Online truck parts sourcing business

Owner-operators, small and mid-size fleets, independent repair garages and farms or contractors running their own trucks.

You earn a margin between the wholesale price and your selling price. Repeat fleet accounts, quick quoting and hard-to-find parts support better margins.

• Knowing heavy truck parts or willingness to learn fast
• Quoting and negotiating with suppliers
• Organised order and returns tracking
• Customer service

• Product liability and commercial general liability insurance, since brake and steering parts are safety-critical
• Supplier return, core charge and warranty terms before you promise anything to customers
• Counterfeit or poor-quality parts, so buy only from reputable sources
• GST/HST registration once you pass the small supplier threshold, and provincial sales tax rules where you sell
• Whether your municipality requires a home-based business licence
• Customs duties and brokerage fees if you import, and French-language requirements if you sell in Quebec

Startup costs are typically around $1,500 to $8,000, depending on your website and systems, any small stock you hold and how you set up supplier accounts. These are estimates, and this model needs little or no stock.

Check product liability and commercial general liability insurance, since brake and steering parts are safety-critical. Check supplier return, core charge and warranty terms, GST/HST and provincial sales tax rules, home-based licence rules, and customs duties if you import.

Monthly revenue is typically around $2,000 to $10,000, depending on the parts you sell, your customers and your markups. That is revenue, not profit. Plan on at least about 15 hours a week, and buy only from reputable sources.