#1 Be Honest. Please stop putting 000 on ALL of your parts. The parts we see coming off of 2021 and 2022 vehicles may still have dings, dents, and scratches. Trust me, the body shop is going to find them even if you don’t. When we say a part is 000 this means to the customer that there’s no damage at all, and honestly, I don’t see a lot of parts like that on used cars.
#2 Write a Good Description. We all know I love using my Aunt Judy as an example; there is no way Aunt Judy will know that 2D1 = location 2 has a dent the size of 1 credit card. Think about the end user and how they will see your parts online.
#3 Stop Using “Secret Codes” in Your Descriptions. Again, Aunt Judy or your Cousin Bob will not know that a headlight showing “Less 116” or “-116” means that the park lamp is not there. They have never been to “wrecking yard school” and have no clue that we speak in secret code.
#4 Paint Codes Sell Parts! If I had a dollar for every time I have looked a part up on Car-Part.com and not only the paint code is missing, there is not even a color – I’d be rich! At the very least, putting “blue” on there could get a customer closer to buying yours, but some cars (like a 2011 Sonata) could have 7 or 8 different colors of blue that year! Even if you put “blue” on the description, there is a good chance that it is not going to be the color the customer actually needed.
#5 Choose Your Words Wisely. I see a lot of words like “Good” or “Nice” on Car-Part.com listings. I know that what is “good” or “nice” to one person may be “not so nice” to the next one. Describe the condition factually.
For example, today I looked up a fender on Car-Part.com Here are some actual part descriptions I saw:
#1 — 000,LH,WHT
#2 — w/wheel lip moulding, LH, MINERAL GREY METALLIC,PAINT CODE=ZXT *SMALL DENT 2D1
#3 — 000,WHITE-WS,W/LINER, AVERAGE
#4 — LH, 2 HRS, CHARCOAL, XLT, NOTES
#5 — 5S2,LH,SLV,4DR,XLT,-111 C-PIC RESTOCKING FEE 25%
I promise that I am not trying to call anybody out here, but which one of these fenders would you like to purchase? If anyone needs help with parts grading, please reach out to me or one of the Car-Part trainers. We are really working on getting Car-Part.com and Car Part Pro updated to the latest ARA part grading standards, and we want to help you!
As always, any questions or comments please call/text or email me at 859-802-2382 or TheresaC@car-part.com and have a GREAT month!
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.