Best Place to Buy Auto Parts

The variation in prices often make little sense.

After many years of buying automotive parts both online and at a auto part stores I have mixed feeling about both.

Parts can be bought online cheaper, not always, but in general parts can be purchased for less online.

Automotive stores are no doubt the best bet if you are in a rush.

If it is Sunday and you have to work the next day than a automotive store will probably be the best place to go to.

If you can wait than buying parts on Amazon or eBay can be cheaper.

Keep in mind part are not always cheaper online and sometimes they will be the same price locally.

Here is a breakdown of the most popular paces to buy parts.
 
1…Amazon
I like Amazon since you can return anything that has a problem and they send you a return shipping label to print. They also ship quickly.

Prices can be good and if the price is close to others I always buy from Amazon since they have such good customer service.
 
2…eBay
Next I head to eBay and check prices. I have had mixed result with eBay. While I have got some good deals, the parts sometime take a long time to ship. This will depend on the seller be sure to check there rank and feedback.
 
Be-careful of the many Chinese parts sellers on eBay. While many are good and have very good prices I have had parts take a month to get to me.

Refunds on eBay can be tricky as the part needs to be shipped back to the seller. This will be out-of-pocket for you as they don’t supply return shipping labels.
 
3…Auto Parts Stores
Calling around to automotive stores is a good way to get a quick cost of a part. Don’t be surprised by the variation in cost from one to the next.

Some part supply stores have a good online checking system such as AutoZone which has a easy to use system to check part prices quickly.
 
Summary
When looking for a part the time factor will always come into play.

If you are lucky enough not to be in a rush than online is usually the best bet.