How does PartsHound Work?

PartsHound.Com does not sell parts. You do. PartsHound.Com is a forum that connects buyers with sellers with factory part numbers using a simple point-and-click method. How is this better?

PartsHound membership is free. Listing a part is free. Maintaining a listing indefinitely is free. Buying a part is free. Selling a part costs 5% ($0.50 minimum, excludes freight). That's less than most sales tax rates!  It is assumed that buyers pay for delivery or pick the item up in person unless otherwise stated in the item description.

While we create the exploded views, you may use the "Part Number Lookup" at the top right of any window. This is useful for both buying/selling if you know the part number.

When the exploded views are available you can follow the manufacturer link to the model, year, and parts group you want until you locate the part itself. If the part description is available, click the link. Then choose whether to find or sell that part. To list a part for sale or to make a purchase requires membership for feedback purposes. You can screen the results of a parts search by new or used if you wish.

Casual visitors can use the site to find part numbers for simple reference, but only members can buy or sell parts. Membership is required for purposes of accountability. Membership is free for everyone.

Problem:
Auction sites. Auction sites have several flaws that hinder the trading of auto parts. The first flaw is that they use verbal descriptions to list and find parts. Verbal descriptions can vary from person to person, locality, and training. This causes problems that require much clarification. I'm sure you've seen it at the auto parts counter. Sometimes it feels that me and the guy behind the counter are speaking two different languages. This type of hit-and-miss verbal description gets in the way. Often you get the wrong part. The confusion also makes it possible to miss the item in a text search due to typos or inaccurate/vague description. If you're selling in an auction, and the bidders you seek miss that narrow auction window, you may wind up giving your part away for next to nothing. Wasteful!

Solution:
Instead of listing and searching parts by description, PartsHound uses the factory part number. This is much more accurate. This accuracy can make it possible to find interior parts that are the right color! A fender that is already painted the color you need! Not only that, but if your same part was used on different models and year ranges, the correct part is found anyway, since it's searched by factory part number!

Problem:
Time and money. Auction sites are very inefficient and inconvenient to list a number of parts at the same time. The listing process asks you to choose categories, all kinds of auction options over several different windows, etc.. Adding to the problem, each time a part is listed or relisted, it costs you a fee... And the listing expires in a few days! This means if the right bidders don't happen by in that narrow time window you'll have to give your part away or risk more fees to relist it. Wasteful!

Solution:
You list your part once. If it doesn't sell within a specific period of time, PartsHound sends you a confirmation email asking whether the part is still available. If you don't return the email within 15 days the listing is canceled and you owe nothing! If you return the email, your listing is continued for no charge until it sells! When your part does sell you only pay a low 5% ($0.50 minimum) commission to the PartsHound project. In fact, if you have more than one identical part to sell, just click the relist link in your confirmation email and the part is automatically relisted for free! Selling your auto parts on the internet just became simple and rewarding!

Problem:
There are also numerous parts locator services that provide their services to auto salvage yards by subscription. These services allow at least two salvage yards to add markup into the cost of your part. That can double the price that you pay for that part! These salvage yard parts locator services tend to add so much to the price of the part that, in twenty years of turning wrenches, I've never successfully found a part (that I could afford) using such a service. That is extremely inefficient. A vast amount of valuable parts are crushed every day by salvage yards because the yard owners don't know how to get these parts into the hands of customers who are seeking them. They just haven't connected to the customer in an efficient manner.

Solution:
The major goal of the PartsHound project is to provide a precise, efficient parts locator service to individuals, body shops, professional restoration facilities, and other automotive businesses who need specific auto parts at reasonable prices. At the same time companies who sell parts every day can use this service to increase their sale and raise their profits. Even individuals parting out their old cars can use this forum to move valuable or rare parts that would ordinarily be crushed and melted down.

It is our hope that salvage yards and individuals will use this project to make parting out cars more efficient and profitable. In a way, PartsHound is the ultimate recycling project.