Ebay is an amazing tool for modern commerce. Originally conceived as an electronic auction mixed with a worldwide yard sale, successful ebay companies have sold everything from antiques trinkets to movie theaters. At the same time, the internet is filled with many other competitors selling a whole variety of products and services. As such, there is no reason why someone would suspect he or she could have trouble selling his or her products online. Unfortunately, used car parts can easily be one such example more.
Looking at the condition of used car parts, it is extremely important to recognize how easy a part may be flawed. Even after visiting an auto parts store and purchasing the correct item, too often the brand new part will either be incorrect or need manipulated. Meanwhile, used parts need to be carefully inspected to determine if they have flaws or can be used. As such, any auto part purchased online has a fairly good chance of being returned.

Aside from the cost of postage and time waiting for the product, it is necessary to understand the culture of those who work on cars. With no offense intended to any such party, quite a few blue collar workers and "gear heads" are new to the internet or may simply not trust ecommerce, especially older mechanics. Those in need of car parts may use computers, but they do not necessarily embrace the internet the way computer geeks do. Meanwhile, the internet, due to time constraints, is not very convenient for those working on a needed car, unlike traditional stores.
Furthermore, ebay may also have flaws that discourage mechanics and other gear heads from participating in ecommerce. First, auctions at ebay are not very timely. Unless working on a hobby car, this is very restrictive. Second, there is little real guarantee if a part is a wrong fit as ebay can do little to enforce a seller's agreement. Once trust is violated, consumers are less likely to return. Third, everything on ebay is either an "antique" or an unbelievable deal. Gimmicks are distasteful and distracting; therefore, ebay can be confusing when it comes to getting what is actually needed versus wanted.

Ebay is a great tool, yet it cannot be good at everything. Traditional auctions have their own shortcomings, which translate into certain items selling poorly, so the world should expect ebay to have issues with certain categories of products. Too often, people fail to realize even new innovations are going to have shortcomings and ebay is no exception to that rule. While auto parts may sell better on ebay in the future, traditional sources are probably a better fit for those in need of spare parts at this time.