As anyone who owns an aircraft knows, it can be difficult finding parts. This is especially true if the aircraft is older or vintage, since replacement parts can be harder to find with each passing year. As a result, more aircraft owners are turning to the online marketplace in search of what they need. If you have a hangar stocked with parts for which you no longer have a need, there is little doubt you can sell them online. If you’re curious as to how you can accomplish this and make a nice profit, here are six tips you should always keep in mind.
Organize Your Inventory
When selling aircraft parts online, it is always important to organize your inventory so that potential customers can easily find what they need. Whether you have parts for current planes or those a bit older, having a well-organized online inventory will increase your chances of selling that overloaded hangar of parts as quickly as possible.
Use a Reputable Site
While you could list your aircraft parts on many different online sites, it is always best to use ones with which most people are familiar. Some of the most common include Amazon and eBay, both of which offer a variety of advantages. However, if you want to directly reach aircraft owners, it may be easier to use a site dedicated entirely to aircraft parts, such as ePlane.
Promote Your Inventory
To get the word out to everyone that you have a variety of hard-to-find parts for aircraft old and new, always be sure to promote your inventory as much as possible. For example, if you have a website or blog dedicated to your aircraft parts, posting an advertising badge on them will help potential customers find you. Since they can simply click on the badge, they will be directed to your site in a matter of seconds, where they can then browse and buy.
Create a Niche
When selling aircraft parts online, it may be to your advantage to create a specific niche for yourself. Whether this involves dealing only with hard-to-find helicopter parts or perhaps in parts used mostly by vintage military aircraft, these and other niches will help you stand out from the crowd. Along with this, it will also make you the go-to source when aircraft owners have exhausted all other sources. Once this happens and word starts to spread about your online aircraft parts business, chances are you will have difficulty keeping up with demand.
Focus on Your Brand
If you are serious about selling aircraft parts to your online customers, plan on spending plenty of time focusing on your brand. For example, if you are selling on an online site that is specifically dedicated to airline parts, such as ePlane, you may be able to attract more customers if you have your company logo and biography included with your inventory. By doing so, it not only lets customers know you are an authority on the parts they need for their aircraft, but also lets them read your bio and learn more about you and your business. Once you do this, you have started the process of creating a personal bond between your business and your customers, ultimately leading to repeat business.
Experimental Aircraft
Much like you would do if you were creating a niche market for your aircraft parts, it may be possible for you to establish a significant online presence in the marketplace by working with those individuals who specialize in building experimental aircraft. Whether it is an individual building a small one-person aircraft in their garage or a company building larger and more sophisticated aircraft, you can do quite well if you cater to this market. If you’re interested in pursuing this avenue of online aircraft parts selling, look to the Experimental Aircraft Association for additional information.
By following these six tips, you may find yourself becoming the go-to person or business for that hard-to-find aircraft part that has been eluding a person for months. Whether you are simply trying to get rid of extra parts in your hangar or have decided to make this a full-time business, there is no doubt the sky’s the limit.