Believe it or not, you can find a hundred automotive-related stores in Melbourne and Brisbane. They include wreckers and small auto part shops to large franchises that import OEM auto parts directly from the manufacturer. Anyone can get the car part they are looking for without any hassle.
As of 31 January 2021, Australia has 20.1 million registered motor vehicles in the country, and a significant portion of them are cars. These numbers are telling us only one thing: We’re a country of car owners and car enthusiasts. I wouldn’t even attempt to give a number for the swap meets, auto part fairs, and other similar events happening year-round because they’re too many to count.
If you’re buying auto parts, you’ll see that there’s no shortage of car part sellers and stores in Australia. If you’re someone who thinks about venturing into car part sales online, then there are countless ways to do that, but all start with baby steps and answers to the most important questions.
So let’s not waste your time and get the first ball rolling.
What Are the Most Profitable Car Parts to Sell Online?
There are certain parts and accessories that people don't mind spending money more often. They usually don't sell much for, but they sell a lot, which translates too high sales.
So aside from buying items that don’t cost them much, car owners often buy auto parts and accessories that they can easily install in their homes or garages.
It’s more of a hobby to them, so they buy many of these items not because their car broke its part, but because they want to update, refresh the look, or just glitz up their ‘baby’.
Of course, not all items are under this category, but it’s good to know what makes it easy for car owners to part with their hard-earned cash when it comes to car accessories and parts.
If you’re serious about selling auto parts online, here are some fast-moving car parts to stock up on:
1. Head lights, turn signal lights, and tail lights
Gone were the days of incandescent stock bulbs as halogens came into the picture. Now, these too are overtaken by LED bulbs, which sell like hotcakes because of their brightness, longevity, and relatively cheap price. As a seller, you should not be happy with merely ‘staying up-to-date’ but ‘keeping ahead’ about product updates and technologies.
2. Dashcams
While using dashboard cameras or dashcams is not yet mandatory in Australia, people very well know its importance in recording events taking place around the car and the road ahead. It’s very simple to use, that’s why it’s highly saleable. There is nothing to install – you can stick the camera wherever it won't grab much attention and plug it into your car 12V socket. Make sure you know which dash cam features are important for car owners.
3. GPS trackers
This piece of security tech is very affordable and so popular among car owners. GPS trackers don't have much 'installation process' to worry about. Leave it wherever you want, and it will find itself for you. GPS trackers could only send the location coordinates when they were first introduced in the market. Now they can store the history your car’s trips and other useful info, like location, time and frequency. Before selling them online, be sure to check the quality and ratings provided by other users to help you anticipate issues.
4. Seat covers, rugs, and other interior accessories
You can't imagine how something as simple as a seat cover personalises a car's interior. Leather seat covers bring out luxurious ambiance, while checkered seat covers can add a racing TuxKart. For a rough user or a user with many playful friends, car seat covers won’t last more than a year, making these products more fast-moving than other items.
5. Car batteries and accessories
Everyone has to change their batteries eventually, and the way people replace batteries is so much higher in Australia. Not only that, many car owners love to buy charging accessories (e.g., car battery chargers) to do away with unwanted visits to the charging stations.
Selling these parts doesn’t require any technical knowledge about automobiles, but that’s not true for most car parts. Car enthusiasts who might be building or upgrading cars in their garage will require certain parts from a seller who knows about automotive and how automobiles work.
We’re talking about cylinder heads, pistons and piston rings, gaskets, valves, or maybe the whole engine of discontinued models – all these have high demand in the automotive market.
When you’re selling mechanical parts online, you will most likely need to have a working knowledge about these parts to help you answer customers’ questions.
Will I Make Money Selling Auto Parts Online?
There are hundreds of shops competing online to boost their sales, and customers find them in various ways, from Google searches to e-commerce sites, and directories like the Yellow Pages.
How will you stand out to prospective car part buyers?
One would be by creating attractive websites, but with thousands of websites competing for search engine ranking, your chance of appearing anywhere near Google’s page 1 search result is remote.
So what do you do?
Your best bet would be to appear in an already high-traffic high-ranking website dedicated to buying and selling auto parts. It doesn’t have to be expensive. At a minimal cost, you can advertise what you’re selling through websites like Carpart.com.au or join their network of wreckers and auto part dealers through their parts request platform. You can even list your product for FREE.
How do I sell auto parts through CarPartAU?
CarPartAU has high traffic and is being followed by thousands of readers monthly. In short, by advertising, you make yourself visible to its followers and expand your reach to your target market – the car owners!
They provide sellers an opportunity to list auto parts free of charge. You can also make your ad a "Top Ad" or advertise it on the homepage gallery at affordable fees.
Here are some of the best-value ad schemes you can get from CarPartAU.
- Top Ad – Your ads will appear on top of the search results at $6 for 7 days or $17.50 for 30 days. Make sure your posted ad has the relevant keywords to appear in search results.
- Instant Bump-Up – If you have multiple auto parts waiting for buyers, this $2 can give your ads a periodic boost, placing them just below the Top Ad.
- Urgent – If several Top Ads are already competing for the topmost position, an Urgent sticker worth $2 for 7 days or $9 for 30 days can work up amazing results. The Urgent sticker with a fair price tag is an eye-catching strategy that prompts potential buyers to take action.
- Highlight – Customising your ad with a different background colour calls attention to it and only costs $2 for 7 days or $9 for 30 days.
Besides finding the best spot for your ads in search results, you can place them on the most visited pages of CarPartAU. The homepage.
- Homepage Gallery – Get your item or logo featured on the homepage for just $7.99 for 7 days or $19.99 for 30 days. This premium tool can give you maximum exposure to one of the most visited auto part sourcing websites in all of Australia.
Why do auto parts buyers go to CarPartAU?
Of course, you want to make sure that car owners and other people interested in cars and car parts DO flock to Carpart.com.au.
They actually have good reasons for visiting CarPartAU many times a week.
Blog - CarpartAU features new articles (you’re reading one right now) every day. There are several categories, attracting different types of car people – whether they’re regular car owners, mechanics, enthusiasts, and those who are looking for answers to their car-related questions or updating themselves about the latest motoring events, and many more.
Directory – This smart directory is meant for buyers to locate and contact sellers and shops, or customers looking for the nearest mechanic, auto electrician, or car decal specialist.
Parts Request – Buyers who are tired of searching auto parts themselves can send us a request for CarPartAU to do the searching for them and contact sellers who have the specific part requested. If you’re interested to participate as a dealer, feel free to register here.
Classified Ads – As discussed above, the Ads section lists car parts for sale by various sellers. You can post your ads here with all the description and specs, photos, and your contact details. Most buyers prefer to search with their area code, so it is to your advantage to provide those.
Main Takeaway
Selling online is a never-ending learning experience, but you need to start somewhere. The first thing is to know which items are marketable and have fast turn-overs. You can try a few items without stocking too much yet. In other words, don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
Also, you don’t need to spend all you money on a grand website – believe me, it can eat all your fortune and time! Instead, you can start advertising on existing platforms, without spending too much yet. With time, you may need your own website to host all your selling activities. But when you’re starting out, try the waters one toe at a time – advertise, sell, advertise, sell.
With CarPartAU, buyers across Australia can now easily find your store and grab the parts they want and special offers you have for them. Using CarPartAU’s range of upgrades on your ads, buyers will find you sooner than they find other listings.
Get the right selling tool now!