9 Easy Places To Sell Extra Truck Parts and Make $$
Most of us end up with extra parts as we’re building our project trucks. When we pull that original six cylinder out of a 55 F100, instead of setting it out back somewhere, there is probably someone who is looking for that exact motor, while trying to keep their truck as original as possible. Not only are we helping our own cause by selling our old parts, we are helping someone build theirs.
9 easy places to sell your extra car or truck parts:
- Swap meets
- Craigslist
- eBay
- Local newspapers
- Thrifty Nickel type local sales papers
- a Shopify store
- Get the word out to friends and other hobbyists
- Community bulletin boards
There are lots of places to sell your extra parts rather than just letting them sit out in the weather and rust. Follow along as we discuss how easy and profitable this can be.
Where and How Do I Sell My Extra Parts?
There are a lot of places to sell your used truck parts– whether locally or on the internet. A lot depends on if you are willing or able to ship large or heavy parts.
It is especially important to take multiple good quality pictures. Also, give a detailed description, even of the things that may be wrong with the part. How many times have you looked at a craigslist add for some expensive item– like a motor home, and the seller has only one or two blurry photos in the listing? We don’t want to be that guy.
Here is a list of places you might try selling your parts:
Facebook is a great place to sell because it just keeps growing in popularity, especially in the for-sale markets. Chances are there are quite a few swap and sale type groups in your local area. I work with people who spend hours scrolling through the for-sale ads on Facebook and other sites and sometimes buy things they don’t even need.
Swap Meets
You can find some real gems in the far back corners of car and truck shows. This is a great place to bring your parts as thousands of people will be coming through, and most of them have some kind of project they are working on.
Craigslist
Craigslist is still pretty big for selling parts in my area. Just this side of our state has hundreds of listings for truck and car parts. When I’m in need of truck parts I always search Craigslist first. It’s free to list and it has a lot of lookers.
eBay
If you are willing to ship, be sure to include it in your price. You can sell a lot of different kinds of parts on eBay. When I purchased my C10 it was a basket case. The guy I purchased the truck from had gotten a lot of the engine parts from eBay. Once you get used to listing there it’s simple to do and you’ll gets lots of traffic.
Local Newspapers
There is a fee to run ads in newspapers but they still get lots of people picking them up and checking them out. If they are still popular in your area they are worth trying out.
Thrifty Nickel (advertising paper)
You know those racks outside of gas stations with the stuff for sale in them? There are still a lot of these types of publications in use. In our area the Thrifty Nickel was the go to place to find any and everything you needed. I work at a company with a lot of break rooms and you can still find them on a lot of the tables. People just like to see what’s for sale and they may be looking for what you are selling.
Shopify Store
It is surprisingly simple to open a Shopify store to sell your used parts. You can actually make money as a business by getting parts from I-pull yards and selling them on your store. Advertise in local and national papers and see how it works out. New Shopify stores get $50-100 in free Google Ads. Lots of people will love paying your discounted price for a part.
Get The Word Out
If you have a good used transmission or engine you’re wanting to sell, let the people behind the counter at the parts stores know what you have. They see a lot of customers and can help spread the word. Tell you other gearhead friends.
Bulletin Boards
You see these all over the place, like grocery stores and even some parts stores have a wall with ads on them. They are free to use so they would be worth the effort.
Pros And Cons Of Selling Old Parts
There are a lot of good reasons for selling your old parts. Let me give you a list of some good reasons:
- Extra cash in your pocket: If you are like me your build is being done on a pretty tight budget. To sell that old engine I pulled for a couple hundred dollars goes a long way for parts that I really need.
- They are sitting there rusting: If I were to pull that old engine and set it behind my shop, I would probably throw a tarp over it thinking it’s protected. Where I live with all the wind, rain and snow it won’t stay protected very long. Add into that the mice and bugs and this engine is going down hill pretty fast. Once moisture gets inside the motor it’s ruined and pretty much only worth the core price.
- Someone somewhere needs it: There are probably millions of truck and car projects going on right now. All of these people are always in the market for parts that they are having a hard time finding. It’s always good to help out a fellow enthusiast.
- Don’t be a hoarder: Sometimes while reading forums you will run across someone who says they have six sets of oval port big block Chevy heads stored in their shop. Whether that’s true or not, it’s irritating for those of us who are looking for oval ports and can’t find any to buy.
There may be a few cons:
- You could possibly need the part later in life: You never know, you might inherit a 55 Ford F100 and need that old engine, hopefully it’s still good.
- A buddy might want it for free: Sometimes our friends want something just because were not using it. So you can sell it or give it to them for free.
- It’s your savings account for when you retire: If you ever watch the TV show American Pickers, they meet people who have filled buildings with stuff they have collected over the years, and call it their savings account.
Is There A Big Market For Used Parts?
There is a huge market for used parts all over the world. Craigslist, eBay and every other place that parts can be sold are loaded with good used parts for sale. That tells me if you have something to sell there is someone looking for them.
This is especially true when talking the 1972 and older generations of trucks and cars. A lot of parts are interchangeable between trucks and some model cars. There are a lot of drivetrain parts especially engines and engine parts that you can swap back and forth.
A couple months after I replaced the old seat in my 72 C10 with some buckets that I purchased for my truck at the local I-pull yard, I ran into an old acquaintance in the parts store. We were talking about trucks we were working on and he happened to mention he needed a seat for his 72 k20 4×4. I just happened to have exactly what he needed and I didn’t want to store an old truck seat in my garage so I sold him my seat for $50. We were both happy to make the deal.
How Much Are My Old Parts Worth?
There are no set prices on used truck and car parts. I always say something is worth what someone will pay you for it. I probably could have sold my old seat for more than $100 but I was glad to see it go to someone who needed it.
You can always get a good idea of something’s value by what other people are asking for the same thing or something close to what you have. I would love to find a set of oval port heads for a couple hundred dollars but its not likely going to happen– as I see them for $600 to $800. I will keep looking until I find something closer to what I want to pay.
Final Thoughts
While writing this I thought of some more parts I have that I should be selling. I have a quadrajet 750 that I just rebuilt but decided to go another direction. I have a brand new Edelbrock air cleaner that came with my new carburetor that I won’t be using. I could probably list a dozen perfectly good parts that I probably won’t use. Maybe I should open me a Shopify store. Happy Trucking!
Related Topics
How do I open a Shopify store?
- Sign Up with Shopify. Visit Shopify.com
- Get a domain name
- Choose a Theme
- Edit Shopify settings
- Take photos of your items
- Add your products to the store
- Go “LIVE” with your store
Are parts expensive at a pull-a-part yard? The parts at the pull-a-part yards are very inexpensive compared to new off the shelf parts. A used engine for example will cost you approximately $200 to $250 no matter how many miles it has been driven. These pull-a-part companies sell the parts cheap because you are supplying the labor. There are lots of people that get the parts from these salvage yards just to resell them at a profit.
