I was recently speaking with some customers at a trade show and we realized that not everyone is using the Car-Part.com broker key when a customer calls for a brokered part. The scenario we hear most goes something like this.
Body Shop: I need a left headlight for a customer on a 2002 Mercedes wagon.
Counter Person: I am sorry ma’am we only have truck parts here. (Does not look it up, just says no)
Body Shop: I am on car-part PRO and it says you have one for X amount of dollars.
Counter Person: No we don’t have that part.
Body Shop: it says you have it with stock # E1234
Counter Person: (pretends to look it up) No, that’s not our stock number we don’t have it. We only sell truck parts. Car-part.com is wrong…sigh.
Body Shop: angrily hangs up and calls the insurance company that WANTS them to buy USED parts and says “I have to get it from the dealer, they don’t have it!”
Have you not told all your staff that you are a Car-Part Gold member and that you have a “broker” hot key that works inside of your inventory system? We call it the “broker button”. To use it, you look up a part in your own inventory system and click the Car-Part.com part “price or vendor” F-key on your keyboard. This will list all of our yards that have that part. At the top of the screen is a “broker” button which lists the vendors or other yards that your owner or manager set up as “broker partners.”
If you are not sure if you are a Car-Part Gold member, or if you don’t remember which F-key is your “PRICE or VENDOR” F-key, please call your Car-Part.com sales rep or email me at TheresaC@Car-Part.Com and I will get you to the right person. (We also have stickers to put on your keyboard to label your F-keys.) For more information you can also watch this awesome video:
Find it in our Car-Part Gold Training library – just click the first link, Brokering Basics, to watch.
If you’re prompted to log in, please call your Car-Part.com salesperson for log in credentials.
Products.Car-Part.com/brokering
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.
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.