9 Car Parts Distributors with Dropshipping Services for Online Aftermarket Retailers
Published: August 4, 2023. Updated: May 17, 2024
Whether you are already dropshipping car parts and looking to enhance your product sourcing or just starting this new venture, you need a trusted auto parts supplier to partner with.
However, finding the one that would be a good fit for your auto parts online store can be quite challenging. According to Fundera, 84% of all drop shipping retail businesses say that finding a reliable supplier to store and ship products is their main challenge while running their business.
We are here to help you in your search for a reliable partner that will successfully handle all the logistics on your behalf, provide high-quality auto parts, and deliver top-notch customer service. We’ve put together nine popular car parts suppliers, spotlighting their niche, the location of their distribution centers, and how they can help you dropship auto parts with maximum profits.
How to Choose a Dropshipping Supplier for Your Auto Parts Store
Store owners who sell car parts online must carefully select the dropshipping supplier they work with. While choosing an auto parts distributor for dropshipping, it’s essential to prioritize such factors as the quality of the products, delivery times, and fees a supplier may charge.
Below are some other factors you should keep in mind while vetting your options:
- Company’s reputation. Pay attention to the reputation rating of an auto parts distribution company you plan to partner with. Look through the reviews, explore online review websites, and get familiar with what their clients say about the brand.
- Returns Policy. Visit the supplier’s website page about returns and refund policies to ensure they straightforwardly explain how to return faulty or damaged items. Check what car parts buyers can do if they receive incorrect shipments and how they can contact drop shippers in case of any delivery issues.
- Distribution center location. Finding a local warehouse and distribution center grants you direct access to see your products in person and check their quality first-hand. Moreover, it lets you sell auto parts with reduced delivery times.
- Competitive product prices. Dropshipping auto parts is a competitive business, so keep the right balance between products with a low profit margin while covering up that margin for the spare parts in high demand but with low supply. Negotiate better prices with the new supplier to get discounts on bulk orders or free shipping on large orders.
Top 9 Automotive Parts Distributors with Dropshipping Services
Here’s a bird’s eye view of the main niches the popular car parts dropshipping suppliers specialize in, their location, and other details that you may find helpful.
Niche | Location | Other details | |
Turn 14 Distribution | a wide range of parts for niche vehicle markets | Hatfield, PA Arlington, TX Reno, NV | → $12.99 flat rate shipping → international distribution |
American Tire Distributors (ATD) | wheels and tires | Over 130 distribution centers across North America. | → exclusive programs with the top tire manufacturers, exclusive to ATD for trusted dealers |
AIM Wholesale | RV auto parts | Phoenix, AZ. | → no shipping costs |
Shifteck | performance parts | Buffalo, WY, (works with resellers and dropshippers worldwide). | → no drop ship fees → every Shifteck part is backed by a lifetime warranty |
Lane’s Professional Car Products | interior and exterior car care products | Headquarters in Ellisville, MO. | → free shipping over $150 → affiliate programs to recommend their products and make money online |
SP Racing Online (aka Sound Performance) | performance parts | Bensenville, IL. | → affiliate programs for resellers |
Keystone Automotive Operations | appearance, performance parts, wheels and tires | Exeter, PA Kansas City, KS Austell, GA Corona, CA Spokane, WA Brownstown, MI Ocoee, FL Flower Mound, TX | → a dropshipping program for auto parts retailers |
Meyer Distributing | auto parts & accessories, wheels & tires, powersports | Headquarters in Jasper, IN Chicago, IL | → offers marketing services (email campaigns) |
Premier Performance Products Distribution | performance parts, parts and accessories for off-road vehicles and trucks | Rexburg, ID Industry, CA Calgary, AB Salt Lake City, UT Grand Prairie, TX Louisville, KY Silverdale, WA | → wholesale and dropshipping services |
Turn 14 Distribution
Turn 14 Distribution is a certified car parts distributor, which can be a perfect fit for dropshipping businesses handling bulk orders. It provides car parts from multiple automotive brands, including Mercedes, BMW, Toyota, and Ford, to name a few. In addition to the warehouses across the US, the company also provides worldwide auto parts distribution. Aftermarket parts are available at wholesale prices, and auto parts retailers will also have access to real-time inventory updates.
To partner with Turn 14 Distribution, online sellers should pass a vetting test to ensure they are legitimate auto parts businesses. Among other essential criteria to become a T14 dealer, you will need an eCommerce website that sells well and runs smoothly. Once approved, there is a minimum buy-in, and subsequent orders will be subject to a minimum order policy.
American Tire Distributors (ATD)
ATD is one of the largest North America’s distributors in the replacement tire and automotive industries. So, if you plan to start selling wheels and tires online, this supplier can be a perfect fit for you.
With ATD, merchants have access to over four million tires in almost every style and size from the top global brands in the industry. As a special perk, they promise to make your dropshipping business even more profitable by offering programs that reward you for brand loyalty to help your business grow.
Keystone Automotive Operations
Keystone Automotive Operations Inc.’s primary market is the automotive aftermarket, which includes all components and accessories for replacement, appearance, comfort, convenience, safety, protection, and performance on practically all automobile and truck makes and models.
Keystone offers a comprehensive selection of specialty automotive equipment in the industry, with access to 185,000+ unique stocking SKUs across 8 distribution centers to manage geographically appropriate inventory and distribute merchandise daily to cross-docks in their respective regions.
To become a Keystone customer, you should:
- complete and submit a New Customer Application to the Keystone New Account Department;
- purchase merchandise for resale;
- provide Keystone with the state sales tax number and a copy of the state resale or exemption certificate.
Along with the completed application, you may be asked to provide photos of your business, trade references, or additional documentation. Please note that an initial buy-in may also be required.
In addition to servicing retailers through their logistics network, Keystone Automotive Operations also offers a drop ship service – a program which enables you as a business to order and have the product delivered directly to the end consumer.
AIM Wholesale
AIM Wholesale * is a dropshipping supplier that specializes exclusively in selling RV parts and accessories. With more than 20 years of experience in the industry, they offer a product line that includes over 9,500 wholesale RV parts, accessories, and supplies.
Due to their low shipping rates and competitive pricing, AIM Wholesale gives auto parts sellers within this dropshipping niche an opportunity to maximize their profits.
Wholesale RV supplies ship locally out of Phoenix, Arizona, via dedicated delivery trucks or nationwide through credible freight companies such as UPS and FedEx.
* Meyer Distributing, Inc. has substantially acquired the assets of AIM Wholesale, Inc.
Shifteck
Unlike most of the auto parts suppliers on this list, Shifteck is not just a distributor. The company specializes in developing and manufacturing aftermarket automotive parts, also providing worldwide distribution throughout the United States, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
Shifteck offers various performance parts for the automotive aftermarket industry, from short shifters to suspension systems and everything in between. Shifteck provides two distribution programs for dealers and wholesalers, offering buy-in incentives and volume purchasing. All in-stock orders are shipped within 24 business hours with no dropshipping fees.
Meyer Distributing
Meyer Distributing specializes in marketing and distributing automotive specialty products. Through numerous strategically positioned warehousing facilities, Meyer serves thousands of customers nationwide via Meyer Logistics direct ship, offering over 700 product lines and fast and flexible distribution services.
To create a Meyer Distributing customer account, you must indicate whether you have a brick-and-mortar retail storefront or an eCommerce store, your business model (e.g., accessories, suspension, wheel and tire, etc.), primary product categories, primary lines purchased/$volume, existing suppliers/$volume, and others.
See the full list of requirements on Meyer’s Customer Application & Terms page.
Lane’s Professional Car Products
Lane’s Car Products mostly deals with interior and exterior car care, car wash supplies, air fresheners, and wheel care. The main upside to this supplier is that Lane’s Car Professional Products has an established dropshipping program.
However, your online shop needs at least one year of experience selling car parts online to work with this supplier. Additionally, it should only sell automotive components. If you are eligible to apply for the dropshipping program, the company will send you an XLS file with all the product descriptions, pricing, and images of the selected car care products to drop ship to your parts buyers.
SP Racing Online
SP Racing Online is also known as Sound Performance Racing. As the name suggests, this company sells auto parts that enhance car performance, offering turbo kits, superchargers, intake kits, exhaust systems, and many other categories.
One of the benefits of choosing this automotive supplier for your dropshipping store is that you just need an account to start sourcing products from SP Racing Online. Additionally, you can participate in their affiliate program, where dropshipping businesses that sell from their eCommerce websites can earn profits, depending on their performance.
Premier Performance Products Distribution
Premier is an aftermarket wholesale distributor specializing in performance parts and parts for off-road vehicles and trucks. The company provides wholesale and drop shipping services to over 6,500 active clients in eCommerce, brick-and-mortar retail, installation shops, and general repair.
Premier Performance has eight warehouses scattered throughout the US and Canada and can provide two-day shipping to 92% of the continental United States.
To become a dealer of Premier Performance Products Distribution, you need to fill out the application form for the country you are going to sell in: the US or Canada. Specify the information, such as company information, accounts payable contact, and billing and shipping addresses.
Connect Your Online Store to Auto Parts Dropshipping Suppliers
Finding the right supplier is the first and most fundamental step to succeeding as an auto parts online seller or drop shipper. You will need a proper eCommerce platform that provides easy-to-use integrations with trusted car parts suppliers.
At X-Cart, a 100% automotive-centric eCommerce platform, we offer the functionality for catalog management and order fulfillment out-of-the-box and have a wide range of ready-made integrations with catalog providers and warehouse distributors. We also can provide you with custom integration with the preferred partner, if you don’t find the desired integration in the X-Cart App Store.
Automotive Warehouse Distributors that X-Cart Partners with:
Turn 14 Distribution – Automate order fulfillment for your auto parts store, facilitate order routing for a more transparent parts distribution and quicker delivery times.
Keystone Automotive Operations – Connect your X-Cart store to the KAO auto parts database to upload product data and keep the orders and inventory synchronized and updated within a single dashboard.
Auto Parts Order Fulfillment in the X-Cart Stores: How It Works
- Connect the preferred add-on to your X-Cart store.
- Select the brands to automatically import the product data and filter it by fitment, category, and other criteria.
- Connect with the Year Make Model fitment search add-on to enhance your store search and maximize order accuracy.
- Convert product data from the T14 or KAO databases to X-Cart product listings.
- Get inventory data from all the brands you wish to sell.
- Automatically send new orders from X-Cart to Turn 14 Distribution or KeysStone for fulfillment.
- Get order status and tracking updates in real time to update your customer as soon as their order has shipped.
X-Cart already has clients who sell car parts and accessories through direct API-integrations with Turn 14 Distribution and Keystone Automotive Operations. We also plan to unveil new partnerships with more auto parts distributors shortly. So, don’t hesitate to contact us and tell us about your project.