How Can I Start Selling Aftermarket Car Parts?

If you’re a small business owner planning on selling auto parts online, the automotive aftermarket is a good place to start. The aftermarket industry is expected to gross $1.4 trillion by 2024, according to Global Market Insights, Inc. As the secondary market for replacement parts for vehicles, the automotive aftermarket encompasses everything from headlights and batteries to navigation systems.

The demand for aftermarket car parts is high as OEM parts can be expensive and need to be bought at the dealership, limiting the places consumers can find them. And when it comes to upgrades, aftermarket auto parts businesses tend to offer a more extensive selection. Some car enthusiasts have also recognized how high-quality aftermarket parts are better than OEM thanks to aftermarket manufacturers who have reverse-engineered the parts to remove their weaknesses. Aftermarket parts are also more available and can be conveniently purchased on eCommerce websites.

In this guide, we will talk about how eCommerce business owners can start selling aftermarket car parts.

Maximize Profit by Defining Your Niche

The best way to maximize profits for this type of business is to know what specific auto parts and accessories you want to focus on. Focusing on a niche allows you to deliver better shopping experiences. You may have a target market in mind. For example, if you’re after the market of people that modify and upgrade their cars, you’ll want to focus on exterior and interior auto-upgrade parts and lighting.

If you’re targeting the market that buys aftermarket parts to replace a broken or worn auto part, it helps to conduct market research to know which vehicle parts are replaced the most. This list will likely include oil filters, windshield wiper blades, air filters, brake pads, batteries, headlight and taillight bulbs, and spark plugs. Other parts that need to be replaced because they deteriorate over time and with use are tires, spark plugs, belts, alternators, wheel cylinders, fuel, and water pumps, fuses, engine sensors, mufflers, shocks and struts, and clutches.

Setting Up Your Auto Parts Online Store

Not having an online presence would be a mistake as the online sales of auto parts and accessories continue to grow and are expected to be a $19 billion industry by 2022. Mobile sales of auto parts and accessories will exceed more than 60% of this total, making having an eCommerce website that is mobile-friendly crucial to your success. About 90% of consumers do online research before buying an auto part or accessory. And without an online presence, this means a lot of lost opportunities for you.

To set up an online auto parts store, there are a few ways to approach selling aftermarket parts. What you choose will depend on your budget, inventory, existing business model and business operations, and marketing plan. To start an auto parts and accessories and start selling online, you can use eCommerce software and eCommerce hosting services to create your own website or hire someone to build one from scratch for you, complete with responsive themes and its own mobile app. Alternatively, you can start your business as an auto parts store and sell on eCommerce sites such as eBay and Amazon.

Selling online on eBay and Amazon is made easy and part of the success stories of many auto parts businesses. These eCommerce websites are the behemoths when it comes to buying and selling auto parts and accessories. eBay and Amazon are online auto marketplaces that allow you to take your local business to the next level to fulfill your auto parts business plans of expanding to a wider market. 

As eCommerce websites to buy and sell cars and their parts, eBay and Amazon have categories dedicated to automotive parts and accessories sales. eBay boasts some impressive stats and is even an eCommerce website to sell cars. Every second, a part or accessory is sold on eBay. A wheel or tire part is sold every 6 seconds, while four boat parts are sold every minute. Every minute, 15 motorcycle parts and eight ATV parts or accessories are purchased.

How to Set Up Shop on eBay

Starting an online auto parts business on eBay is easy. If you have a large inventory of aftermarket products, consider using eBay’s Seller Hub. On Seller Hub, you can create listings more quickly, thanks to tools that allow uploading. To start selling your auto parts and accessories, create listings and provide eBay with the details of your auto part. Make sure to categorize your listings under eBay Motors. Select Parts and Accessories. As you proceed, you will need to place the part under their specific categories. For example, is the part for cars, boats, motorcycles, and so on.

When you create a parts and accessories listing, you can use eBay’s Parts Compatibility tool to add all the fitment data or years, makes, models, trims, and engines that your part fits. Compatibility is referred to in the automotive industry as “fitment.”

Car parts businesses that sell car parts online will find that complete and accurate fitment data is crucial to your growing business. Fitment data makes it easy for potential buyers to find the right parts for their vehicles. On the listing form, you can either enter compatible vehicles manually or products to sell with pre-filled compatibility. For products that already exist in eBay’s enormous catalog, most of the listing information will be pre-filled automatically with the product title, description, category, weight and dimensions, and parts fitment data.

How to Start Selling Aftermarket Car Parts on Amazon

To start selling aftermarket auto parts on Amazon, you need to be on the Professional selling plan. First, you will need the approval to sell under the Automotive & Powersports product category. To get approval, you either need to already be a Professional seller with an account in good standing or have an independent website that Amazon can review.

If your answer is yes to all the following questions, then you meet Amazon’s basic requirements to sell auto parts and accessories.

·   Are you on the Professional selling plan?

·   Do you have product images that meet Amazon’s technical and quality standards?  

·   Do all your products list all major brands with universal product codes (UPCs)?

·   Are all refurbished Automotive & Powersports products warranted by the manufacturer or remanufacturer?

·   Are all your data and images suitable for all ages and appropriate for Amazon’s global community?

·   Do your images have a white background?

·   Are your images free of inset images, watermarks, and unauthorized content?

·   Have you reviewed the Automotive & Powersports Part Finder and Fitment Data page?

·   Do all your products comply with applicable local, state, federal, and international laws and regulations?

·   Are your product image dimensions at least 1000 or larger in either height or width?

·   Are your images in TIFF, JPEG, GIF, or PNG format? 

Consumers in the automotive aftermarket have been described as “research-obsessed,” and they demand websites and online parts retailers that give them detailed information about the part they want to buy. This is why fitment data is crucial to any online business selling aftermarket auto parts and accessories.

You can utilize Amazon’s Seller Central to transfer fitment data. However, you will need a separate Seller Central account from your main account to do it. Alternatively, you can send fitment data indirectly using a 3rd party fitment data provider. Amazon prefers to receive fitment data directly from an approved 3rd party provider like myFitment.For information on how myFitment can help you get your aftermarket parts and accessories listings in front of marketplace buyers, visit our homepage at https://myfitment.com or call us at 855-4FITMENT.