I know that I work at Car-Part.com but I don’t usually write about Car-Part. Usually, I write about things happening to me on the road and during my visits to recyclers. But, I do think it’s about time to address some questions and misconceptions I have been hearing from recyclers. Some yards think that Car-Part has done a disservice by putting prices on the internet, and they think that Car-Part steals their data. Every time that I hear this, I am kind of shocked.
After all, Car-Part is run by recyclers who face the same issues that most recyclers face, day in and day out. We are not eBay or Craigslist or another third party letting people put parts online all willy-nilly with no regard to whether the seller has a salvage license or not. Do you think that any of those other people care about the seller having a salvage license and actually being a “REAL” recycler? I am thinking probably not, as they let ANYONE sell auto parts on eBay and Craigslist now.
During the past 7 years, I have talked to recyclers about the truth of these issues. For those concerned about showing prices I, will repeat what a good friend told me: “You only get 2 out of 3: would you like GREAT QUALITY, GREAT SERVICE or a GREAT PRICE?”
I can draw on my first-hand experience from my time as a sales manager at Nu-Parts Automotive. At Nu-Parts, when we started listing parts on Car-Part.com, we talked about whether we should reprice our parts lower than the competition (and lower than we wanted to). So I said, “We have the VERY BEST customer service in the industry! We have GREAT parts with a lifetime warranty! If we put our parts onto Car-Part.com and keep the prices as-is, what is our competition going to do? They may reprice parts, but we still have a lifetime warranty and great customer service.” When we listed on Car-Part.com with prices we were comfortable with, sales went through the roof! That’s why I was so shocked when I came to Car-Part and learned that some people didn’t want to list parts with prices on Car-Part.com. Whenever I am somewhere wearing a Car-Part shirt and shops see it, their FIRST complaint is: “why do some recyclers not put prices on Car-Part? I just skip over them! It’s very annoying!”
Recyclers ask me a lot lately about where their data is going. Car-Part has always left the recycler in control of their own data, and from day one Car-Part has had an internal policy that they always get a recycler’s permission before forwarding data to a third party. Because Car-Part knows that recyclers may want to confirm where and how their data is being used, they offer a portal for each recycler so you can see where your parts are being forwarded, and which basic and optional services your part data is displayed in. This portal is available to each Car-Part customer 24 hours a day. If you aren’t sure how to access that portal, contact your Car-Part support rep or salesperson. Car-Part has always had the policy to not forward data unless a recycler specifically grants permission first..
Have a great month! As always, if you have any questions for me, please email me at TheresaC@Car-Part.com or call/text my cell at 859-802-2382.
Theresa Colbert is a public speaker who goes to state association meetings, at no charge, to give classes on cores, brokering and much more. She offers on-site support to salvage yards in many areas and has been an on-the-ground representative for Car-Part.com for five years. Prior, she worked at Nu-Parts Automotive Products for 10 years, was a manager at Winter Auto Japanese Engines in Glendale, Arizona, and at AAA Economy Auto Parts in Phoenix, Arizona. With 23 years of industry experience, Theresa has seen the auto recycling world from almost every point of view. When she is at home, she loves to spend time with her family, play with her dogs, cook and watch football.