It’s not an exaggeration to say that there is no better time to open an online auto parts shop than now. The light-duty automotive aftermarket industry size is estimated at $290 billion in 2021 in the United States alone. Out of that revenue, around $18 billion comes from the auto parts eCommerce component. The online demand for auto parts has never been higher.
There are plenty of online channels where you can trade in aftermarket vehicle parts. They are most commonly divided into your own sales channels, such as your website, and already established online marketplace websites, such as Amazon, eBay, and even Walmart.
No rule that says auto parts sellers have to limit themselves only to one of these platforms. If the business is going well, it is advisable to expand to as many marketplaces as possible to reach a wider audience.
If you’re considering branching out to eBay, you will benefit from learning what auto parts sell best on this profitable platform.
Benefits of Selling on eBay
- Huge Customer Base
One of the primary advantages of setting up a shop on an established platform is getting instant access to a vast customer base. Worldwide, eBay serves over 187 million active buyers. Every second, three car parts or accessories are sold on eBay Motors, the marketplace segment dedicated solely to vehicles and their components.
By using your own website, it takes time to build up a customer base. With eBay, your store is automatically open to millions of people looking to buy just the type of products you’re offering!
- Becoming a Top Seller
eBay rewards vendors that provide the best customer experience with a Top Rated Seller badge. To achieve this, you need to ship quickly, respond to customer messages promptly, write excellent product descriptions, take high-quality product images, and possibly offer a generous return policy. It may sound like a lot of work (and it is), but becoming a Top Seller comes with a set of amazing perks.
You will get a cheaper shipping charge and discounts on online sale fees, among other things. The badge will also signal to your potential customers that you’re a trustworthy seller they can count on.
- Easy Fitment Information Input
Handling fitment data for all your products is a lot of work. eBay provides various options for you to quickly populate fitment info of a car part. You can manually search for and choose your vehicle parts to find compatible products in eBay’s existing catalogs. Once you have the correct item, the compatibility data is automatically filled in for you.
This will also drastically boost your sales since buyers often look for matching or compatible vehicle parts.
Best Auto Parts to Sell on eBay
On eBay, all vehicle parts get sold sooner or later. However, there is no denying that some parts sell out faster than others. If your goal is to insert yourself right in the thick of it – where the demand is highest – here are some automotive category parts and accessories that are the most popular on eBay Motors.
- Exterior Parts – Replacement parts are incredibly sought-after, but so are aftermarket auto upgrades. They are side mirrors, wiper blades, steel bumpers, replacement grilles, aftermarket upgrades, and similar.
- Wheels and Tires – Alongside wheels and tires, suspension parts are also high in demand. Customers on eBay often search for leveling kits, struts lift kits and shocks to help them replace their wheels and tires.
- Lighting and LED Products – Light bulbs, taillights, replacement headlights, brake lights, fog lights, trunk lights, license plate lights… If you can think of a vehicle light type, it’s sure to perform well on eBay Motors.
The general rule of thumb is that parts that wear and tear quickly and easily have a high turnover. It’s only logical – car owners will have to replace their tires a lot more often than complex engine parts.
However, the listed parts are not the only ones that do well on eBay. Here is a comprehensive list of additional categories where online sellers can hope to turn a significant profit:
- Weatherstripping
- Niche items such as vintage auto parts and accessories
- Struts and shocks
- Seat covers
- Radiators
- Programmers and performance chips
- Auto literature and manuals
- Keyless entry fobs and keys
- Ignition system parts, such as plug wires, spark plugs, distributors, coils, and timing kits
- Fuel pumps and filters
- Floor mats
- Exhaust system parts, such as mufflers and cat-back systems
- EGR system components
- Disc brake pad system parts
- Replacement emblems, stickers, and decals
- Dash kits and upgrades (for example, carbon fiber dress-up parts)
- Cylinder heads
- Crate engines
- Clutch kits
- Car battery accessories: jump batteries and chargers
- Generators and alternators
- Air filters
- A/C control systems and compressors
Sale Statistics
These numbers might further help you understand which are the most popular auto parts on eBay (according to eBay itself):
- Every hour, nine complete engines are sold
- Every 6 seconds, a wheel or tire part is sold
- Every 1.5 minutes, one high-performance exhaust is sold
- Every 1.5 minutes, one air intake unit is sold
Keep in mind that the demand for electric batteries and charging stations for electric vehicles is also increasing. Parts specific to electric vehicles will likely experience exponential growth in sales in the upcoming years.
How to Stand Out
One downside of eBay (and other online platforms) is that it is a highly competitive environment. Even if an automotive seller offers popular products, they will need to find more ways to stand out in this crowded automotive marketplace. Before you earn your Top Rated Seller badge, there are a few things you can do to draw a large number of customers your way.
- Keyword Optimization
Keyword optimization is a technique you need for your automotive parts business website, but it wouldn’t hurt to implement it in your store and product descriptions as well. After all, potential buyers type in keywords to search for the products they want.
To effectively optimize your store for keywords, you will first need to do some basic keyword research. This research aims to find the most common searches related to the products you’re selling.
An important note here is that you should avoid keyword spamming (repeating the same keyword too many times or using keywords that are popular but unrelated to your products). eBay has a specific policy in place that penalizes its users if they resort to keyword spamming.
- International Shipping
Not many vendors offer an international shipping option, which means that this is a great way to distinguish yourself. International shoppers usually don’t mind paying a higher price for a part and shipping if they can find what they need. Keep in mind that you don’t have to offer free shipping internationally if you don’t want to. If you’re shipping small parts, anything that weighs less than 4lbs costs less than $25 almost to any destination.
- Excellent Communication
It can be time-consuming to talk to every single person that places an order, but rapid customer service pays off in the long run. Once you receive an order, message your customer to let them know you’re processing it. Additionally, provide them with the tracking number when you get one, and after the order arrives, check with them if they’re happy with the part they paid for.
It doesn’t sound like much, but small interactions like these prove to your customers that you care. They’re more likely to come back for repeat purchases in your store than to a competitor who never bothered to contact them.
- Use Promotions
Take advantage of eBay’s Promotions Manager and Promoted Listings to create special offers for your customers. Who doesn’t love a good deal or a nice coupon? Stay competitive by implementing promotions such as free shipping above a certain total price, cutting prices on specific inventory (such as excess inventory), and providing discounts where you can.
Don’t forget to take advantage of the special marketing tools you get when putting up Promoted Listings.
Conclusion
Regardless of whether or not you’re just opening your online auto parts business or looking to expand – eBay Motors offers a variety of advantages. The top-selling products on this platform include external components such as side mirrors, bumpers, grilles, wheels, tires, and lighting components such as fog lights, taillights, headlights, etc.
Even if you have an abundance of these parts on offer, you still need to invest time and effort into polishing your store. Look into international shipping, keyword optimization, and promotions to boost your sales. Nurture good relationships with your customers, since that will increase their loyalty, positive feedback, and your chances of repeated purchases from them.
Need some help in refining your eBay listings? Reach out to My Fitment for more information on how to maximize your sales on eBay Motors.
