On this page 7 sections
Four words decide most of what you pay for a truck part: new, used, OEM take-off and aftermarket. They are not marketing language. Each one tells you where the part came from, what warranty it carries and what you should expect when it arrives.
New OEM
A new original-equipment part is made by, or for, the vehicle manufacturer and has never been fitted to a truck. It arrives in a factory box with a factory part number, and it is the most expensive way to buy. It is also the only option when a part has to be perfect on a vehicle still under a body warranty, or when the panel will be painted and any prior damage would show.
New parts carry whatever written warranty the manufacturer offers. We pass that through and handle the claim for you rather than sending you to the maker.
OEM take-off
A take-off is an original factory part removed from another truck, usually early in its life. Think of a work truck that went straight from the dealer to an upfitter: the factory bumper, bed or tailgate comes off at a few hundred miles and goes on a shelf, never having done a winter.
Take-offs are the sweet spot for body parts. You get factory fit and factory metal at a fraction of new. Condition varies from unit to unit, which is exactly why every take-off listing on this site is photographed individually — the pictures are of the part you will receive, not a stand-in.
Used
A used part has served time. For a bumper or a bed that means the finish tells a story: scuffs, a dent, surface rust on a mounting flange. For an electronic module it means hours of operation. Used is the cheapest route and often the only route for parts that have been out of production for a decade.
Every used and take-off part we sell carries a 90-day parts-only limited warranty from the day it is delivered. If a part fails inside that window the remedy is a refund and we pay the return freight. Read the Warranty Policy for the exact terms.
Aftermarket
Aftermarket parts are made by someone other than the vehicle manufacturer. The range is enormous: a heavy steel replacement bumper built stronger than factory sits in the same category as a thin pattern panel that fights you on every bolt hole.
Aftermarket makes sense when you want something the factory never offered — a winch-capable front bumper, a headache rack, a service body — or when the OEM part has simply become unobtainable. It makes less sense when you need an exact factory match for a repair that will be painted and blended.
Factory seconds and scratch-and-dent
Occasionally a part is new, never fitted, and still discounted because of a cosmetic flaw from the factory or from handling. These are listed plainly as factory seconds. Because a manufacturer will not warrant a part sold as a second, we cover those with our own 90-day warranty instead.
Which one should you buy?
Work it backwards from the job:
- Insurance or lease return, panel will be painted: new OEM, or a take-off in excellent condition.
- Daily driver, repair after a parking knock: OEM take-off. Factory fit without the factory invoice.
- Work truck, part takes abuse anyway: used, or heavy aftermarket if you want it stronger than stock.
- Something the factory never built: aftermarket, by definition.
- Out of production: used is usually the only honest answer.
What every listing has to tell you
Whichever route you take, a listing should carry a condition line and enough photographs to judge it. Ours do. If a part needs repair work before it goes on a truck, the listing says so in the condition notes — that is not a detail to discover after delivery.
Still weighing two options? Send us the year, make, model and trim and tell us what the truck is for. We will tell you which version we would put on our own truck, and if we do not have it we will say so rather than sell you something close.
Need the part, not the theory?
Send us the year, make, model, trim and VIN. We will confirm fitment before you order, and we answer email within 1 business day.