Did you know that 55% of online shoppers in the US begin their product searches on Amazon.com? Therefore, if you are an auto parts seller, it’s crucial for the success of your auto parts store to sell auto parts online, particularly on the Amazon marketplace. With Amazon’s massive online presence and online auto parts sales growing by 15% each year, it is the largest auto parts and accessories marketplace. Because Amazon is such a successful auto platform and eCommerce website, it makes sense to leverage the eCommerce platform to sell your auto parts. Here are some steps to get started on selling auto parts and accessories on Amazon:
Step 1: Create Your Account on Seller Central
To get started selling on Amazon, you need to create your account on Seller Central and sign up as a seller on the Professional selling plan. Only Professional Sellers can sell products under the Automotive & Powersports product category because it is a gated category. As a Professional Seller, you can list auto parts to sell in more than 30 categories; that’s 10 more than if you were an Individual Seller. The Professional plan allows you to sell an unlimited number of products. This selling option comes with a $39.99 monthly subscription fee.
Step 2: Comply with Amazon Regulations, Standards, and Requirements
Ensure that all the products you intend to sell comply with applicable local, state, federal, and international laws and regulations. Amazon also has specific product image requirements, which are specified to help you maximize sales. The better quality your images are, the more you will attract potential customers. The following are the technical requirements for product images on Amazon:
- TIFF (.tif/.tiff), JPEG (.jpeg/.jpg), GIF (.gif) and PNG (.png) format
- Image pixel dimensions at least 1000 or larger in either height or width
- sRGB or CMYK color mode
- File names must consist of the product identifier (Amazon ASIN, 13-digit ISBN, EAN, JAN, or UPC), followed by a period and the appropriate file extension. Don’t include any spaces, dashes, or additional characters in the filename; otherwise, the filename won’t make it online.
If your images are named by product identifier or with the main variant, the image must be the cover art or professional photo of the product. You also cannot use illustrations or drawings of the product. The image should focus on the product and not include any additional objects that may confuse the viewer.
While it will help, you don’t need to hire a professional photographer to take photos of your products. If you plan to take the photos yourself, remember that you will use a pure white background. Make sure the image is in focus and fills 85% or more of the image frame. For the most professional looking images, ensure the lighting is good. Natural light is usually best. To avoid confusion or misrepresentation, don’t edit the image’s color; the product should be realistic, and tweaking the image is not advisable. This also means you shouldn’t edit the image to add text, graphics, or inset images.
Step 3: Get Approval from Amazon to Sell Under the Automotive & Powersports Product Category
To sell automotive and Powersports parts, tools, equipment, and accessories, you must first get Amazon’s approval. As an online seller on the Professional selling plan, your account should be in good standing to be considered for selling automotive and Powersports products. However, if you’re not already a Professional Seller, Amazon can also review your independent website. The following are the basic requirements to qualify to sell auto parts and accessories on Amazon:
- Must be on the professional selling plan.
- Must have compliant product images
- Must list all major brands with universal product codes (UPCs).
- Must warrant all certified refurbished Automotive & Powersports products with the manufacturer or re-manufacturer.
- Must have reviewed the Automotive & Powersports Part Finder and Fitment Data page
- Must use images that have a white background and do not contain any watermarks, insert images, or unauthorized content.
Fill out the Contact Us form to request approval from Amazon. Typically, you will receive a response via email within three business days to let you know whether you’ve been approved or need to submit additional information.
Step 4: Listing Management
You can approach listing management in one of two ways. If you’re selling parts on Amazon on a smaller scale, you can do it manually and list item specifics one product at a time. If you’re a high-volume Amazon seller, you can leverage Amazon’s seller tools and do it in bulk via an Excel file or inventory file template upload.
Amazon requires Inventory file upload to include fitment data, which will have two available values – Vehicle Specific and Universal. Fitment data, also known as compatibility, is crucial to engaging the customer experience, as it allows buyers to check whether the part you’re selling on Amazon is compatible with their vehicle before they confirm the purchase.
For Amazon to expose your listings on Amazon Part Finder, it will need fitment data or information about the vehicles that your parts fit. Anyone who buys auto parts online needs to determine if the part will fit their car. A potential buyer looking for brake pads for their car may not realize there’s an automotive aftermarket where they can find parts that fit their vehicle. Lots of people think they always have to buy from their car’s brand manufacturer, not realizing there are auto parts retailers selling auto parts and accessories from different brands that fit their car perfectly.
With fitment data, you can capture the consumers who perform a product search but aren’t necessarily searching for your specific product. Amazon users search for parts by looking them up by year/make/model and other attributes. By providing clear and complete fitment information in your listings, your products would also appear in the search results.
Not only does fitment data help increase product views and sales, but it also helps you avoid costly fitment-related returns. Established businesses selling parts online know that fitment data is the key to getting the best seller ratings, improve feedback scores, avoid liability issues, and increase growth rates of online parts sales.
Amazon’s Inventory file templates can be complicated for new sellers, particularly if they don’t already have one or understand how fitment works. To satisfy Amazon’s requirements for fitment attributes, you can use myFitment to quickly and easily create fitment for Amazon.
Since 2014, myFitment has communicated over 800 million lines of original fitment to Amazon. With myFitment, you get access to powerful technology that allows you to either upload your fitment date using the myFitment ACES Flat File upload template or key in your fitment data directly into the myFitment.com user interface.
If you have your own spreadsheet of year/make/model data, you can upload hundreds of thousands of records at once, but only if your upload is compliant with ACES. If it is your own custom data, you may require conversion. At myFitment, we convert millions of lines of custom fitment for customers each year, and we have very powerful technology that allows us to do it faster and more efficiently.
It’s also important to mention that there is no such thing as “fit and forget.” This means that managing your compatibility is an ongoing process. Vehicle standards change at least once a month. Therefore, you can’t just set compatibility once and expect it to never change.
Expanding Your Auto Parts and Accessories Market
Many auto parts and accessories brand owners, manufacturer and remanufacturer, and private labeling companies sell parts on eBay. We can also help you start selling auto parts on eBay. eBay Motors is another one of the top sales channels and online marketplaces for auto parts retailers thanks to the massive eBay catalog. To learn more about how myFitment helps marketplace sellers that are serious about selling compatibility-enabled products on Amazon, which help boost visibility and sales, contact us for a free trial. We can help you overcome some of the common challenges of selling auto parts and accessories on Amazon and eBay.
