all other items priced as requested, the USB drive checkout requires for FHD/UHD video added, and return shipping included. Totals equal what /calculate returns for the same items with that quality set explicitly.
• default marks the tier used when quality is omitted; delta is measured against that tier's total.
• notOfferedFor lists formats in the family that do not come in that tier (film and discs are SD-only; albums start at 4K); they keep their requested or default quality in that total.
• asRequested is the total for the body exactly as sent, with the quality actually applied to each line.

Response

{
  "currency": "USD",
  "asRequested": { "total": 290.38, "qualities": [
    { "format": "VHS / S-VHS", "quality": "SD" }, { "format": "Print Photos", "quality": "2K" } ] },
  "families": [
    {
      "family": "video", "formats": ["VHS / S-VHS"], "defaultQuality": "SD",
      "tiers": [
        { "quality": "SD",  "default": true,  "total": 290.38, "delta": 0,      "usb": null, "notOfferedFor": [],
          "description": "Standard definition (480p): a faithful copy of the original tape, delivered by cloud download." },
        { "quality": "FHD", "default": false, "total": 405.37, "delta": 114.99, "usb": { "quantity": 1, "unitPrice": 14.99, "subtotal": 14.99 }, "notOfferedFor": [],
          "description": "Full HD (1080p): AI upscaling with de-interlacing, noise reduction and color correction; delivered on USB, so at least one drive is included." },
        { "quality": "UHD", "default": false, "total": 505.37, "delta": 214.99, "usb": { "quantity": 1, "unitPrice": 14.99, "subtotal": 14.99 }, "notOfferedFor": [],
          "description": "Ultra HD (4K, 2160p): maximum AI upscaling and frame interpolation; delivered on USB, so at least one drive is included." }
      ]
    },
    {
      "family": "photo", "formats": ["Print Photos"], "defaultQuality": "2K",
      "tiers": [
        { "quality": "2K", "default": true,  "total": 290.38, "delta": 0,  "usb": null, "notOfferedFor": [], "description": "Good quality: …" },
        { "quality": "4K", "default": false, "total": 310.38, "delta": 20, "usb": null, "notOfferedFor": [], "description": "High quality: …" },
        { "quality": "6K", "default": false, "total": 350.38, "delta": 60, "usb": null, "notOfferedFor": [], "description": "Ultra quality: …" }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "turnaround": { "minDays": 14, "maxDays": 21, "description": "…" },
  "notes": ["Each tier total is a complete quote: …", "…"],
  "caveats": ["…"],
  "generatedAt": "2026-09-18T22:00:00.000Z"
}