How does Rock Auto do it?

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NavyVet88

NavyVet88

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Sep 27, 2015
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Alabama
Seriously, unless it's an emergency and I have to go to a parts store and pay top dollar, then I will order from rock auto for the huge savings.

How do they do it? I just ordered a gates belt drive kit and motorcraft plug wires from them and spent $119. Autozone and oreillys near me were gonna charge me that much for just the belt kit alone and another $70 for the plug wires. I'm not bashing either parts store because I like spending money on their deals when I can on oil and such, but how does rock auto manage to sell the same products at over 60% or more less? I guess it's because of a "parts needed emergency" when folks have to buy in store idk.

I will admit that my refrigerator has like 25 of those rock auto magnets they send with each order too lol. They didn't send me one on the last order and I was bummed lol
 
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Originally Posted by NavyVet88
but how does rock auto manage to sell the same products at over 60% or more less?

Computer Glitch
 
Super low overhead. Also, with 30% off coupons being available all the time for advanced auto, I can come pretty close local if I need it fast. Also with ebates or the like, I get another approx. 7% off with advanced. But I use rockauto most of the time.
 
The Internet.
You can say the same for Amazon.
The world is changing; retail brick and mortar is nearing the end of its product life cycle.

You might say we have come full circle.
It used to be ordering from the Sears catalog.
Brick and mortar killed the Sears catalog; now we have a modern Sears catalog.
 
I gotcha I kind of knew it was an overhead type of thing. Sometimes the prices just seem like rock auto is giving away the same stuff that brick and motor stores want an arm and leg for.
 
I've gotten great deals on OEM parts from RA. Their return policy is atrocious, though.
 
I just ordered some tie-rods and ball joints and Amazon Prime was cheaper than RA...the 'Free Shipping' was the difference maker...
(RA was slightly cheaper on the parts but the shipping made it much more than Amazon for the exact same parts)….You have to shop both sites for the best deal....I went with Moog tie-rods and Beck Arnley ball joints....
 
Originally Posted by mclasser
I've gotten great deals on OEM parts from RA. Their return policy is atrocious, though.

That could be part of the deal/contract that RA has with the various auto parts distributors that they work with across the country. These distributors say "we won't accept returns. RA, you have to cover those yourself" so RA makes it as difficult as possible.
 
Yep. Trying to recoup the cost of high priced commercial real estate, commercial property taxes, air conditioning and heating, maintenance etc. not to the mention the employee productivity. We'll always need some retail stores, just not so many.
 
Occasionally I found AMZN to beat RA, some vendors on Ebay, and in rare instances a parts store with a discount code. As long as the seller is reputable I shop online for the best prices. The only loyalty I have when it comes to shopping online is my wallet.
 
Originally Posted by NavyVet88
I will admit that my refrigerator has like 25 of those rock auto magnets they send with each order too lol. They didn't send me one on the last order and I was bummed lol
I'm glad that most people on this board are as obsessed with the magnets as I am. I got two in one order once and I was over the moon.

Rockauto rules!
 
Long time Rockauto customer. I will also price on the Amazon/ebay/locally and choose accordingly for price with shipping weighed against brand. Pretty good choice options withRA. I've never returned anything as the products have always been fine and they delivered what I ordered. I barely make it to a brick and mortar store anymore....for anything.
 
Originally Posted by maxdustington
Originally Posted by NavyVet88
I will admit that my refrigerator has like 25 of those rock auto magnets they send with each order too lol. They didn't send me one on the last order and I was bummed lol
I'm glad that most people on this board are as obsessed with the magnets as I am. I got two in one order once and I was over the moon.

Rockauto rules!


Man I love those magnets lol I kind of nerd out with them like pogs and slammers.
 
Originally Posted by sloinker
Long time Rockauto customer. I will also price on the Amazon/ebay/locally and choose accordingly for price with shipping weighed against brand. Pretty good choice options withRA. I've never returned anything as the products have always been fine and they delivered what I ordered. I barely make it to a brick and mortar store anymore....for anything.


I had to return an order only once. I ordered new pads and rotors from rock auto for my civic and although the description said they would work on my model and year, they didn't. Rock auto was actually pretty decent on the return and refund.
 
Low overhead and automation. Each interaction with a customer cost money. I see in Advance Auto here some guy comes in for brakes, the salesguy is with him 20 minutes while the customer hems and haws. Am online pickup takes 2 minutes, could probably be faster.

RA parts ship out of non-descript warehouses that probably supply local mechanics as well. A RA transaction takes less time than a shop request because the guy don't have to get on the phone, look it up, maybe even take the effort to get it from somewhere else. He has a pull sheet and boxes up your item.

You can look up the address where your parts come from and you will find a local distributor behind it. A got some A/C hoses that were drop shipped from 4 seasons in Texas. So as close to wholesale as you can get for such a small order. $12 A/C hose that cost $47 in a Retail store.

Retail Auto parts are extremely marked up. Look at Autozones stock price :lol:. If you think in volume you can do very well.
 
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Originally Posted by pbm
I just ordered some tie-rods and ball joints and Amazon Prime was cheaper than RA...the 'Free Shipping' was the difference maker...


+1
I'm about to order some shocks for my Silverado. Same part, same price, but Amazon is free shipping. Also, it's easier to do returns with Amazon.

I have also found that with the Advance Auto online discounts, the price starts to even up quite a bit, plus you get your parts in hours, not days.
 
A few reasons

First, Rock Auto doesn't own any inventory or warehouses. They are a drop shipper.

Second, Rock Auto's prices are closer to what shops and fleets pay for their parts. They get better prices than retail customers do at parts stores such as Autozone,. AAP, Napa, Pep Boys, etc. Rock Auto gives those prices to everybody. Some parts stores have a very small almost zero percentage of customers that are individuals buying retail for their personal cars. Most of their customers are shops.

Finally, their costs are lower. Besides the lack of retail stores, they also don't do the free shipping thing. Since the shipping cost isn't bundled into the price of the parts, people located closer to the warehouse can get a better price, rather than charging everybody the highest shipping rate so they don't lose money on the free shipping.
 
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