Essential information for end of life vehicle dismantling, depollution and recycling

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Are ATFs getting the most out of eBay?

ATF selling platformMost ATFs use eBay to sell used vehicle parts and improve their sales but are they using the online market place to its full potential? We asked Laura Richards, Category Manager – Vehicle Parts and Accessories at eBay to provide us with some top tips for selling recycled vehicle parts successfully.

eBay connects buyers and businesses around the world, empowering people and creating opportunity through Connected Commerce. eBay is one of the world’s largest and most vibrant marketplaces for discovering great value and unique selection.

At eBay, our doors are always open. We’ve got our fingers on the pulse of the nation’s shopping habits with 23 million monthly unique visitors to ebay.co.uk every month – a third more than London’s Oxford Street. A car part is purchased two seconds on the site and a motorcycle or scooter is sold every five, so it is a busy marketplace!

Our aim is to partner with you to help you grow your business and we have put together some eBay top tips for selling recycled vehicle parts successfully on eBay.co.uk.

Sell around the globe

With 21 international sites and a wider presence in over 100 countries worldwide, eBay is a fantastic marketplace to sell on, particularly if you are looking to expand your business overseas. There is a world of opportunity for UK businesses to take advantage of, with countries like France, Italy, Germany and Australia topping the list of destinations for vehicle parts. Our selling tools make it easy and seamless to sell internationally, with features like our Global Shipping Programme which handles oversea shipping for UK sellers.

Gain rich selling insights

eBay’s newSeller Hub’ is the place to go for a complete and up-to-date view of how your business is performing. We have brought together tools and data to help you run your business more efficiently and make better decisions:

  • Tools and recommendations to help grow your business
  • All your selling activity in one place
  • Improved tools to help you get more done
  • Easily accessible business performance data
  • Tools and recommendations to help grow your business.

Increase the visibility of your product

Promoted Listings is a feature that puts your merchandise in front of more active shoppers, boosting item exposure and increasing the likelihood of sale and you only pay for the placement when your item sells. This is available in all vehicle parts categories.

Easily manage customer returns and enquiries

  • Vehicle compatibility

Buyers are encouraged to enter their vehicle details in to eBay’s ‘My Garage’. This stores the vehicle details for the next time the buyer goes to shop for vehicle parts. The car ‘Parts Finder’ automatically pre-populates the vehicle tokens from the owner’s car information that is stored in their ‘My Garage’ when a part is searched for. This means the relevant product will be surfaced higher in the search results page.

Businesses selling in vehicle parts categories are encouraged to use vehicle compatibility lists in their listings to gain the following benefits:

  • Higher search rankings: Search will identify the vehicle tokens in the title and vehicle compatibility list and your listing with surface with a confirmation that the part is for their vehicle next to your listing title e.g. Ford Focus 1.6 2008-2011 TDCI MK 2 Engine (Fits: Ford Focus 2008 [MK II])
  • Fewer returns requests: In the case where a buyer has gone through the motions of inputting their vehicle tokens and with the businesses adding relevant product information in the title and vehicle compatibility, the listing surfaced to the buyer will be more relevant to the buyers requirements. They are also asked to confirm their vehicle on the parts finder within the listing. In the case where you need to display more granular purchasing information to the buyer, it is recommended to use the ‘fitment notes’ column within the vehicle compatibility list. The fitment notes are shown at the top of the ‘View Item’ page and within the compatibility table that confirms the part fits the vehicle, as shown below:

Ebay view item page

compatibility table for correct parts for vehicles

Item Specifics completion

All information inputted within the ‘item specifics’ field is searchable. Please input the genuine part number where available in the ‘Manufacturer’s Part Number’ field and complete the ‘Reference OE/OEM reference’ field if you know the part may have superseded part numbers or match other part numbers for different vehicles. This is because buyers search using part numbers as well as by product and vehicle.

The item specific ‘Brand’ is a very important field to complete as the search will also reference this field when returning listings in the search results page. For genuine parts use the manufacturer e.g. Audi and for aftermarket parts use the aftermarket brand, e.g. Brembo.

Images

As a general rule, adding a second image will increase conversion by 7%, then every additional image increases conversion by 3%. Use a bright, light, clean background and take detailed photographs of part numbers, any defects and the product at all angles. You can have up to 12 images per listing so take as many as you can. Around 70% of shopping in vehicle parts and accessories is done via mobile and the buyers as a first option will be able to swipe through the images as well as seeing the price and delivery time.

Customer service

eBay encourages the use of contacting buyers through member to member messaging after they have purchased from you to let them know you are there to help should they need to follow up. It is often best practise that a businesses will follow up with a ‘Thank you note’ and ‘Request for vehicle registration’ to the buyer after the purchase. Should you need to raise a dispute with a buyer, eBay’s customer service agents will be able to review customer service messages to see where they can support if you have provided the correct product with a good service experience to the buyer. 

Delivery times

Listings that obtain the ‘Fast & Free’ symbol will have a higher weighting in search results. Buyers will want a same day, one day or two day option as well as a free standard courier option of three working days or less, which you will need to implement in order to obtain the symbol. If collection in person is the first shown method, the symbol will not be shown on the listing or receive the search benefit.

For more information on starting up or maximising your current sales on eBay.co.uk please visit www.sellercentre.ebay.co.uk where you will find webinars on multiple selling topics and further tips to be successful on eBay.

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Owain Griffiths

Owain Griffiths

Head of Circular Economy at Volvo Cars

Owain joined Volvo Cars in June 2021 to lead Circular Economy in the Global Sustainability Team. The company has committed to being a circular business by 2040 and has financial, recycled content and CO2 based targets for 2025, all of which Owain is working across the company to make happen. Owain previously worked for circular economy consultancy Oakdene Hollins where he advised businesses on evidence led circular economy implementation. 

Turning into a circular business and the importance of vehicle reuse and recycling.

The presentation will cover the work Volvo Cars is doing to achieve 2025 but mainly focus on the transformational work towards 2040 and the business and value chain changes being considered. Attention will be paid to the way vehicles are being dealt with at the end of life and the complexities of closing material and component loops. Opportunities and challenges which Volvo Cars is facing will be presented including engagement with 3rd parties and increasing pressure from stakeholders.

e2e awards logo

e2e Total Loss Vehicle Management [e2e] is the UK’s only salvage and automotive recycling network with nationwide, environmentally compliant sites delivering performance resilience and service reliability to the insurance and fleet markets.  The network’s online salvage auction www.salvagemarket.co.uk drives strong salvage resale values and faster sales.  e2e’s salvage clients have access to the network’s stocks of over 5 million quality graded, warranty assured reclaimed parts. 

The power of the network model means e2e has the ability to influence industry standards and is committed to continually raising the bar whilst redefining the role and perceived value of the salvage operator.  Network members adhere to robust service level agreements, against which they are audited, in order to ensure performance consistency and a market leading customer experience.  

The salvage and recycling operating environment is evolving rapidly, and e2e is anticipating, listening and responding to changing market needs.  Regulatory compliance, ESG, reclaimed parts, customer experience, EVs, new vehicle technologies, data and reputation risk are just some of many considerations linked to the procurement of salvage services.  e2e will drive further added value to clients and members through the adoption and application of emerging technologies, continuing to differentiate its proposition and position salvage services as a professional partnership. 

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