eBay relaunches its used parts programme, saying drivers can save money - and the planet
Online retail platform eBay is relaunching its ‘Certified Recycled’ secondhand parts programme, with a new website portal dedicated to parts sold by accredited vehicle dismantlers.
The market for used car parts is huge, and eBay’s research suggests drivers saved £99 million last year alone through choosing secondhand parts instead of new replacements for worn out or damaged items. eBay says Certified Recycled parts bought online can be up to 70 per cent cheaper than new equivalents, and they also help to reduce carbon emissions. It claims online shoppers using its platform saved 16,000 tonnes of CO2 last year, and kept 3,000 tonnes of waste out of landfill, by choosing to buy used instead of new parts.
But while saving money is a prime motivator for many, it’s ongoing supply chain delays for new parts following the pandemic that is really helping to drive demand for second hand or recycled items. Insurers and repairers faced with long waits for new items are turning to used parts instead. Garages will increasingly suggest owners independently purchase used components for the garage to subsequently fit, while insurance companies are also inserting clauses into policies that state recycled parts may be used for repairs, whether drivers like it or not.
eBay’s Certified Recycled scheme currently includes 81 vendors, all of which are audited and certified by the Vehicle Recycler’s Association (VRA), to ensure they meet agreed standards. These standards include accurately identifying, recording, testing and grading parts, which must all be as per ‘original equipment’ and sold with guarantees against defects or failures – 12 months for body panels, and three months for mechanical parts. According to the VRA, insurers only fit grade-A recycled parts when they’re not safety-related, and when they’re not salvaged from an older car than the one that’s being repaired.
While standards in the vehicle scrappage industry are improving, prices for secondhand parts are rising fast too. Marc Trent, CEO of leading dismantler Charles Trent told Auto Express that prices have been rising by 10 per cent per year for the last few years on the back of ever-increasing manufacturer prices for new parts.
Examples of typical secondhand costs provided by eBay for its Certified Recycled offerings include £200 for a scrapped 2020 VW Golf door mirror that costs £305 new, and £275 for a scrapped MINI headlamp assembly that costs £598 new. Those are savings of only 34 per cent and 54 per cent respectively.
Keyword: eBay ‘Certified Recycled’ used car parts saved drivers £99 million in 2022