Estimated read time: 5 minutes
Why Your Parts Department Shouldn’t Wait Another Month to Get Online
Selling parts online used to be a side project. Something only the big, well-resourced stores dabbled in to see if they could squeeze out a little extra cash. Today, it’s not an experiment. It’s a proven, scalable sales channel that’s driving serious revenue for dealerships of every size. In fact, it could be the difference between hitting your numbers and leaving thousands on the table.
In this special Fixed Ops Roundtable panel, four Amazon and eBay experts, Marcus Jacobs, Anthony Burbello, Amanda Poe, and Robert St. Romain Jr. share exactly how any parts team can turn Amazon and eBay into a serious profit engine.
Amazon & eBay: The sales channels you can’t afford to ignore
“Three hundred thousand dollars a year in eBay sales… money you never would have seen otherwise.” — Amanda Poe
That’s the power of putting your parts where the shoppers already are. Amazon and eBay open you up to buyers across the country who trust the platform, click “buy” without hesitation, and don’t care if they’ve never heard of your store. The extra volume more than covers the fees. For a lot of dealers, it’s the easiest way to turn slow-moving inventory into steady sales.
Here’s why these channels work so well:
- Massive reach: Most customers come from outside your market area.
- Built-in trust: Shoppers trust Amazon & eBay more than your dealership website.
- Volume drives profit: The more visible you are, the more you sell.
- Convenience wins: Buyers are willing to pay for fast, hassle-free ordering.
Getting started is simpler than you think
If you’ve ever assumed selling on Amazon or eBay takes a ton of time to setup or a big team, think again. Marcus and Anthony were live and making sales in just 2–3 weeks while still juggling their day-to-day responsibilities. Start small, focus on the basics, and let the right tools handle the heavy lifting in the background.
Steps to launch quickly:
- Get your branding ready: logos, banners, product images.
- Complete account verification (business info, owner identity).
- Set up product listings with pricing & descriptions.
- Start small, build as you go.
- Use RevolutionParts to handle inventory sync, pricing updates, and shipping.
How to stand out on Amazon and eBay
Success on these marketplaces is about playing the long game. Marcus, Anthony, and Junior all stressed that visibility comes first. Once you’ve earned trust (and the traffic that comes with it), you can price on your terms.
Here are their top tips for standing out:
- Know your costs (including all fees) before setting prices.
- Use a cost+ pricing matrix to protect the margins on your sales.
- Focus on visibility, not just price: Amazon rewards speed & reliability.
- Use SEO: write unique descriptions with good keywords on all of your listings to show up in more product searches.
“Once you get to a certain point, you can make the prices where you want them to be, but you gotta get there first.” — Anthony Burbello
Customer service that wins you the buy box
On Amazon, the Buy Box is the default “Add to Cart” spot every shopper sees. And the seller who wins it gets most of the sales. You don’t have to be the cheapest, but you do need to be the most reliable. Junior’s team wins it often by treating every order like an Amazon Prime order:
- Ship orders same-day whenever possible.
- Under-promise, over-deliver on lead times.
- Communicate fast and respond to customer questions immediately.
- Use clean, well-packaged boxes (and have shipping supplies ready).
“Treat every customer like an Amazon Prime customer.” — Junior
Avoiding costly mistakes
The fastest way to sour your Amazon or eBay experience? Jump in without a plan. These platforms reward speed, accuracy, and consistency and punish you when you miss the mark.
Steer clear of these pitfalls:
- Listing too much too soon: Start with easy-to-ship, in-stock parts instead of your entire catalog.
- Running out of essentials: Keep boxes, tape, and a functioning printer on hand so orders never stall.
- Skipping fitment checks: Verify every order before shipping to cut down on costly returns.
- Learning the hard way: Talk to other dealers who’ve done it to avoid repeating their mistakes.
The Cost of Sitting on the Sidelines
Every month you wait to sell on Amazon or eBay is another month of sales you’ll never get back. The longer you hold off, the more your competitors cement their visibility, rack up positive reviews, and become the “go-to” sellers in your category.
Marketplaces give you instant access to a national audience. And with the right partner, you can make those channels profitable from the start. RevolutionParts’ eBay rate card helps eliminate many of the fees that cut into margins, so you keep more of what you earn while still gaining the visibility, trust, and reach these platforms deliver.
Why starting now matters:
- Buyers are already shopping online and buying from your competitors.
- Competitors are building visibility and trust you can’t catch up to overnight.
- Marketplaces let you tap into national demand instantly.
- With RevolutionParts’ rate card, you avoid most of the marketplace fees that scare dealers off.
- With the right partner, fees become an investment in reach and sales growth.
