Online selling allows you to cast a wider net, said Dennis Jacinto of YouTech Group, speaking along with Omar Cueto of L & J Diesel Service about how e-commerce can be used in a reman business.
Amazon and eBay are two sites being used by remanufacturers, but if you choose to use those sites rather than selling from your own site, you must “play by the rules they have established”, Jacinto said. He also said that there are differences between the two sites in areas like set-up costs, product pricing, stability, feedback, sale price and shipping. He reminded session attendees that Amazon has fixed price and eBay is an auction site where users are looking to make purchases at the lowest price.
With regard to stability, he explained that Amazon rarely changes its policies and procedures but eBay is known to make major changes every year. When it comes to shipping, there are standard shipping charges with Amazon while shipping costs are variable on eBay. Reviews by customers are important, Cueto said especially those concerning how you shipped and how you handled returns. Reviews seem to be more important on eBay than on Amazon. Cueto said to encourage users who have had a good experience with your company to post a review – so consider sending a review invitation via text message. He added: “People think if you sell online you will do well. The truth is that it has its challenges.” One of them is the fact that neither Amazon nor eBay recognizes cores.
Cueto says he drives customers to a dead end page so they can provide information about cores. Both Jacinto and Cueto pointed out that in a dispute between you and a customer, most of the time eBay and Amazon will side with the customer. Cueto added that you have to constantly improve your efforts with online sales and make changes according to market conditions. Cueto has been quite successful with selling parts on line and said that 70% of his sales are currently coming through e-commerce adding that his company sells off its own site as well. “There is no commission and you get the best margins,” he concluded.
