diff --git a/frontend/components/SearchErrorModal.tsx b/frontend/components/SearchErrorModal.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..43a74629
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/components/SearchErrorModal.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+'use client';
+
+interface SearchErrorModalProps {
+  isOpen: boolean;
+  error: string | null;
+  onRetry?: () => void;
+  onSkip?: () => void;
+  canRetry?: boolean;
+}
+
+export function SearchErrorModal({ isOpen, error, onRetry, onSkip, canRetry = true }: SearchErrorModalProps) {
+  if (!isOpen) return null;
+
+  return (
+    <div className="fixed inset-0 bg-black/50 flex items-center justify-center z-50">
+      <div className="bg-white rounded-lg p-6 max-w-md shadow-xl">
+        <h2 className="text-xl font-normal mb-2 text-rose-500">Search failed</h2>
+        <p className="text-sm text-slate-600 mb-4">{error || 'Unable to retrieve specs from the web'}</p>
+
+        <div className="flex gap-3">
+          {canRetry && (
+            <button
+              onClick={onRetry}
+              className="flex-1 px-4 py-2 bg-primary text-white rounded font-normal text-sm hover:bg-primary/90"
+            >
+              Retry
+            </button>
+          )}
+          <button
+            onClick={onSkip}
+            className="flex-1 px-4 py-2 border border-slate-300 rounded font-normal text-sm hover:bg-slate-50"
+          >
+            Skip
+          </button>
+        </div>
+      </div>
+    </div>
+  );
+}
diff --git a/frontend/components/SearchLoadingModal.tsx b/frontend/components/SearchLoadingModal.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..693d1bb0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/components/SearchLoadingModal.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+'use client';
+
+import { useEffect, useState } from 'react';
+
+interface SearchLoadingModalProps {
+  isOpen: boolean;
+  onTimeout?: () => void;
+  maxSeconds?: number;
+}
+
+export function SearchLoadingModal({ isOpen, onTimeout, maxSeconds = 30 }: SearchLoadingModalProps) {
+  const [seconds, setSeconds] = useState(maxSeconds);
+
+  useEffect(() => {
+    if (!isOpen) {
+      setSeconds(maxSeconds);
+      return;
+    }
+
+    const interval = setInterval(() => {
+      setSeconds(prev => {
+        if (prev <= 1) {
+          clearInterval(interval);
+          onTimeout?.();
+          return maxSeconds;
+        }
+        return prev - 1;
+      });
+    }, 1000);
+
+    return () => clearInterval(interval);
+  }, [isOpen, maxSeconds, onTimeout]);
+
+  if (!isOpen) return null;
+
+  return (
+    <div className="fixed inset-0 bg-black/50 flex items-center justify-center z-50">
+      <div className="bg-white rounded-lg p-6 max-w-md shadow-xl">
+        <h2 className="text-xl font-normal mb-4">Searching for specs...</h2>
+        <p className="text-sm text-slate-600 mb-4">This may take up to {maxSeconds} seconds</p>
+
+        <div className="mb-4">
+          <div className="relative h-2 bg-slate-200 rounded-full overflow-hidden">
+            <div
+              className="h-full bg-primary transition-all duration-1000"
+              style={{ width: `${(seconds / maxSeconds) * 100}%` }}
+            />
+          </div>
+        </div>
+
+        <p className="text-center text-sm font-normal">
+          <span className="text-primary text-lg">{seconds}</span> seconds remaining
+        </p>
+      </div>
+    </div>
+  );
+}
diff --git a/frontend/hooks/useItemSearch.ts b/frontend/hooks/useItemSearch.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..9e72ecf9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/hooks/useItemSearch.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
+'use client';
+
+import { useState, useCallback } from 'react';
+
+export interface SearchResult {
+  category?: string;
+  type?: string;
+  description?: string;
+  notes?: string;
+}
+
+export interface SearchState {
+  isSearching: boolean;
+  searchError: string | null;
+  searchResults: SearchResult | null;
+  searchStatus: 'idle' | 'searching' | 'success' | 'timeout' | 'error' | 'no_results' | 'skipped';
+  retryCount: number;
+}
+
+export function useItemSearch(options: { maxRetries?: number; timeout?: number } = {}) {
+  const { maxRetries = 2, timeout = 30000 } = options;
+
+  const [state, setState] = useState<SearchState>({
+    isSearching: false,
+    searchError: null,
+    searchResults: null,
+    searchStatus: 'idle',
+    retryCount: 0,
+  });
+
+  const performSearch = useCallback(
+    async (partNumber: string, category: string): Promise<SearchResult | null> => {
+      if (!partNumber || !category) {
+        setState(prev => ({ ...prev, searchStatus: 'skipped', searchError: null }));
+        return null;
+      }
+
+      setState(prev => ({ ...prev, isSearching: true, searchStatus: 'searching', searchError: null, retryCount: 0 }));
+
+      try {
+        const controller = new AbortController();
+        const timeoutId = setTimeout(() => controller.abort(), timeout);
+
+        const response = await fetch('/api/onboarding/search', {
+          method: 'POST',
+          headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
+          body: JSON.stringify({ partNumber, category }),
+          signal: controller.signal,
+        });
+
+        clearTimeout(timeoutId);
+
+        if (!response.ok) throw new Error(`Search failed: ${response.status}`);
+
+        const results = await response.json();
+        setState(prev => ({ ...prev, isSearching: false, searchStatus: 'success', searchResults: results }));
+        return results;
+      } catch (error) {
+        const errorMsg = error instanceof Error ? error.message : 'Search failed';
+        setState(prev => ({
+          ...prev,
+          isSearching: false,
+          searchStatus: errorMsg.includes('abort') ? 'timeout' : 'error',
+          searchError: errorMsg,
+        }));
+        return null;
+      }
+    },
+    [timeout]
+  );
+
+  const retrySearch = useCallback(
+    async (partNumber: string, category: string) => {
+      if (state.retryCount >= maxRetries) {
+        setState(prev => ({ ...prev, searchStatus: 'error' }));
+        return null;
+      }
+      setState(prev => ({ ...prev, retryCount: prev.retryCount + 1 }));
+      return performSearch(partNumber, category);
+    },
+    [state.retryCount, maxRetries, performSearch]
+  );
+
+  const skipSearch = useCallback(() => {
+    setState(prev => ({ ...prev, searchStatus: 'skipped', isSearching: false }));
+  }, []);
+
+  return { state, performSearch, retrySearch, skipSearch };
+}
diff --git a/frontend/tests/SearchErrorModal.test.tsx b/frontend/tests/SearchErrorModal.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0ef22f37
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/tests/SearchErrorModal.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+import { describe, it, expect, vi } from 'vitest';
+import { render, screen } from '@testing-library/react';
+import userEvent from '@testing-library/user-event';
+import { SearchErrorModal } from '../components/SearchErrorModal';
+
+describe('SearchErrorModal', () => {
+  it('renders when open', () => {
+    render(<SearchErrorModal isOpen={true} error="Network error" />);
+    expect(screen.getByText(/Search failed/i)).toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
+
+  it('does not render when closed', () => {
+    const { container } = render(<SearchErrorModal isOpen={false} error="Network error" />);
+    expect(container.firstChild?.childNodes.length).toBe(0);
+  });
+
+  it('displays error message', () => {
+    const errorMsg = 'Unable to connect to server';
+    render(<SearchErrorModal isOpen={true} error={errorMsg} />);
+    expect(screen.getByText(errorMsg)).toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
+
+  it('calls onRetry when Retry clicked', async () => {
+    const onRetry = vi.fn();
+    const user = userEvent.setup();
+
+    render(<SearchErrorModal isOpen={true} error="Error" onRetry={onRetry} canRetry={true} />);
+
+    const retryBtn = screen.getByRole('button', { name: /Retry/i });
+    await user.click(retryBtn);
+
+    expect(onRetry).toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it('calls onSkip when Skip clicked', async () => {
+    const onSkip = vi.fn();
+    const user = userEvent.setup();
+
+    render(<SearchErrorModal isOpen={true} error="Error" onSkip={onSkip} />);
+
+    const skipBtn = screen.getByRole('button', { name: /Skip/i });
+    await user.click(skipBtn);
+
+    expect(onSkip).toHaveBeenCalled();
+  });
+
+  it('hides Retry button when canRetry is false', () => {
+    render(<SearchErrorModal isOpen={true} error="Error" canRetry={false} />);
+    expect(screen.queryByRole('button', { name: /Retry/i })).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
+});
diff --git a/frontend/tests/SearchLoadingModal.test.tsx b/frontend/tests/SearchLoadingModal.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c9992ff8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/tests/SearchLoadingModal.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,35 @@
+import { describe, it, expect, vi } from 'vitest';
+import { render, screen, waitFor } from '@testing-library/react';
+import { SearchLoadingModal } from '../components/SearchLoadingModal';
+
+describe('SearchLoadingModal', () => {
+  it('renders when open', () => {
+    render(<SearchLoadingModal isOpen={true} maxSeconds={30} />);
+    expect(screen.getByText(/Searching for specs/i)).toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
+
+  it('does not render when closed', () => {
+    const { container } = render(<SearchLoadingModal isOpen={false} />);
+    expect(container.firstChild?.childNodes.length).toBe(0);
+  });
+
+  it('displays countdown timer', () => {
+    render(<SearchLoadingModal isOpen={true} maxSeconds={30} />);
+    expect(screen.getByText(/30 seconds remaining/i)).toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
+
+  it('calls onTimeout when timer expires', async () => {
+    const onTimeout = vi.fn();
+    render(<SearchLoadingModal isOpen={true} maxSeconds={1} onTimeout={onTimeout} />);
+
+    await waitFor(() => {
+      expect(onTimeout).toHaveBeenCalled();
+    }, { timeout: 2000 });
+  });
+
+  it('shows progress bar', () => {
+    const { container } = render(<SearchLoadingModal isOpen={true} maxSeconds={30} />);
+    const progressBar = container.querySelector('div[class*="bg-primary"]');
+    expect(progressBar).toBeInTheDocument();
+  });
+});
diff --git a/frontend/tests/useItemSearch.test.tsx b/frontend/tests/useItemSearch.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..7afc3f93
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/tests/useItemSearch.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,103 @@
+import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach, vi } from 'vitest';
+import { renderHook, act, waitFor } from '@testing-library/react';
+import { useItemSearch } from '../hooks/useItemSearch';
+
+describe('useItemSearch', () => {
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    vi.clearAllMocks();
+    global.fetch = vi.fn();
+  });
+
+  it('initializes with idle state', () => {
+    const { result } = renderHook(() => useItemSearch());
+    expect(result.current.state.searchStatus).toBe('idle');
+    expect(result.current.state.isSearching).toBe(false);
+  });
+
+  it('performs search with part number and category', async () => {
+    global.fetch = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({
+      ok: true,
+      json: async () => ({ type: 'DDR4', description: 'Kingston RAM' }),
+    });
+
+    const { result } = renderHook(() => useItemSearch());
+
+    await act(async () => {
+      await result.current.performSearch('KF466C40RS-16', 'DDR4');
+    });
+
+    expect(result.current.state.searchStatus).toBe('success');
+    expect(result.current.state.searchResults?.type).toBe('DDR4');
+  });
+
+  it('handles search timeout', async () => {
+    global.fetch = vi.fn().mockImplementation(
+      () =>
+        new Promise((_, reject) => {
+          setTimeout(() => reject(new DOMException('Aborted', 'AbortError')), 100);
+        })
+    );
+
+    const { result } = renderHook(() => useItemSearch({ timeout: 50 }));
+
+    await act(async () => {
+      await result.current.performSearch('KF466C40RS-16', 'DDR4');
+    });
+
+    await waitFor(() => {
+      expect(result.current.state.searchStatus).toBe('timeout');
+    });
+  });
+
+  it('skips search when part number is missing', async () => {
+    const { result } = renderHook(() => useItemSearch());
+
+    await act(async () => {
+      await result.current.performSearch('', 'DDR4');
+    });
+
+    expect(result.current.state.searchStatus).toBe('skipped');
+  });
+
+  it('handles search error', async () => {
+    global.fetch = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({
+      ok: false,
+      status: 500,
+    });
+
+    const { result } = renderHook(() => useItemSearch());
+
+    await act(async () => {
+      await result.current.performSearch('KF466C40RS-16', 'DDR4');
+    });
+
+    expect(result.current.state.searchStatus).toBe('error');
+    expect(result.current.state.searchError).toBeTruthy();
+  });
+
+  it('retries search', async () => {
+    const { result } = renderHook(() => useItemSearch({ maxRetries: 2 }));
+
+    global.fetch = vi.fn().mockResolvedValue({
+      ok: true,
+      json: async () => ({ type: 'DDR4' }),
+    });
+
+    await act(async () => {
+      await result.current.retrySearch('KF466C40RS-16', 'DDR4');
+    });
+
+    expect(result.current.state.retryCount).toBe(1);
+  });
+
+  it('skips search', async () => {
+    const { result } = renderHook(() => useItemSearch());
+
+    act(() => {
+      result.current.skipSearch();
+    });
+
+    expect(result.current.state.searchStatus).toBe('skipped');
+    expect(result.current.state.isSearching).toBe(false);
+  });
+});