Should I bother with buying car parts online?
Buying car parts online is safe if you know that the business you’re buying from is reputable. If you’re buying a car part from a stranger on Gumtree, Craigslist, or a buy/sell page on Facebook, chances are you’ll end up wasting your money.
Some of the most worrisome aspects of buying a car part online include:
- Not knowing whether or not the part is genuine.
- Not knowing whether or not the part is functional or good quality.
- Not knowing whether or not you’re getting ripped off.
- Not knowing if a part that isn’t made by the original equipment manufacturer will work as well as one that is.
Why you should consider buying car parts online
The greatest advantage of buying car parts online is the enormous amount of money you could save. Dealers can charge as much as 5000% of the price it cost to make a piece. There’s no need to spend 250 dollars on a car part that could potentially only cost you 5 dollars if you shopped smartly.
Some of the most common reasons buyers decide to get their car parts online include:
- A wider range of options.
- Better affordability.
- The potential higher quality of aftermarket parts.
- The ability to buy parts that aren’t straight from the dealer.
How to tell if it’s safe to buy a car part online
There are a few things you should keep in mind when you start shopping online for car parts. In order to make sure everything checks out you should:
- Do your research to find reputable vendors. Use well-known and trusted sites to begin your search.
- Check the ratings and reviews for the specific parts you’re looking to buy. If you’re not buying a part made by the original equipment manufacturer, there’s a chance it might be lower quality.
- Check the reviews for the business or sellers you’re looking to buy from. For businesses, you can look at their Google reviews. For individuals on sites like eBay, you can look at their reviews on their profiles. If you don’t know how to check whether or not a review is real, you can check out our blog post here.
- Ask for a picture of the part you’re about to buy. Most legitimate sellers will already have photos posted when they list their parts for sale, but ensuring you see a good quality photo of the part will make it less likely you’ll be scammed since you’ll be able to take a look at what you’re buying before you make a purchase.
- Verify with the dealership that you’re about to buy the correct part. Check for the part number to ensure you’re buying the right part—not all car parts are one size fits all.
How to find out more about car parts
If you’re looking for car parts, have a look at our other blogs to read more about cars, maintenance, and parts or send us any questions you might have about buying auto parts online.