Estimated read time: 5 minutes
How Parkway Chevrolet Built a $4M Online Parts Operation
“With the help of RevolutionParts, it’s easy to integrate and it makes everything streamlined. That unlocked a whole other level of just exploding sales.” — Robert St. Romain Jr.
When Robert St. Romain Jr. stepped into Parkway Chevrolet’s parts department two and a half years ago, the store was already selling parts online.
But the operation wasn’t connected.
The dealership had an online parts store. It was selling on Amazon. eBay was sitting idle. None of the systems talked to each other. Inventory mismatched. Shipping was manual. Tracking orders was messy.
“It was kind of set up,” Robert said. “But nothing really worked together.”
Instead of trying to scale what was already there, he focused on fixing the foundation.
He opened the RevolutionParts knowledge base. He called support. He started asking questions.
“Every day it was: what does this do, how does this work,” he said. “Support was patient and fast, and I just kept learning.”
That process led to the first real breakthrough.
Once the systems were wired together, everything started to move.
Connecting the systems before chasing growth
Robert focused first on operational control.
He turned on shipping integrations. He connected orders back to the DMS. He made sure every order could be found by DMS number, order number, or part number.
That visibility changed how the department operated.
“That unlocked a whole other level of exploding in sales,” Robert said.
With the operational side stable, he activated eBay.
The first order came in on September 29, 2023. A $100 sale.
By the end of the next month, the store processed 177 orders and $35,000 in revenue.
Growth came quickly, but so did lessons.
Early inventory mismatches caused cancellations, which hurt seller metrics and raised eBay fees. Robert slowed expansion until the data was clean and the team could keep pace.
Today eBay generates about $100,000 per month with room to grow.
Amazon became the volume engine.
By maintaining listings, monitoring performance, and keeping fulfillment tight, the store pushed Amazon to about $175,000 per month.
Turning obsolescence into revenue
When Robert arrived, the dealership was discounting parts at 16 months.
GM’s return window runs 18 to 24 months.
That gap was costing the store money.
Robert rebuilt the pricing rules to match GM policy. He created an “obsolete plus” tag so the right parts would discount while still protecting return opportunities.
He also began uploading aged inventory lists so the system could automatically apply pricing rules as parts aged.
The result is straightforward.
Move the parts that should sell.
Return the parts that should go back.
“Sell what makes sense and return what should be returned,” Robert said.
The shelves stay cleaner. Cash recovery improves.
Building a team that can keep pace
Growth required people. Once he hit $75k a month online, he decided he needed some help.
Robert hired, trained, lost staff, hired again, and still kept the operation moving forward. Two new hires recently joined the team, and he expects to add more.
The focus is simple.
Protect seller metrics. Fulfill accurately. Respond quickly.
“Treat customers like gold and your numbers will show it,” Robert said.
The numbers behind the operation
The system is now producing consistent volume.
From August 19 to September 19, 2025, Parkway processed:
-
3,083 orders
-
$434,767 in sales
-
$141 average order value
-
1 day average fulfillment
Over the last 12 months, the operation generated:
-
27,902 orders
-
$4,008,816 in revenue
What drove that growth wasn’t one feature.
It was connection.
Marketplaces connect to the Parts Department. Shipping connects to order flow. Tracking connects to the DMS. Obsolescence rules connect to GM policy.
When the systems work together, growth becomes explosive and manageable.
The next target: $1M per month
Robert is clear about where he’s going.
“I’m chasing number one in GM parts and a million a month,” he said. “It’s there.”
The roadmap is straightforward.
Continue growing marketplaces. Increase the share from the online parts store. Expand the team as needed, so fulfillment speed never slips.
Mobile experience improvements and fresh listings are already on the list.
So is refining obsolescence tagging as the catalog evolves.
Robert’s advice to other dealerships
The biggest lesson from Parkway’s growth is simple.
Don’t chase volume before the operation is ready.
Robert’s playbook:
-
Connect systems before growing
-
Clean, high-quality data beats big ad budgets
-
Integrate shipping and tracking
-
Align obsolescence rules with OEM policy
-
Test simple offers like rush processing
-
Hire fast learners and train them on both parts and platforms
When those pieces are in place, online parts sales stop feeling chaotic.
They start operating like a real business.
And for Parkway Chevrolet, that shift has already produced more than $4 million in parts revenue.
Schedule a quick call with an eCommerce expert to see how you could grow your own parts operation online using the same systems and strategies as Parkway Chevrolet.
