Parts Salespersons
Sell spare and replacement parts and equipment in repair shop or parts store.
What it pays
Parts Salespersons earn a median of $18.57/hr — about $38,500 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $13.58/hr; the top 10% earn $30.24/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
Parts Salespersons earn a median of $18.57/hr — about $38,500 a year. The lowest-paid 10% earn $13.58/hr; the top 10% earn $30.24/hr. (Annual figures are approximate: hourly × 2,080.)
What you'd actually do
- Receive payment or obtain credit authorization.
- Assist customers, such as responding to customer complaints and updating them about back-ordered parts.
- Fill customer orders from stock, and place orders when requested items are out of stock.
- Receive and fill telephone orders for parts.
- Locate and label parts, and maintain inventory of stock.
- Prepare sales slips or sales contracts.
How you get there
Typical entry-level education: Less than high school. Overall preparation: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).
The feel of the work
Much of the work happens outdoors; you're around people constantly; it rewards working independently. (Compared against the other 818 careers in the guide.)
Working for yourself
About 1.6% of parts salespersons are self-employed.
Who it tends to fit
This work tends to fit people who are organized and detail-focused, hands-on and take-charge.
Work a simulated shift in this job — freeMake the real decisions this job involves, then see what your choices say about you.Related careers
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- First-Line Supervisors of Non-Retail Sales Workers
Quick questions
- How much does a parts salesperson make?
- The median pay is $18.57 per hour — roughly $38,500 a year, with the real range running from about $13.58/hr (10th percentile) to $30.24/hr (90th percentile). Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Do you need a degree to be a parts salesperson?
- The typical entry-level education is: Less than high school. Overall preparation level: some preparation (Job Zone 2 of 5).
- What does a parts salesperson actually do all day?
- Receive payment or obtain credit authorization. Assist customers, such as responding to customer complaints and updating them about back-ordered parts. Fill customer orders from stock, and place orders when requested items are out of stock.
Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS. Tasks & interests: O*NET. Career pathways shown in the app are draft archetypes — verify before relying on them. Trailhead is a free career guide for students — honest numbers, no hype.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.
Trailhead is operated by FLEXVermont LLC. It is intended for high-school students age 13 and older, and the educators and families who support them, and is not directed to children under 13. Trailhead is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It does not offer professional, financial, or career advice, and its wage figures and pathways are estimates that may not fit your situation — they should not be relied on as the sole basis for any decision.