BMW Opens Direct-Sales eBay Store

By Lyndon Conrad Bell

1 892 views May 11, 2011

BMW eBay UK Web Page

Never one to miss an opportunity for higher performance, BMW has been eyeing the sales activity of its parts on the auction powerhouse eBay site for some time now.

Angus McCarey, U.K. retail director of eBay says they see over 600,000 BMW oriented searches a month. With that said, it was only a matter of time before the Munich-based company sought to capture that market for itself.

And while entire cars won’t be available for purchase—just yet—official BMW parts and accessories are. “We recognize there are customers who wish to buy BMW products but do not necessarily want to travel to a BMW dealer to make a purchase. As such we see eBay as the perfect solution for them,” says Carl Sanderson, general manager of After Sales Development at BMW. "By embracing this modern retailing approach, we believe we can engage with and satisfy a number of additional customers through what is a new retail channel for BMW," he continues.

Until now, anyone wanting genuine BMW parts, had to conduct their transaction through a retailer. Recognizing its customer base is one of the most technologically sophisticated group of consumers, it was only logical the company would venture online. In addition to the added revenue, BMW can also ensure a more positive online shopping experience for its customers. All items purchased through the eBay outlet carry a two-year warranty from the popular manufacturer and they ship free.

The online store also offers branded merchandise, including flash drives, golf bags, ball caps and other items from the BMW lifestyle catalog.

The BMW Direct store on eBay is the car maker's first attempt at eCommerce, and for now the eBay BMW parts store is U.K.-only. However, if it proves successful, you can bet BMW’s largest market—the U.S.—will soon get a version of it as well.