Lots of people make a lot of money from home selling junkyard auto parts. My husband has been making this for a while and he loves it! It still amazes me how undertapped this market is. Maybe because when you sell auto parts you’re not sitting in front of a computer all the time?

But working from home doesn’t always mean making money online or just from your computer, especially if you’re doing some sort of arbitration deal.

And there are thousands of people looking for cheap auto parts online. Why not get in the game and be one of your salvage auto parts suppliers?

This is a business where you really don’t have to be a mechanic or detailer to make real money, especially if it’s just interior or exterior restoration parts or basic engine parts.

For example, a headrest is a headrest. Unscrew some parts and take it out. Door panels are door panels. Unscrew them from the hinges and remove it. Engine components can be a bit more complicated, but you can always go on YouTube and find out what the parts are, what they do, and even how to remove them.

But even in this type of business, you may want to specialize in a niche. What do I mean by niche when it comes to used auto body parts? Very easy. Here are some ways to delve into a niche just by specializing…

1. …on a particular make and model of vehicle
2. …in sports cars
3. … in spare parts for trucks
4. … in engine parts
5. … on external parts of the bodywork
6. …in interior restoration parts

Just think of all the parts that go into building a vehicle, whether it’s a truck or a car. Some parts are even interchangeable between makes and models. For example, I needed a new front fender for my 2001 Mercury Villager. Did you know that the 2001 Nissan Quest has identical bodywork to the same year Mercury Villager?

They do! So my husband stripped the parts off a junked Quest and replaced the fender and headlight assembly on my Villager.

The cup holder assembly on my Villager also broke. But instead of replacing that unit, he found a narrow console with built-in cup holders from a Dodge SUV that fits perfectly between our Villager’s individual front seats. Same color and texture as the interior of our car; That console looks like it came with our truck!

So now we have three “new” cup holders in the front and two additional cup holders for the back seat, from a used $10 Dodge console.

You’ll need to do some research on eBay before you go out and spend any money. You can’t just go out and buy junk car parts and hope they sell. There are a few steps required to make this a profitable home business.

1. First, get a price list from your local junkyard. Look for the least expensive parts on the list.
2. Search for parts on eBay and filter by sold listings. Take an average of what those parts sell for and see what your profit margin is. For example, if it’s going to cost you $10 to buy the piece and it sells for an average of $85 or more, and it’s selling a lot, you have a winner.
3. Consider how much time and effort you want to spend removing the parts from the vehicles. Some parts are pretty easy and you’ll only need a couple of screwdrivers on hand. Other parts can be quite tricky, depending on whether it’s interior, exterior, or under-the-hood parts.
4. Another thing to keep in mind is the weather! Here on the east coast it gets very windy during the winter. And in the spring, it can get pretty muddy in the yard. So you need to make sure you dress for the weather – be prepared for anything.