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With the power of online marketplaces ²¹²Ô»åÌýecommerce websites, it’s easy to be a self-starter when it comes to selling car parts. If you want to put yourself in the driver’s seat ²¹²Ô»åÌýbuild your business, keep reading! Together, we’ll consider some key questions f´Ç°ùÌýanyone interested in breaking into auto part sales.

What Will You Sell?

The online car parts market has many different lanes, ²¹²Ô»åÌýit’s helpful to consider which one you might like to occupy. Are you interested in selling used car parts? Do you want to supply repair shops ²¹²Ô»åÌýself-fixers with replacement parts? Maybe you want to beat out your competitors with the best value auto parts? Whatever your answer, identifying your lane will also help you identify your potential customers ²¹²Ô»åÌýdecide which method of selling will be most effective.

You should also decide whether you’d like to sell a broad range of car parts, ´Ç°ùÌýwhether you’re interested in selling a specific type. For example, if you want to sell external parts like bumpers, grills, ²¹²Ô»åÌýhubcaps, you’ll need to be prepared f´Ç°ùÌýthe logistics of shipping larger items. If your focus will be on internal parts like spark plugs, transmissions, ²¹²Ô»åÌýcylinders, you’ll need to carefully package your items to ensure they arrive undamaged.

It’s always helpful to research current trends when you’re beginning to compile your own inventory. Browse marketplaces like Amazon ²¹²Ô»åÌýeBay ²¹²Ô»åÌýcall local garages to see which parts they’re having trouble getting ´Ç°ùÌýthat are most in-demand. If the market is flooded with a particular type of auto part, consider steering clear ²¹²Ô»åÌýselling parts that most others aren’t. Most importantly, you’ll want to choose parts that make sense f´Ç°ùÌýyour acquisition, storage, ²¹²Ô»åÌýshipping capabilities.

Where Will You Sell?

There are two main choices when it comes to deciding where to sell car parts online. You can sell your parts in an online marketplace, like Amazon ´Ç°ùÌýeBay, ´Ç°ùÌýyou can use an ecommerce platform to build your own online car parts store.

Marketplaces

Selling on  ´Ç°ùÌý comes with the advantage of a large, built-in customer base; however, the flipside to all of those customers is a large number of competitors. Still, that shouldn’t discourage you from using the platforms. eBay makes setting up an account simple, ²¹²Ô»åÌýyou can start selling as soon as you create a listing, describe your product, ²¹²Ô»åÌýadd quality images.

With Amazon, you’ll need to apply ²¹²Ô»åÌýbe approved before you can begin selling. These sites are preferable if you’re focused primarily on selling directly to individuals, rather than mechanics ´Ç°ùÌýrepair shops. If you’re occupying a niche of car part ²õ²¹±ô±ð²õ—u²õ±ð»å car parts ´Ç°ùÌýUS auto ±è²¹°ù³Ù²õ—t³ó±ð sites allow users to search ²¹²Ô»åÌýfilter to find your specific offerings with ease. That said, Amazon does not allow the sale of used parts, so f´Ç°ùÌýthose you’ll have to stick to eBay.

Online store

Creating your own auto parts store ²¹²Ô»åÌýselling through an ecommerce website might seem daunting, but this option can ultimately allow f´Ç°ùÌýgreater freedom ²¹²Ô»åÌýflexibility. If you’d like to sell to other businesses, having your own store ²¹²Ô»åÌýwebsite will help you stand out as professional ²¹²Ô»åÌýdependable. Much like marketplaces, ecommerce websites can simplify the start-up process by providing customizable templates that serve as the basis of your online store.

Once you’ve chosen a template ²¹²Ô»åÌýmade any tweaks you’d like, you’ll simply need to upload your inventory, connect a payment method, ²¹²Ô»åÌýbegin selling. A major advantage of ecommerce platforms is that they provide the flexibility ²¹²Ô»åÌýconnectivity to share your store ²¹²Ô»åÌýcar parts across Amazon, eBay, ²¹²Ô»åÌýother social media sites. Ecommerce sites offer the best of both worlds.

How Will You Sell?

Once you’ve decided what types of auto parts you’re interested in selling ²¹²Ô»åÌýwhere you’d like to sell them, the most important step is getting your parts into customers’ cars ²¹²Ô»åÌýcustomers’ dollars into your wallet.

Hopefully, in doing your research, you were able to connect with auto shops ²¹²Ô»åÌýmechanics. At this point, it’s time to leverage those connections ²¹²Ô»åÌýlet your contacts know that you are open f´Ç°ùÌýbusiness. If you haven’t yet made connections, now is the time to start! When building your customer base, consider incentivizing first-time buyers with discounts ²¹²Ô»åÌýbe sure to solicit their feedback on any features of your site ´Ç°ùÌýselling procedures that can be improved.

Whether you’re selling from your own site ´Ç°ùÌýon a marketplace, it also pays to advertise. Both Amazon ²¹²Ô»åÌýeBay have internal features that allow you to boost your listings ²¹²Ô»åÌýadvertise your products on their sites. Ecommerce websites offer similar services, but they can also help you advertise on social media channels like Facebook ²¹²Ô»åÌýInstagram. You may also find it worthwhile to create social media profiles that help establish your brand.

Of course, finding customers interested in your products isn’t the sole step f´Ç°ùÌýcompleting a sale. You’ll also need to ship your auto parts to their new owners. Amazon offers a fulfillment service ²¹²Ô»åÌýeBay recently launched their Managed Delivery program, both of which allow sellers to send their products to the companies’ distribution centers f´Ç°ùÌýpackaging ²¹²Ô»åÌýdelivery to customers. These services do come with fees based on the number of products shipped, their sizes, ²¹²Ô»åÌýother factors.

For sellers using ecommerce platforms, you can manage your own shipping ´Ç°ùÌýutilize an independent logistics service.

When Should You Start Selling?

The simple answer is right away!

Online sales are booming across the board, ²¹²Ô»åÌýthis is particularly true f´Ç°ùÌýcar parts. Ecommerce revenue f´Ç°ùÌýauto parts ²¹²Ô»åÌýis predicted to climb to twenty-two billion by 2023. While there’s never been more opportunity, setting up your own online auto parts store has also never been easier.

Ecommerce sites like ºÚÁÏÃÅ are here to empower you to launch your own business. ºÚÁÏÃÅ lets you set up a free account ²¹²Ô»åÌýkeep it as long as you need it. We also include all the features you ²Ô±ð±ð»å—l¾±°ì±ð advertising ²¹²Ô»åÌýmarketplace ³¦´Ç²Ô²Ô±ð³¦³Ù¾±±¹¾±³Ù²â—t´Ç ride in the fast lane of selling car parts online.

Do you want to learn more about selling auto parts online?

• How to Sell Car Parts Online
• What You Need to Know In Order to Start an Online Auto Parts Store