When it comes to eCommerce platforms, there are those that rise above the rest. They’re not only powerful enough to accommodate all the seller’s data and load quickly to give better online shopping experiences, but they have sections that cater specifically to automotive parts and accessories.
The best websites to sell auto parts are the ones that were designed for both the seller and the buyer, ensuring that the experience for everyone in the marketplace is reliable, professional, secure, and safe. Amazon, eBay, and Walmart come out on top of that list. Here is why.
Amazon
Amazon boasts over 183 million unique visitors each month. And with its auto parts category sales rising at a rate of 15% per year, Amazon is a leading eCommerce market and one of the largest auto parts sites when it comes to automotive parts and accessories. And thanks to the Amazon Part Finder, which was built with technology that can identify millions of parts, the customer experience has been enhanced to make finding the part you need a breeze. Furthermore, Amazon allows you to provide accurate and complete fitment data to go with your products’ photos and descriptions to ensure you don’t miss any opportunities.
The Automotive & Powersports product category is a gated category and available only to Professional sellers, and it falls under the list of categories on Amazon that require approval before you can sell. To sell automotive and Powersports parts, tools, equipment, and accessories, you must either already be a Seller on the Professional selling plan with an account in good standing or have an independent auto parts eCommerce website that Amazon can review.
The auto parts you intend to sell must be listed using the manufacturer’s (Universal Product Code) UPC. Ensure that all the products you will sell comply with applicable local, state, federal, and international laws and regulations. Amazon requires that product images follow specific guidelines, which include using a white background, and they must not contain unauthorized content, inset images, or watermarks.
eBay
When it comes to online sales platforms for auto parts eCommerce, eBay is a channel for auto part retailers that comes close to the Amazon marketplace, with 182 million active buyers and 96 million unique visitors monthly. According to recent reports, three auto parts or accessories are sold every second, nine complete engines are sold every hour, and a wheel or tire part is sold every six seconds on eBay. eBay recognized the demand for an online automotive marketplace and launched eBay Motors. eBay also has motor programs and management tools that are designed to help sellers upload bulk product listings, scale their business, and manage their eBay inventory.
eBay Motors has features, services, and enhancements designed to provide a more personalized and innovative experience to both buyers and eBay sellers. Some of the more advanced search functionality features of eBay Motors include an enormous selection of automotive products that are categorized by vehicle, parts, and accessories.
But one of the best things about selling auto parts on eBay is how easily you can list auto parts and specify fitment using their standard listing interface. Fitment, otherwise known as compatibility, is crucial to selling auto parts and accessories online. Without providing accurate and complete fitment data, you risk losing a lot of sales from people who may not realize your parts are compatible with their vehicle.
To start selling auto parts on eBay, you only need to start a new listing and provide eBay with the details of your auto part. Select eBay Motors in Categories and then select Parts and Accessories. The categories become more specific and will require you to choose from categories like cars, motorcycles, boats, and so on.
Selling car parts on eBay isn’t much different than any other businesses selling any other product on the platform. The difference is that eBay has a Parts Compatibility tool that allows marketplace sellers to ensure they provide buyers with the information they need to determine whether the part is compatible with their vehicle. The eBay catalog of auto parts and accessories is massive. By searching with their Parts Compatibility tool, you may find fitment data for the parts you sell. If you can’t find your auto parts, you can enter the details manually. You’ll also have to indicate whether the auto part is new, used, or remanufactured.
Walmart
While not as big as eBay and Amazon, Walmart still boasts an enormous customer base that places it as the third-biggest online retailer in the US. Like eBay and Amazon, Walmart also has a department dedicated to automotive parts and accessories.
To sell auto parts through Walmart, you need to sign up for a Walmart Seller Account. Be prepared to wait 2-3 weeks after submitting your Marketplace Application. What makes Walmart different from selling on eBay and Amazon is that you can only sell your auto parts and accessories on their platform if you’re already an established online seller with a brick and mortar store or an existing auto part website. This means you should have an established online sales history on your own website, Amazon, or eBay.
Once approved as a Walmart auto parts seller, it’s fairly easy to upload your products using Walmart’s file upload tools and to connect your eCommerce site to Walmart’s marketplace API. When setting up your Walmart marketplace product feed, you’ll need attributes like product identifiers, SKU, brand, part numbers, model numbers, and so on.
To maximize your sales, it makes sense to have a presence on all of the top eCommerce platforms. Whether you decide to sell auto parts on Amazon, eBay, Walmart, or all of them, your success will rely on discoverability. Beyond searching for parts by name, potential customers will likely only proceed to make a purchase once they determine your part is compatible with their vehicle, which makes vehicle fitment data a critical business asset. Having complete fitment data across all your sales channels not only helps reduce customer questions on compatibility, but it also means lowering the risk of costly returns.
Therefore, the online marketplaces you choose should be advanced enough to have filters and data tables that allow sellers to provide their customers with clear, accurate, and complete fitment information. This is how eCommerce platforms like Amazon, eBay, and Walmart outperform the others; these platforms can be boosted with third-party tools like myFitment that help eCommerce sellers comply with complex vehicle compatibility data standards. To learn more about how to add fitment data to your automotive aftermarket parts and accessories, Powersport products, OEM replacement parts, and other car parts quickly and easily to your Amazon, Walmart, and eBay listing and overcome some of the challenges of selling auto parts online, feel free to contact us. We can help you get started selling on Amazon, eBay, or Walmart with crucial marketplaces integrations to become a successful auto parts online seller.
