Online shopping (also known as eCommerce) keeps gaining momentum. With access to a global market, high-quality products with competitive practices, and the opportunity to have anything they want delivered to their doorstep, today’s consumers are turning to online marketplaces to shop. Amazon.com, eBay, and Walmart.com are among the most popular online marketplaces for selling vehicles and automotive parts (both domestic and international markets). eBay is particularly attractive because it has an entire section dedicated to selling and buying parts and accessories – eBay Motors.
Is selling parts, and accessories on eBay Motors profitable? The answer is – yes! The online car parts market is growing consistently because, with so many how-to and tutorial videos online, more people feel confident in their DIY auto repair and maintenance skills. Since you are reading this, it means you are interested in finding more about selling on eBay Motors. Let’s dive into our ultimate guide for selling on eBay Motors together to help you learn how to launch an online auto parts business as well as how to build it into a successful endeavor.
Why Should You Sell on eBay Motors?
The auto parts segment on eBay (eBay Motors) has become the true star of eBay’s marketplace platform. According to their 2018-2019 data, about three vehicle parts or accessories get sold every second. These numbers are profound, especially for someone who owns/operates an auto dealership or sells aftermarket auto parts and accessories because they’re uniquely positioned to make significant profits on eBay. Auto parts and accessories are one of the best-selling product categories on eBay.
- Excellent fee structure
When compared to other online marketplaces, eBay lets you keep more of the money you earn. They charge fees that take between 6% and 10% of your profits.
- Access to a vast customer base
With over 183 million buyers, you can rest assured your listings will get the attention of people looking to buy auto parts and accessories on eBay Motors. Since it is an online marketplace, eBay attracts shoppers who are looking to spend their money, meaning that your conversion rate can be high if your listings and marketing campaigns are optimized the right way. As for qualified leads, getting access to them is only one of the many significant benefits of selling cars and car parts here. Sellers get access to millions of shoppers, and eBay also confers immediate trust to the seller.
- Fitment data can boost your sales
Fitment data helps auto parts shoppers to find the part or accessory that fits their vehicle’s specific Make, Model, Year, engine, etc. Your buyers won’t risk buying the wrong part with accurate fitment data, and your eBay Motors store will minimize product returns. By giving you several options to easily and quickly populate part fitment information, eBay Motors makes it easy to sell your used or brand-new aftermarket parts.
You can manually add fitment data (by searching and choosing your auto parts to find a matching product in the platform’s enormous catalog). But the manual process can eat up your valuable time and resources if you are selling dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of products. If you are not tech-savvy enough to use eBay’s API, you can use tools like myFitment to upload your listings in bulk and have a centralized database of your fitment information.
- Immediate customer confidence and trust
When it comes to safety and trust, eBay is pretty serious about the matter. To make their customers feel safe when buying on eBay, they even created an entire department called Trust and Safety. In case anything goes wrong, the buyer can reach out for help. Thanks to that, customers feel more confident to shop around eBay than they do on, let’s say, Craigslist or Facebook.
Furthermore, professional sellers also have several ways to stand apart from the crowd. Receiving the Top Rated Seller badge can take you a long way, and all you have to do to become one is to be a great seller. Write detailed descriptions, add high-quality photos of your items, respond to customer messages as quickly as possible, offer a good return policy, and ship quickly. By receiving positive feedback for being a good seller that provides exceptional customer service, eBay will give a boost to your parts and vehicle listings in its search engine.
The Ultimate Guide to Selling on eBay Motors
Anything automotive- or powersports-related that you want to sell has its place in eBay Motors. If you’re wondering whether you can sell a whole vehicle on eBay, you should know that the online sales of used cars have skyrocketed here thanks to people who trust eBay to buy or sell used cars, trucks, boats, motorbikes, etc. If you have a contact at a car dealership that lets you sell cars on eBay (on consignment or for a commission), work as a mechanic, or have access to good used cars, you can build an entire business using eBay.
As for auto parts and accessories, these are also in demand on eBay Motors. If you have door handles for a 1970 Dodge Challenger or any other auto parts that are hard to find, sooner or later, someone will bump into your eBay Motors listing while searching for them.
Selling Auto Parts and Accessories on eBay Motors
With 183 million buyers and around 80 million parts listed on eBay Motors, this platform is the most popular choice for people who want to get into the auto parts business. To make the buying/selling process more efficient and streamlined, eBay created a few tools for its users.
- Parts compatibility (fitment)
Suppose that you have a part that fits a 2013 BMW series. There are hundreds of variations of that part to choose from, so instead of making hundreds of clicks and selections, you can do it all in one click thanks to having accurate fitment information. It allows you to build tables of compatible vehicles that your parts are compatible with, making it easier for shoppers to find your part and know that it will fit their specific vehicle. Furthermore, your listings will show up in fitment searches, which means that your listings will reach more eBay buyers.
- Shop by Diagram
It often happens that buyers pick up an incompatible component or even a completely wrong part. The Shop by Diagram feature allows customers (who have little or no car parts knowledge) to find the right part by matching it visually.
- eBay Parts Catalog
As a seller, you can leverage eBay’s Parts Catalog to speed up the listing process. You can list them using the MPN (Manufacturer Part Number) or ePID (Eligible Part Identification Code). Most of the listings will be pre-filled if the item exists in the eBay catalog. The information that eBay can complete includes Product Title, Category, Product Images (Stock), Description, Weight, Dimensions, and Item Specifics.
Be sure to include product identifiers and relevant keywords to optimize your product description. Product identifiers such as EANs, ISBNs, UPCs, and MPNs are series of alphanumeric or numerical digits that signify specific items and create a system that allows items to be identified. Keeping track of them may seem challenging, but they actually simplify the whole selling and buying process.
If you are a new eBay seller, you should be aware of eBay’s selling limit. Also known as selling allowance, the selling limit is a restriction placed on the number of listings new sellers can post. It is done to protect the potential buyer from the possibility of fraud or being sold stolen or fake goods.
A valuable sales stream for eBay auto parts sellers is eBay classified listings. These listings incur no final value fee and a single listing fee. Branded eBay classified listings can help differentiate your vehicle and auto parts listings from competitors, leading to building customer trust.
Leverage the Power of Marketing
To promote your eBay listings, you can begin with the Seller Hub and Seller Center. The Seller Hub is available for free and lets you see your seller status, manage listings, track orders, review sales statistics, and manage your marketing efforts. The Seller Center is where you can find information on creating, promoting, and managing your eBay listings, as well as tips for optimizing them with strong keywords. That can help you drive more traffic to your listings and rank higher in Cassini (eBay’s search engine)
Promoted Listings
Similar to Facebook advertising, eBay’s Promoted Listings help sellers rank higher in search results on eBay. There are certain eligibility requirements, and you’ll have to pay for the feature, but the costs are minimal and without upfront eBay fees. To be eligible for the feature, you either need to have a Top Rated or Above Standard seller status, or you can set up a store. You can then select the listings you want to promote, choose an ad rate (between 1% and 20% of the sale price), and you’ll be charged a fee when someone buys your item after clicking the ad within 30 days. There is no charge if the item doesn’t sell in that time.
Promotions Manager
If you have a store subscription, you can use the Promotions Manager. This tool allows you to set up shipping and order discounts, which can help attract more eBay buyers. Also, you can create custom URLs for specific items and codeless coupons for digital marketing.
Use strong keywords
To sell your vehicles, auto parts, and accessories on eBay, you should pay attention to SEO optimization. Otherwise, you risk your items getting lost in the search results. Start with keyword research for the item you’re selling. You can do it with tools like Google Keyword Planner or research right there on the platform. For example, you can think of synonyms and keywords that describe your item, search for those keywords to find out what variations people often use, and hone your wording to reflect your item’s features. Also, check out how your competitors use keywords in their titles.
Give your best to avoid getting negative reviews. When a potential buyer sees a bunch of positive reviews, testimonials of your satisfied customers, price match guarantee, and well-optimized landing pages, it is a sign that you are a trustworthy trader.
For sellers of motor vehicles, auto parts, and accessories, eBay Motors is the winning choice because you can sell, build your online brand and reputation, and strengthen your online presence. With such unparalleled access to a vast pool of potential customers and great tools to meet their needs and expectations, you can start making profits and maximize them by becoming a Top Rated Seller.
myFitment is there to help you with your auto parts fitment data. Today’s customers demand seamless shopping experiences, and when they don’t get the Make, Model, or Year of the vehicle (compatibility or fitment information), their experience is disrupted. In that case, the risk of shopping cart abandonment increases. You don’t want your potential customers to stop and think if the part you’re selling is compatible with their specific vehicle. You want them to know that immediately. With myFitment, you will always have complete and accurate fitment data that verifies your part compatibility.
This was the ultimate guide to selling on eBay Motors, and we hope it clears any confusion you had about selling auto parts and accessories via your eBay store. Feel free to contact myFitment for more information or a free trial.
