BMW opens shop on eBay

In its first foray into e-commerce, BMW has opened a store on eBay selling car parts and accessories. 

This move makes BMW the first car maker to sell directly through the site, and allows it to take advantage of the sizeable market for motor spares on the site. 

The fact that there are 600,000 searches a month on eBay UK for BMW shows the size of the potential customer base for the car maker. 

There are already plenty of sellers dealing with this demand, but the fact that parts are official and come with a two year guarantee will no doubt persuade many customers to switch. 

BMW joins a growing number of established retail brands that have begun selling on the site over the last few years, as eBay continues to expand beyond its original auction model. 

For well known brands selling via eBay, the sheer size of eBay’s customer base, with 96m ‘active users’ worldwide, provides a valuable additional channel. 

For example, fashion retailer Office sells end of line items and surplus stock through eBay, and sales have passed the £1m mark. 

According to Office E-commerce manager Al Gerrie, the retailer has acquired 60,000 new customers through its eBay outlet, which he said appeals to different demographic than its other sales channels.