Is it feasible for me to try and set up an ebay buisness?

[nodoubts2k]

I work part time at my uncles shop where they rebuild alternators, axles, rack&pinion and gearbox steering, brake calipers and power steering pumps. Would it be feasible for me to set up a buisness on ebay for him (I would be doing everything but rebuilding ). I've been thinking about it, but there is only one disadvantage that I can see - the buisness requires that for every unit that is sold, a core must be returned, or else there is 50.00 added to the price (we then take that core and rebuild it, to keep the cycle going). What can you guys tell me about starting one of these buisnesses, and if it would be worth it?

 

[tennisflip]

How much do these parts weigh? Shipping costs could be quite high.

 

[mattgyver]

I would think shipping costs might be a problem--car parts are heavy. As I'm sure you know, getting cores returned is always a hassle. I think it could work if you specialized in classic or hard-to-find parts. Sorry, no real advice. But good luck!

 

[Black88GTA]

Shipping those large heavy parts would kill you. It's just more practical for people to go to Autozone, etc. and take care of it all right there - buy part, trade in core, done.

You could set up a system where the customer buys the part...but then you have to ship them the part, they ship you their core (to get back their deposit), etc. All the heavy part shipping back and forth would add up (and take a while).

Unless you found a niche market, of parts that aren't commonly stocked in parts stores, or are otherwise hard to find, I don't see it working that well.

EDIT: argh, beaten x2

 

[Insomniak]

In a word: Nein.