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[iJason]

a

[bestwheelbase]

Just like your grocery store has a food wholesaler, there's a distribution network in the parts biz too. Same with the t-shirt stuff. Our wholesale shirts do not have the bestwheelbase logo because they are retailed by other brands.

[infinite012]

You will become a drop-shipper.

Everyone will hate you.

[7thgear]

if you plan on making a profit purely by selling products, you're gonna need to get a REAL good wholesale price.

Most shops supplement income by actually working on cars.


i would say unless you get a direct link from a manufactuer for X-volume of purchases for a good price, you're not gonna be making cash.

You may also find that not everyone will be willing to sell through you, especially if we're talking about worthwhile items.

Trying to sell a Brembo Kit? Brembo might tell you to fuck off, they have no idea who you are and may not want you to ruin their reputation (maybe)

if you buy from someone else who already bought from the manufacturer, that might cut into your profit cuz they take their cut.

at the end of the day, you've got to ask yourself what is it that you would offer that would make it better for your customers than going to someone else?

are you gonna be just another anonamous parts supplier?

TL;DR

like any business, you call the manufacturer of the part and you ask for a sales rep, you tell them you're JoeBlow from You Ass of Ehh and you want to sell their product through your website.

Then negotiate volume, price and shipping arrangements.

done.

[Muskokan]

Like 7th said, making a profit just selling parts and not installing them is gunna be a challenge. I don't know about finding whole sellers or anything, but if you do start it up, id focus on your website and international rather than local selling. And then aslong as you got awesome costumer service, new products, you'll be starting a good business!

Costumer service really is key, it's why I'll never buy from kplayground again (had a civic) and will have no problem buying from carid.

[sklimo]

Direct link to manufacturer will be the only way to make any profit like 7th said. Good luck hope it all works out for you

[bestwheelbase]

Originally Posted by infinite012

You will become a drop-shipper.

Everyone will hate you.

Hahahahaha nothing compares to the frustration of an unreliable wannabe supplier failing to deliver on time. Waiting all week to work on the car only to have nothing show up. I. Hate. That.

[n2oinferno]

IMO, I'd stay the hell away from eBay and get on Amazon or something.

Because Paypal.

[iJason]

Originally Posted by 7thgear

at the end of the day, you've got to ask yourself what is it that you would offer that would make it better for your customers than going to someone else?

are you gonna be just another anonamous parts supplier?

You've all given me a lot to think about lol. Well my policy was going to be like, a 30 day return, free expedited shipping type thing, to really give the consumer a reason to buy from me. In the beginning I'd just focus on maximum customer service and barely any profit. But still profit. I'd buy in bulk from someone with a name that buys wholesale from the manufacturer, which would yes, cut into my profit, but my goal is creating a name that'll stand out enough where I can eventually buy wholesale directly from the manufacturer.

& no I wouldn't be a drop shipper :l I'm very diligent with responsibilities. I'd get that shit to you before you even knew you wanted to buy it in the first place.(;

[7thgear]

do you know what you're going to sell?

have you done your market research to see what people are buying?

"'id just focus on maximum customer service "

this is a meaningless buzz-word that tells me you don't know anything about customer service.

furthermore, if all you are going to do is SELL PARTS, i can tell you right now that there won't really be a need to have any customer service at all. If your target is people who simply buy parts, then a quality interface and fast delivery is all that you need to worry about... you'd never talk to a single customer directly so no service to worry about.



also take into considerign your current business experience, which is local. Why do people go to your laundry and grocery store? I can bet you that 90% of your people go there because it's close to their home, work or on-route in between. The other 10% might walk an extra 2 blocks vs your competitior because (maybe) they like the service and store presentation.

When you're hopping into an online business you're essentially swimming out into the ocean..

aside from building a modern (non of this "web 2.0 type shit that TheOatmeal talks about) website that is intuitive to use and doesn't look like everything else that's out there, you're gonna need to worry about payment security and site overwatch.

Basically, you're gonna need someone that knows how to web, and web well.

and ON TOP OF THAT, you're gonna need to get your webiste poping up on the search engines.

A very good friend of mine has a hobby... he learns how google works. And his little part-time speciality is maximizing traffic to a site by constructing it in a good friendly manner.

No one's gonna buy from you if you're not on the top 20-30 list. And if you don't know how to get there (again, having a solid understanding of website construction) you're not gonna get any business.


Unlike a brick and mortar business, where location matters, and "if you build it they will come" mentality (combined with life-essential services)... an internet business is wonky shit.

basically... don't do it

if you have to ask for help in the general section of a car forum.. you shouldn't do it

[bestwheelbase]

@7thgear :happy0180:

[bkblitzed]

Originally Posted by infinite012

You will become a drop-shipper.

Everyone will hate you.

this. No one likes drop shippers lol

[Skurge]

i've done the online parts store thing, its not easy let me tell you, and i had account with numerous manufacturers, and a few large suppliers, its tough to make a profit and get a steady stream of business