Buying Car Parts on Amazon: Pros and Cons

Online Shopper

Amazon is a hugely popular place to buy pretty much anything these days. But recently, as more and more car parts have been showing up on the massive marketplace, enthusiasts have wondered - is it really a good idea to buy them there instead of other, reputable sellers? We were wondering the same thing, so we did a little research and found that like most things in life, there are both pros and cons to buying car parts on Amazon.

Photo: Honda

Pro: Selection

It isn't a secret that Amazon has pretty much anything you could possibly be looking for, whether that be car parts or anything else. Amazon struck a deal with a variety of large auto parts suppliers back in 2017, which has made a huge difference in selection. As such, there's a pretty good chance that whether you have a new or old vehicle, Amazon could very well have that obscure part you've been looking for in its easily searchable database.

Photos: Amazon

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Con: Can't Physically See the Part

Most people who don't like online shopping cite the fact that they can't see the products before they buy them as the main reason why. So it's particularly important to inspect a car part carefully and make sure that any applicable part number or serial number matches up before ordering. But even if you wind up with the wrong part, Amazon has an extremely generous return policy.

Photos: Amazon

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Pro: Price

Amazon doesn't always have the cheapest price on everything, but more often than not that is the case. The seller makes it quite easy to compare prices, but their pricing strategy is also unique in that it identifies the most popular products on the platform based on customer demand and then subsequently lowers them to stay below the competition. On the other hand, it also raises prices on less popular items to compensate for that loss. Because of this and the fact that demand varies at different times of the year, it's definitely worth shopping around or keeping an eye on a particular part you're thinking about buying.

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Con: Counterfeit Parts

Fake auto parts are big business these days, and despite the government's attempts to shut down counterfeiters, it continues to grow and become more and more common. However, Amazon has recently spent a good sum of money on automated machine learning systems designed to seek out and eliminate fake parts from its platform. Regardless, buyers should take a few precautions. Checking seller feedback, reading reviews, and checking the packaging of products for authenticity are important tips to help avoid purchasing fake parts.

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Protecting Yourself

Most people know that buying products with 4+ star reviews is a good practice, even if fake reviews are also an issue with most online selling platforms. But poor or open packaging or a lack of warranty or certifications inside the box are red flags with car parts, too. In some instances, you can check the serial number on the part at a manufacturer's web site to ensure its authenticity.

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About Returns

Amazon's return policy is one of the best in the business, but you'll still want to be diligent when purchasing parts. The best way to go is to check and make sure you're buying a part that is shipped and sold by Amazon.com, not some third party. If that's the case, Amazon will replace the item or refund it for the entire duration of the item's warranty period. Otherwise, you may run into some issues, or at least have to cover the return shipping cost on some items.

Photos: Amazon

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