When Walter moved from El Salvador to the United States in 2000, he worked long hours — often 16-hour shifts — in maintenance, janitorial services and plumbing, but those roles put him on the path to running his own business. 

One morning, while cleaning a building, Walter spotted a basket of discontinued Palm Pilot cases marked at $1 each, though they had once retailed for $40. He recognized an opportunity, bought five and listed them on eBay for $25 apiece. When all five were sold the next day, Walter went back and bought out the entire basket.

Today, Walter is one of the many Americans who sell auto parts through eBay Motors, a thriving marketplace with more than 700 million parts and accessories for sale, used by mechanics and DIYers alike. 

From Side Hustle to Small Business

Walter found his storefront’s niche while searching for a carburetor for his old boat. At a warehouse filled with inventory from a closed shop, the owner said Walter could dig through boxes to find the needed piece. Sifting through the disorganized boxes, he quickly recognized the inventory’s hidden value. The carburetor he initially went shopping for dropped off his list of priorities.

Though he couldn’t afford the entire inventory, he negotiated one box of parts down to $300 and listed them on eBay. When they sold, he returned to negotiate for the whole inventory, bargaining the price down to just $3,500. Over the next four years, those parts generated more than $300,000 — roughly 100 times more than he invested. It was enough to help Walter’s family weather the recession and build more momentum for his business.

“That moment changed my life,” Walter said. “I realized if I worked hard, eBay could provide a real future for my family.”

By 2004, word of his success had spread. When he visited a Mercedes-Benz dealer to buy a car, the owner asked about his work on eBay and opened up about his struggle to sell their inventory. Walter offered to help and began listing auto parts for the dealership and, within three months, helped them exceed their sales goals. Soon after, he established himself as one of the first sellers on eBay to focus on Mercedes-Benz parts, always working with the brand's authorization.

Building a Business and a Community

Walter officially turned his store, GonWalt, into a full-time operation in 2006. With more time to devote to eBay, what began as a side hustle became a trusted online distributorship specializing in Mercedes-Benz parts. Today, GonWalt has grown into a 4,000-square-foot warehouse, with plans to keep expanding. Through it all, Walter says eBay has been central to his success.

“No other platform has given me the opportunities they’ve given me,” Walter said. “eBay is my nest, it’s my home.”

Walter sells exclusively on eBay, in part because of the confidence and trust shoppers have in the platform. Customers can return eligible auto parts bought on eBay for free, allowing them to shop worry-free, and eBay’s Secure Purchase program simplifies vehicle transactions by managing payment, financing, registration, ownership transfer, and transport in one simple experience. 

Beyond those protections, Walter appreciates eBay’s commitment to “accidental entrepreneurs," people, like him, who never intended to own a business but embraced the role after starting selling on the platform. 

 “eBay just treats you like a person – like a human being,” he said. “They give you the opportunities you need to succeed and create a community that is ready to help people reach their dreams.”

Living the American Dream

Walter’s success on eBay has transformed his family’s future. One of his daughters is pursuing an MBA, his other daughter is in law school and his youngest son is thriving in high school. For Walter, those achievements represent something even greater than financial stability, it’s independence and life he once dreamed of.

“I have my American dream,” he said, “and it’s all because of eBay.”