Amazon Auto Parts...

[maineSS]

I checked out a number of sources for a replacement Master Cylinder for my '49 PW, and found an interesting spread in price for the Raybestos 544MC.
All of the MC's were at least one day away. Napa was ~ $154, Car Quest was $165, Advance Auto's was $111, but had a 30 day wait, so I checked online, and found it on Amazon for $86. If I had taken up their credit card offer, $40 would have been deducted from the price. I figure one card is all I need, so I passed. I did take their trial offer on "Amazon Select Shipping", which offers unlimited free 2nd day shipping, and 1 day for slightly extra ($3 in this case). I'll use it for the 1 month trial, then cancel, as I don't do enough Amazon to make it pay.

I checked the piece and the box over minutely when I got it, and it's identical to the one from VPW that the previous owner had on the truck, including casting #'s. The piece said "made in USA", the box with the correct Raybestos logo said "made in Mexico". The directions were in correct English also. I bled it, installed it, and it works just fine.

It looks like Amazon is having parts sent from the factory, at what seems to be factory pricing, so I'm wondering how they plan on making money. Obviously only a small number of people are going to take on extra credit cards or shipping plans. Anyone have any insight on their business model?

[MoparFreak69]

You have to remember that when you buy a part from a big parts store chain you are paying a lot of people along the way for the part, on top of what it cost from the source. You have to pay the guy that receives it at the warehouse, the guy that ships it to the store, the guy that recieves it at the store, the multiple people that inventory it every so often as well as the guy that sells it to you. What Amazon does it cut out the 90 million middle men and offers deals straight from the source to you. They do make a percentage of the price, but that is only 1 guy taking his cut, not 89.9 million more dipping their hands into your wallet.
Because Amazon is such a mass shipper, they are offered very very low rates. Just the way the business world works. Offer your biggest buyer the best prices and he wont go looking for alternatives.

[maineSS]

Just for fun I looked up the wheel cylinder PN's on Amazon- they were considerably more expensive at $79 ea than suppliers like NAPA and CQ. It looks like Amazon is retailing for various suppliers that may or may not have competitive prices, so it still pays to shop around. At the prices wheel cylinders are reaching, sleeving is starting to make financial sense.

[Charles Talbert]

Makes our pricing for wheel cylinders at $33 each look pretty good. At least the last batch we bought, we could sell at that price. Likely the next batch will have had an increase.