Tips for Getting Better Prices at Local Parts Stores

[Natalie Spears]

We recently signed up for AutoZonePro.com's online ordering for our garage business. We checked a price for a part and found that it is only about $1.00 cheaper than the price listed on their standard website. Another local garage business can get the same part for $25.00 cheaper. I cannot find anything on their site that explains HOW they determine the price for various customers. Any ideas, suggestions, etc?

 

[Gurp]

My ex wofes uncle wlhas worked at advance for 15+ years. To my understanding its a points system of how much that business orders from the company. In levels. Like standard level gold then platinum or some titles like that.

 

[blarf]

If Eric O's experience is anything to be believed Advance offers better discounts to folks shopping on their site than to their business customers. If you're looking for better prices, go open account with WorldPac or similar. As an added bonus WorldPac delivers (at least out here).

If you can stand the wait, RockAuto and independent parts houses tend to offer better pricing in general than the retail oriented parts shops like Advance and AZ.

 

[plinker]

I think pricing depends on volume of product bought. I know the local Napa has three tiers for pricing, retail being the highest price. not sure what the % over cost is on the other tiers.

Napa also has the "Napa auto care center" program so being enrolled in that program for instance would net the best prices, keep in mind the shop is making a percentage off those parts too in addition to the labor rate.

Other stores would likely have similar programs.

Buying parts for myself, thru work I get the same discount the shop does and depending on what it is, Rockauto.com has been very competitive to where I've bought a lot from them lately, same parts too. If it has a core, I prefer dealing local though.

 

[kythri]

NAPA has about 20 some levels of pricing, dependent on factors such as overall volume, volume of a particular product line, "Master Installer" status, phases of the moon, etc.

There's really no consistency to it, and at times, they'll run promotions that undercut deals volume buyers get.

 

[intillzah]

NAPA has about 20 some levels of pricing, dependent on factors such as overall volume, volume of a particular product line, "Master Installer" status, phases of the moon, etc.

There's really no consistency to it, and at times, they'll run promotions that undercut deals volume buyers get.

The local NAPA here used to charge us cost + 10% when I was at the Case/IH store and used to get parts for the shop (so did the local Carquest, but they had better payment terms for us), and he used to charge the employees at the store I was at cost + 15% for any and all parts we bought for personal use after hours, (even though the store I worked at was closed down, I still get that discount from them)..

 

[Fedwrench]

Have you talked pricing over with your AutoZone commercial accounts rep?

Are you billing your customers at the normal 40% mark up?

What's your monthly parts bill?

I'm not sure where you're at or what types of vehicles you work on but, you may want to check factory motor parts or parts authority commercial programs.

 

[Wamsutta]

For auto parts I go either RockAuto or Amazon and get OEM parts.

 

[Jazzman442]

Amazon has the best prices on Manufactures parts and there respective parts company's by large margin. If they don't have it I go to Advanced. Look up on Techbargains and search for Advanced auto parts coupons. Usually some were around 20 to 40% off.

 

[Daves69]

Most of the auto parts stores have different tiers on pricing. My local O'reilleys has First Call commercial. The discounts are volume based. I would suggest talking with your favorite store manager about pricing and how much volume you plan to run through their store. Try to work with one or two of their parts guys so they will take care of your business.

 

[SIKPUP]

I go to RockAuto first to find a part number so that I can Google or search Amazon for the best deals. But you need to be 100% sure of the correct part number ! And RockAuto has the easiest site to find parts and part numbers !! Shop for the best deal ... and time frame needed.

 

[unslow1]

I deal with this a lot. The Advance Auto website seems to beat most of their commercial pricing except a diamond tier. That level is determined by how much you buy. I couldn't tell you how the others work. I don't buy enough volume to qualify for anything there.

 

[winlinmac]

Depends on Make and Model, RockAuto is good for most vehicles, but for European Cars, I prefer to go use the manufacturer's parts catalog and shop accordingly. Advance Auto is decent for aftermarket. I feel local parts stores aren't as flexible as far as discounts and offers go.

 

[blarf]

Depends on Make and Model, RockAuto is good for most vehicles, but for European Cars, I prefer to go use the manufacturer's parts catalog and shop accordingly. Advance Auto is decent for aftermarket. I feel local parts stores aren't as flexible as far as discounts and offers go.

The thing I've noticed with RockAuto is that their selection is a bit deceptive. For instance they carry Moog ball joints for the E39. Unfortunately Moog only has Chinesium ball joints for the E39 and they're not significantly cheaper than more reputable brands. No bueno.

Meanwhile WorldPac and Altrom typically source parts from higher quality manufacturers. I'll typically see trucks from WorldPac and the various dealers in front of the shops around here, I almost never see trucks from NAPA or Advance/CarQuest. The only time I've seen a Kragen truck in the wild was at a gas station.

 

[Skin]

Amazon has the best prices on Manufactures parts and there respective parts company's by large margin.

Not true. Amazon is often close to the parts stores coupon price or ebay. Rockauto is often significantly cheaper unless you're buying 1 part then shipping may bump the pricing in Amazons favor.

What little I've looked at on Amazon has left me rather unimpressed. The only way to score on Amazon is if the parts are through warehouse deals but then you chance someones part swapping shenanigans.

They also sell some OE Toyota/Honda and their prices are horrendous.

 

[2ndGearRubber]

Pay your bill 100% at the end of each month/billing cycle, lots of suppliers will give you 1-2% off.

Try to group your orders through 1 supplier if possible, allows for better deals. You might spend 1,000 a week on parts, 5 suppliers makes that 200 per supplier.

If you stock anything (bulbs/bolts/whatever) get a quote on this from your suppliers. Even if cost is a bit more than you're paying, it keeps you on their radar. You can often get "free" storage units for bulbs, hardware, etc. You can get promo stuff like signs, stools, mouse pads too.

Talk to your local commercial manager, face to face if possible. Tell them how much you're planning on moving through their store.





Your price sounds like an "entry level introductory" discount. You can get a discount at my local Napa just for having an account with them. It's cheaper than walk in/"list" prices, and anyone can walk in there, make an "account" and get that price. You just have to pay at the end of each month like a business does.

Biggest thing with parts is markup, and strongly discouraging customer supplied parts (and the associated headaches). Most shops are set up that the labor charge pays the bills, parts markup is what actually makes profit and keeps the business alive and healthy. You are not a parts store. You provide delivered parts, a warranty, and hold responsibility for getting the right parts. People post on GJ all the time "but rockauto has rotors for $30 shipped, why do shops screw me at $90 a rotor?". If a part retails for $100, no matter what you are paying for it, you should be selling it above that $100 retail price. You are selling a different product/service than the $30 rockauto rotor, charge for it.

 

[theoldwizard1]

Independent auto repair shop are caught between a rock and a hard place. Customers want their car fixed today or at worst tomorrow. This means a parts store that is well stocked (big inventory) or connected to a large warehouse system. Add in delivery charges and parts price are crazy !

Biggest thing with parts is markup, and strongly discouraging customer supplied parts (and the associated headaches). Most shops are set up that the labor charge pays the bills, parts markup is what actually makes profit and keeps the business alive and healthy.

I disagree with this model ! If a shop is charging $75-$100/hour there should be plenty of money on the table to pay the mechanics, the manager, the book keeper and all of the overhead. There has to be a better solution.

People post on GJ all the time "but rockauto has rotors for $30 shipped, why do shops screw me at $90 a rotor?".

That's me !! I don't know how to make this work, but there has to be a way. If you told a customer, "If you can wait until next week, I can save you $200-$300 on that brake job !" don't you think you would get a lot of customers ?

• Make the customer buy the parts but the shop specifies the brand (and likely has to look up the numbers) ?
• The shop order the part, but only after a "down payment" ?

There has to be a solution ! The price difference for auto parts between "suggested retail" and RockAuto or Amazon is too great, even with 2-7 day delivery, to ignore !

Let's get real. Installed R134A refrigerant is about $50 a pound and that is after the $50-$100 diagnostic fee. You can buy the stuff at Walmart for less than $10 a pound. I can go on and on.

 

[Carquest]

A little perspective from the parts store side. Yes,you can buy cheaper from Rock Auto and Amazon than an independent store in many cases. Lots of times cheaper than we buy from our distributors, but that’s just the way the game is played I suppose.
I would love to be able to sell all my commercial accounts on a 10% markup, but that isn’t feasible, I would go broke and be out of business. I had a logger tell me once, and I’ll never forget- “Son, I want you to sell me at the lowest price you can and still make a reasonable profit. If you go out of business, it doesn’t matter how cheap I USED TO buy from you.we both have to make a living”.

Question for y’all running shops,how do you decide how much to charge the customer for a part you install? Does anyone still go by list price, or just a fixed markup percentage?


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[dnschmidt]

theoldwizzard1 you are simply wrong. If a shop isn't making at least $100 hour per mechanic they are doomed to fail unless they already own their building and all of the equipment inside of it. The parts mark up is almost mandatory to achieve this level of income. I've attempted (without success) to beat this fact into my friend Eric O's mind. Eric has the advantage of owning his property and equipment and Eric lives in a Village that has fewer people living it in than my block so he can get away with it. In Phoenix where you would need to rent a building $100 a tech would hardly make overhead. I know of NO shop in Phoenix where they will let you bring your own parts and I don't blame them.

 

[2ndGearRubber]

Independent auto repair shop are caught between a rock and a hard place. Customers want their car fixed today or at worst tomorrow. This means a parts store that is well stocked (big inventory) or connected to a large warehouse system. Add in delivery charges and parts price are crazy !

I disagree with this model ! If a shop is charging $75-$100/hour there should be plenty of money on the table to pay the mechanics, the manager, the book keeper and all of the overhead. There has to be a better solution.

Not even close. I would vastly prefer to charge $200 an hour or whatever, sell at walk-in prices or list, and pocket the difference between my cost and "retail". I doubt this will happen though.

That's me !! I don't know how to make this work, but there has to be a way. If you told a customer, "If you can wait until next week, I can save you $200-$300 on that brake job !" don't you think you would get a lot of customers ?

The issue is you are comparing 2 different products, as your example shows. Most people that need brakes, are grinding. Additionally, why as a shop, would I deal with rockauto (who has zero return/warranty coverage), when 90% of my customers are 100% happy to pay what I charge? Actually I should say 100% of my customers. LOF cars (with their own "mechanic") and those who cry about price, are two groups I do not actually consider customers. Most who complain about price do so after buying nothing.

• Make the customer buy the parts but the shop specifies the brand (and likely has to look up the numbers) ?
• The shop order the part, but only after a "down payment" ?

There has to be a solution ! The price difference for auto parts between "suggested retail" and RockAuto or Amazon is too great, even with 2-7 day delivery, to ignore !

Prepare to have me sound cynical.

You will get ******* lied to every single time. Tell customer to buy a battery, they come back with the cheapest 12volt battery from walmart. "The book said it fit". No it ******* didn't that battery couldn't start a civic let alone your BMW, wrong shape/size/terminal location.

I have finally hammered the "DEPOSIT OR NO PARTS" idea into the shop, although it is forgotten sometimes. So now we paid to ship a part from the midwest, get to ship it back, and have no customer. And I trip over that pipe for 3 weeks while we call their phone which is out of service.

I am also not a parts directory. Why am I using my time, to make less money? Get the customer to buy on rockauto at cost, after I figure the parts out, I install for labor only. So if rockauto screws up, I'm not on the hook? No, it's my problem.

That's why I loath customer supplied parts and labor only tickets. The parts are often wrong, or horrific quality. The diagnosis is usually wrong too, lots of oxygen sensors for lean codes, when you can nearly hear the vacuum leak. I frankly don't want that business.

Let's get real. Installed R134A refrigerant is about $50 a pound and that is after the $50-$100 diagnostic fee. You can buy the stuff at Walmart for less than $10 a pound. I can go on and on.

An A/C machine is 3-7k. I charge 120 a pop, I charge/vac it, if it doesn't work I tell you why. I think that's an awesome price, having owned cars with no A/C. I also passed a 15 question EPA test to be licensed to use/sell/fix 134a systems.






This forum does not represent the "average" consumer. I enjoy educating my customers, and I want them to have a basic understanding of how their car works. I am equally priced to similar shops in my area, and am "known" in the area as "the guy at shop X" who does numerous things no one else will touch. "Yeah I was told to call here and ask for Scott? Shop Y refered me because they said you do job Z". I am generally not cheap for the more "specialty" stuff. If someone doesn't like that, I'm not offended, feel free to do it yourself. I only get offended why name calling or "come on hook me up brah" comes out.

There is ALWAYS a subset of the population that believes service "X" is too expensive, and thus do it themselves. I can pour concrete, but my driveway is going to get done by pros when the time comes. YMMV

 

[Nineeightyone]

There is ALWAYS a subset of the population that believes service "X" is too expensive, and thus do it themselves. I can pour concrete, but my driveway is going to get done by pros when the time comes. YMMV

I think to a degree, that's all of us. We have tools so we don't have to pay someone to do a job that we can do with a similar end result. I don't pay for maintenance on my car (to the extend I can as a non-professional), but I will accept that there are some jobs I'm not equipped for/educated in/comfortable doing myself.

It's definitely important to recognize that the price for a job is more than just your time to do it in that instance, but also the time it took to build those skills. That's why as a computer repair technician, I can charge $60 for something that may take me 20 minutes -- it's paying for knowing what to do, not just doing it.

 

[kythri]

I also passed a 15 question EPA test to be licensed to use/sell/fix 134a systems.

Since when is there a EPA test/license for R134a? I took the Section 609 test several years ago so I could buy R12, but there's no license at the federal level for anyone to buy R134a.

 

[Carquest]

Uh, yes there is, starting 1-1-18 on 30lb cylinders


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[kythri]

Wild. I never got asked for my license when I bought a 30lb cylinder this past April...

 

[plinker]

Independent auto repair shop are caught between a rock and a hard place. Customers want their car fixed today or at worst tomorrow. This means a parts store that is well stocked (big inventory) or connected to a large warehouse system. Add in delivery charges and parts price are crazy !



I disagree with this model ! If a shop is charging $75-$100/hour there should be plenty of money on the table to pay the mechanics, the manager, the book keeper and all of the overhead. There has to be a better solution.


That's me !! I don't know how to make this work, but there has to be a way. If you told a customer, "If you can wait until next week, I can save you $200-$300 on that brake job !" don't you think you would get a lot of customers ?

• Make the customer buy the parts but the shop specifies the brand (and likely has to look up the numbers) ?
• The shop order the part, but only after a "down payment" ?

There has to be a solution ! The price difference for auto parts between "suggested retail" and RockAuto or Amazon is too great, even with 2-7 day delivery, to ignore !

Let's get real. Installed R134A refrigerant is about $50 a pound and that is after the $50-$100 diagnostic fee. You can buy the stuff at Walmart for less than $10 a pound. I can go on and on.

Most people wait to the last minute (or it's too late) to fix anything so usually there is no time to wait up to seven days for parts to show up, plus where would you park the vehicles that are potentially unsafe to drive while waiting on said parts?

Your typical customer wants it fixed yesterday or right this minute. Some actually plan things out and fix things before they have problems. I've heard it said the difference between truck drivers/owners and your everyday person with a car is the truck driver/owner expects breakdowns & repairs. I worked truck & equipment repair for several years & after switching to automotive repair, the customer attitude is a notable difference.

I dont particularly care for how the system works (parts mark up, ete..) but I dont have any ideas on how to make it work any better. The whole industy could stand to be updated IMO. But as long as people are willing to pay, I guess it doesnt matter. I'm just happy I can fix my own stuff. Rockauto is great for people who work on their own stuff, whether they're qualified or not is another story (bubba'd vs done properly)

 

[Tallpilot]

theoldwizzard1 you are simply wrong. If a shop isn't making at least $100 hour per mechanic they are doomed to fail unless they already own their building and all of the equipment inside of it. The parts mark up is almost mandatory to achieve this level of income. I've attempted (without success) to beat this fact into my friend Eric O's mind. Eric has the advantage of owning his property and equipment and Eric lives in a Village that has fewer people living it in than my block so he can get away with it. In Phoenix where you would need to rent a building $100 a tech would hardly make overhead. I know of NO shop in Phoenix where they will let you bring your own parts and I don't blame them.

This is what the tail end of a credit bubble looks like. Real estate costs drive lease rates up which then drive property and gross receipts taxes up. This percolates all the way through the supply chain. Wages don’t keep up so the small business owner gets squeezed. He can only raise prices so much without killing demand but all of his operating costs are up and his employees demand a raise.

Aside from the stifling tax and regulatory environment (and **** weather) Eric O is in an enviable position since he was so wise to eschew debt and pay everything off as soon as possible. Most people are so levered even a 10% cost increase or income decline and it’s off to bankruptcy court.

 

[Tallpilot]

Wild. I never got asked for my license when I bought a 30lb cylinder this past April...

Are you buying from the same supplier you’ve been using long enough that they know you on sight?

 

[redvalkyrie]

If you mainly work om certain models you can open an account through the manufacturer. For example, I have a Toyota account and get genuine Toyota parts at cost.

 

[Skin]

If you mainly work om certain models you can open an account through the manufacturer. For example, I have a Toyota account and get genuine Toyota parts at cost.

That's not cost, its trade.

 

[blarf]

Additionally, why as a shop, would I deal with rockauto (who has zero return/warranty coverage)

I agree that RockAuto is not an appropriate primary source for a shop. I have, however, had no problems returning parts to them (poor fit, wrong part, etc.). The biggest problem, IMO, with RockAuto is that they often stock subpar brands and it's not trivial to suss out what's okay and what's not. If I see a brand and part I trust and want I'll often hit RockAuto first because they're able to get things to me quickly and at low cost. But that's a non-trivial amount of overhead for a shop (especially a generalist shop).

Amazon as well has a painless return process, but a big problem with counterfeit parts to the extent that even as a shadetree **** I would never order car parts from them.

Aside from the stifling tax and regulatory environment (and **** weather) Eric O is in an enviable position since he was so wise to eschew debt and pay everything off as soon as possible. Most people are so levered even a 10% cost increase or income decline and it’s off to bankruptcy court.

A man's got to know his limitations.

Strict regulatory environment or no, you've gotta have a head for business or you're going to lose your shirt. You see the same thing with doctors. Med school doesn't teach you about running a business.

Eric O is a great example though because beyond having an enviable land situation he's not the guy chasing the shiniest tools around. Sure you see plenty of Snap On and Mac **** in his videos, but you'll also see plenty of HF, Astro, and other non-truck brands. That shiny diagnostic stuff? He knows how to use it (and spent the time to learn how to use it) and actually uses it.

If you mainly work om certain models you can open an account through the manufacturer. For example, I have a Toyota account and get genuine Toyota parts at cost.

If you specialize this is great. I get parts at 20-40% off MSRP from the local dealer by being a friendly face, coming in prepared with part numbers and realistic pricing expectations, and as a result returning almost nothing. This is hard to do if you work on everything though.

 

[Natalie Spears]

I should further explain that the "other garage" is actually more of a mid-size used car dealership (mid-size for our area anyway). They must order enough parts that they have a much larger markdown on parts at the local parts places. The reason we learned this info was because we were asked to perform a vehicle inspection report then complete the necessary mechanical repair job on a used vehicle this "other garage" recently purchased at auction. This business has mechanics which can do some minor jobs, but it usually farms out the more complicated jobs to other local/smaller garages. We provided the vehicle inspection report on Friday, then we provided the parts list on Monday because the "other garage" said they wanted to order all of the parts, instead of letting us do that. Unfortunately, that has not turned out so well. They estimated the parts to be delivered by Tuesday or Wednesday. Well, here is it Friday, and still no parts. We've lost an entire week and still cannot invoice for the little bit of work we have done because we have not completed all the tasks due to the parts not being in. We could have picked up the parts locally on Monday, already have everything repaired, and the vehicle returned to the "other garage" and the job invoiced by now. So, we are rethinking our approach with "other garages" of this kind and insist that WE order all of the parts and invoice for parts and labor at completion of the job. Thoughts?

 

[Carquest]

From a parts store perspective, I have always believed the shop should buy all parts and make a profit on them. To me, that extra the customer pays is in fact buying them a warranty, in that the shop eats the labor on re-doing a job if the part goes bad.

 

[mfewtrail]

If Eric O's experience is anything to be believed Advance offers better discounts to folks shopping on their site than to their business customers. If you're looking for better prices, go open account with WorldPac or similar. As an added bonus WorldPac delivers (at least out here).
.

Small shops are not really getting any price breaks through AA unless you count the fact that they'll deliver your parts to you. I recall seeing invoices where small shops paid almost exactly the same price as a standard walk-in customer would.

 

[Natalie Spears]

Speaking of markup on parts, I spoke with TN Dept of Revenue a few days ago....they stated that parts and labor MUST be listed separately even though my CPA told me they did not have to be listed separately. So, if we list separately, I suppose we will charge a markup for parts (although we never really thought about doing that until seeing these conversations....we were thinking the profit would all come from the labor). What is the % markup y'all would suggest? We are in West Tennessee.

 

[Deception]

if you can wait for shipping buy from rockauto.. they have some of the best prices ive seen, even my friend who is a manager at Parts Authority couldnt offer the same in most cases.

 

[rsanter]

Commercial account.
How much you buy and how often will determine how much of a discount you get.
If you are a good sized company that will be buying lots from them then talk to the account rep and tell them that you can’t buy and the current price and that if they give you a chance you will show the volume you will do.
Most companies will give you 3-6 months at the lower rate to show your buying volume

 

[2ndGearRubber]

Wild. I never got asked for my license when I bought a 30lb cylinder this past April...

You can buy basically whatever it you like as a consumer. It's the ability to service ac systems as a "professional " which is supposed to require a quick little certification. Most people/shops dont bother, it's not like the EPA comes around enforcing it.

 

[2ndGearRubber]

Speaking of markup on parts, I spoke with TN Dept of Revenue a few days ago....they stated that parts and labor MUST be listed separately even though my CPA told me they did not have to be listed separately. So, if we list separately, I suppose we will charge a markup for parts (although we never really thought about doing that until seeing these conversations....we were thinking the profit would all come from the labor). What is the % markup y'all would suggest? We are in West Tennessee.

Parts and labor are usually 1 operation line, with the two listed separately, then a combined total for the operation.

Expect to double what you pay for parts at the absolute minimum. Depends on the part, converters marked up less than a rotor obviously. If your parts cost is high, you are going to take a huge hit compared to other shops. Your total price needs it to be competitive yet you will have much less margin to work with.



If people want to sublet you, that's fine. I do sublet work for dealers and body shops regularly. I have no issues with them bringing oem parts. If you really want to play hardball make them take the car after you check it out. Unless you are charging a storage fee, they can take their ****. Most of sublet work is labor only, you can increase sublets as labor only to fill in some of your cash flow if your guys can beat time.

With poor parts profit, you have to be beating labor consistantly. That's the biggest thing in my area, we deal with rusty junk, and if you're not at bare minimum matching labor time, you're loosing. You have to have a solid crew.

 

[2ndGearRubber]

Example, I buy part for 30, list is 55, it HAS to be at 90+ to make any money. Labor covers the bills, parts keep you in business. As I said, I'd prefer to sell at list and charge 200 and hour or whatever.


Expect crying about this basic fact of business below. Someday the red cross or UNICEF will open a shop. Until then businesses need to be profitable to stay in business. No offense but have you calculated what it costs per week just to keep your doors open? How much labor do you need to bill per week to meet that? Do you have enough work to meet that at your current labor rate? Can your guys produce in excess of that with parts at zero markup?

 

[nh_yota]

When you pay a mechanic to do a brake job you're not paying them to install parts, you're paying them for the convenience of not having to do the job yourself, pure and simple.

The difference between passenger car and commercial truck owners is that truck owners know their equipment is used to make money and they don't want to lose money when equipment is out of service, so they are willing to pay for preventative maintenance or pay a premium to get things fixed ASAP.