While many junkyards and local stores will take used parts off your hands, you won't get as much cash for them as you could if you sold them online. Selling car parts online exposes them to millions more customers, many of which are probably looking for the exact part you have, and are willing to pay a good price for it. If you're just getting started, you could try eBay — and if you're planning to start a business based on auto part sales, create an online store with Shift4Shop. Some sellers also have luck on Craigslist, but eBay seems to be more trusted by many customers. While choosing your marketplace, you can also look to established sellers to see what they're doing that makes them successful. Learning by example is a great way to receive a free education on how to sell car spare parts!

Amazon offers huge potential to online auto parts sellers, but also many challenges. First, you'll need to create a seller account, although you won't need to pay a monthly fee unless you're selling more products than allowed under the Individual account. When you list your parts, you won't be creating new pages for them — Amazon collects all listings for an individual product under a single product page — so you'll need to compete more directly with other sellers of the same items. Investing in Fulfillment By Amazon and keeping your prices low can earn you a shot at the coveted Buy Box, which is the first stop for many shoppers.

Competition is fierce, but hundreds of millions of customers shop on Amazon every day, so it can be extremely profitable! All Amazon sellers should back up their brand with their own eCommerce website, as this helps establish authority and place you ahead of other, smaller merchants, plus it offers another channel for you to sell from. Shift4Shop's Amazon integration makes it the perfect platform for working with Amazon.

Growing your spare auto parts business has much in common with growing any type of business: you need to identify opportunities and develop them when possible. Your first concern is your customers — you want to build long-term relationships with them, so you should focus on creating a positive shopping experience. Some methods for accomplishing this include offering a loyalty program with reward points, holding frequent promotions and sales, and creating targeted email newsletters to engage your customers.

As you grow your customer base and become more profitable, you'll have enough resources to start trying different strategies. You may look into expanding your part selection or offering different shipping options, or start using pay-per-click advertising to increase your reach.

An important tip is to scale up at a rate your business can afford. Don't be afraid to take risks, but always calculate those risks against the potential rewards and never make business decisions blindly. Market research, continuous A/B testing, and an attentive mindset will help you go far.

While we did mention that eBay tends to be the more trusted platform, Craigslist still has millions of users who rely on it for their needs, and you shouldn't ignore it as a potential sales channel. Selling on Craigslist involves most of the same best practices for selling on any platform, such as including detailed product information and numerous photos. The purpose is to strive for accuracy to ensure your buyers understand exactly what they're getting.

Craigslist is very easy to use. You just need to create an account and select the proper categories for listing your products, including your location and product types. You pay a small fee per listing and can re-list an item as needed, whether your listing expires or you come into possession of another of the same part.

As with any other sales channel, you also need to keep open communication with your customers and ship their items promptly. Make sure you work out all the details prior to delivery, including your receipt of payment.