Why aren't auto parts a good candidate for FBA?

At the end of the day, other categories have a smaller assortment, and it's clear what sells well and should be in the warehouse. Fast-moving items should be stored there. For parts, which are specific to a car model or a small segment of car models, vendors don't sell a huge amount of products. They usually sell a few units of everything. It's difficult to decide which of the 200,000 SKUs to store in the warehouse. Storing at Amazon costs a lot, and there are surcharges if it's there for more than a month. So, it's not a good fit for parts. For accessories like car phone holders or small electronics, yes, it works, but not for parts.

And DIFM.

The question is why people are buying online. It's due to trust and the speed of delivery. If you try to buy directly from B2B suppliers like LKQ, AAG, or even OE parts from BMW, it takes weeks to arrive. In contrast, Amazon and AUTODOC deliver quickly. The European car fleet is aging, with an average age expected to reach 12 years in the next five years. Finding parts for a 12-year-old car offline is challenging, so people turn to online sources. Often, only one or two units are available, so you buy at whatever price and wait for delivery. Then you go to your garage for installation. This trend has accelerated in recent years. Additionally, there's a lack of trust in garages in Europe, especially Eastern Europe. In Western Europe, like Spain, Italy, and Portugal, people usually have their own mechanic but don't trust other garages. This leads to partnerships where people buy parts online and have a trusted mechanic install them.