How To Sell Your Car Parts Online

Learn exactly how to sell your old car parts online and how to attract the most buyers

 

If you own the same car for long enough, you’ll eventually start to wonder about upgrading to a new one. Trading it in is one of the most hassle free ways to get rid of it, but it’s also the worst way to make any profit.

 

One thing you may have wondered about is selling your car for parts. This can be the best way to get the most out of your old car, but it can also take time and effort. If you’re willing to put in the work, you will definitely not regret it. 

 

There are many ways to sell your car for parts. The most common way is to reach out to your local junkyard and take whatever they offer. 

 

Nowadays, however, many people turn to the internet to post ads for their car parts and to find interested buyers.

 

Below you can find out exactly what to expect from selling your used car parts online and how to safely navigate the online world of buyers and sellers. 

 

What Parts to Sell 

First, you’ll need to figure out what exactly you want to sell. You can basically take apart and list any part of your car if you want, but there are some parts that are more in demand than others. 

 

Bumpers, grills and hubcaps

If you want to sell external parts like the bumpers, grills or hubcaps, you will definitely find buyers, but you will need to take into consideration things like shipping and handling costs. 

 

Large items like these are heavy and can be difficult to ship. Consider only selling these to local buyers so that you can arrange a pick up or drop off easily. 

 

Cylinders, Engines, Transmissions

Parts like cylinders, engines and transmissions are big ticket items, meaning they can be sold for a high price. However, they tend to be pretty fragile as well.

 

You should also consider only selling these to local buyers to avoid shipping costs and potentially damaging them in the process. It would be unfortunate if it arrived damaged to the seller and they wanted their money back.

 

Do some research on your own and find out what seems to be in demand in your area. You could even consider calling local junkyards or body shops to find out what customers are looking for to give you a leg up when creating an ad.

 

Where to sell car parts online? 

Just in last 15 years, the internet has dramatically changed how the world interacts. There are tons of online marketplaces that have sprung up, and finding the right one can be confusing or overwhelming. We can give you information about each one so you know what you’re dealing with.

 

eBay

eBay is one of the oldest online marketplaces for personal buyers and sellers, if not the oldest. And not only that, it competes only with Amazon for being the largest online channel for selling car parts or automotive accessories.  

 

eBay Motors is a section of the marketplace specifically designed for private car parts selling, and includes tons of services and features to help making the selling experience easy. 

 

With its well organized layout, buyers can effortlessly browse the marketplace for local or national product listings.

 

If you’re interested in selling on eBay, you are guaranteed to find a buyer quickly and easily, but you will most likely end up having to ship your car parts, so keep that in mind as well. 

 

Amazon

Amazon is the leading ecommerce website in the world. It has been designed with both buyers and sellers in mind to make the process an easy one and to ensure that no one ends up with the wrong car parts.

 

The Amazon Automotive Part Finder is a tool that allows buyers to check if the product will fit their vehicle or not. This saves a ton of hassle for the buyer, because it makes finding the right part super easy for them. 

 

The only downside with selling car parts on Amazon is that you need to create a professional sellers account or have an independent auto sellers business for them to verify you with. 

 

They do not accept private sellers, so this may not be an option for everyone.

 

Walmart

This may come as a surprise to most people, but yes, you can sell automotive parts on Walmart. There are a few downsides to using their website, however.

 

First of all, you need to create a Walmart Seller account. It can take up to three weeks after you submit your application for them to accept you and let you begin selling. Once you are approved, however, their interface is pretty easy to navigate, making the selling process easy. 

 

One more downside to using Walmart is that they will only allow you to become a seller through them if you can prove that you already have an auto parts shop or an existing account on amazon. 

 

So again, this isn’t ideal for anyone trying to privately sell their own car’s parts. 

 

Craigslist

Craigslist is a great option for privately selling car parts. It’s basically an online version of the classified ads in your local newspaper.

 

That being said, it acts more like a community bulletin board, and therefore its free to list anything. Posting an ad on here is best for finding local buyers who will come and pick up the car parts instead of shipping. 

 

The only downside to listing on Craigslist is that the website isn’t as well designed for buyers and sellers. It’s a very simple, black and white platform for saying “I have this and I am selling it for this amount”. 

 

Facebook Marketplace

Most people have a Facebook account, and you are probably one of them. But what most people are not aware of is that there is a feature on Facebook called Marketplace. It’s a platform for users to sell and buy items within their area for free.

 

Similar to Craigslist, it’s a straightforward way to sell car parts online. The only difference between the two is that on Craigslist, sellers can remain anonymous when they post, while Facebook users are usually connected to their public profiles with public information. 

 

Nextdoor App

The Nextdoor app is a newer social network that can be used for selling items online. It serves as a message board to connect local neighbors by allowing them to post announcements and any relevant news. 

 

It’s similar to both Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace, and as it’s very user friendly, but the only downside is that you can only upload posts from your phone. There is no desktop option.

 

But regardless, it’s a great tool to freely list your items and you should definitely consider using it. 

 

How to make a good post to sell car parts

Thankfully, when you decide to sell car parts online, there is no limit to how many listings or posts you can put up. That makes attracting buyers a piece of cake. You’re probably thinking, the more ads I put up, the better right?

 

Well, yes and no. The issue with putting up multiple ads on multiple platforms is that it can become confusing in itself. If you are new to online selling, it’s best to keep it simple at first, with a few ads here and there, instead of making 10 all at once.

 

If you make too many ads for the same item, you risk becoming bombarded with responses from buyers. Losing track of what was posted where, and who wants what, can easily overwhelm you. You want the car parts selling process to be easy, right?

 

We recommend to start off with only selling one item at a time on multiple platforms, or multiple items at a time on one or two platforms. That way you can make sure you know exactly what you’re selling and where.  

 

Here are a few tips to help you attract the most buyers from selling online.

 

Set a Competitive Price

Browse the various marketplaces for similar vehicle parts that are currently being sold. This will give you a good idea of how high you can set yours.

 

It’s also a good idea to reach out to local auto body shops or junkyards to see what the going rates are for certain items. That way you can make it known in your ads that your prices are the best for what a buyer is getting.

 

Upload Lots of Photos

This may seem obvious, but adding lots of well-lit and high resolution pictures will go a long way. You want to give prospective buyers an honest and well informed idea of what you’re selling and what shape it’s in.

 

One blurry photo of each item isn’t going to draw much attention. Make sure they’re flattering but also honest so there are no misunderstandings later on. Buyers need to know what exactly they’re getting. 

 

Reassure Buyers That You Are Legitimate

Buying anything online can make people nervous. You never know who is on the other side of the ad, and no one wants to be taken advantage of. 

 

A good thing to do is to reassure whoever reaches out to you that you are a legitimate seller, with the product you claim to have, by offering to talk on the phone or meet in person.

 

If you offer to meet in person, suggest a public place like a parking lot or park, during the daytime. This will make both you and the buyer feel safe, as they are neutral locations.  

 

Alternatively, if you are shipping an item instead of meeting in person to do the sale, you could reassure the buyer by sending updates about the shipment. Providing tracking information, as well as following up with them afterwards to make sure they’re satisfied with the transaction is a great courtesy.

 

Extra steps like these can also help you build positive online reviews, so when you want to sell items in the future, people can see that you are well recommended and can be trusted.

 

Test the Parts You Are Selling

If you plan to sell working parts, it’s always a good idea to double check that they do in fact work.

 

They should be cleaned up well before being handed off to a buyer, and also tested to make sure they do what they say they’ll do.

 

Let buyers know in your description of the item that you’ve done both of these things, and they will be more likely to want to buy from you. 

 

Write interesting headlines and descriptions

One part of creating attractive online advertisements is drawing people in, and the first thing potential buyers will read is the product listing headline. It goes without saying that having catchy titles will capture people’s attention more than something bland, so make an effort to spruce yours up a bit.

 

Consider adding keywords that will bump up your exposure on search engines. Don’t engage in any false advertisements, like saying “This is the best steering wheel ever created! You will never take a wrong turn with this in your car!” 

 

However, say things to play up the good qualities of your item, like “This steering wheel is in great condition! It’s lightly used but still works perfectly!”

 

You will definitely draw people in with this type of descriptor, and while it’s important to remain factual, it’s also important to be positive when selling.

 

You’re All Set

The online marketplace is the fastest and simplest way to sell your used car parts. Using websites like Amazon or eBay will ensure you get bites from buyers, but you should keep in mind that they do take a portion of the sale, which can be a drawkback for some sellers.

 

Websites like Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, and Nextdoor App are all free for sellers to post on, and much more locally focused. You are more likely to meet with the buyer in person using these networks, however. So if you don’t mind that, you are golden.

 

Remember to add quality photos of your items and test them out before selling, so the buyer knows exactly what they are getting.