Buyers searching for OEM vs genuine vs aftermarket parts usually find the same three explanations copied from site to site. In practice, trade buyers deal with three price and quality levels, and the difference is not academic — it decides your margin, your return rate and whether the part fits at all.
This page explains the three tiers as we apply them when quoting, how each tier is identified from a part number, and how to decide which one to put on an order. Since October 2026 we quote in three tiers rather than four: our former separate "brand part" and "OEM brand" lines are shown as a single OEM Brand tier, because to the buyer they answer the same question — a non-vehicle-brand part built to the original specification.
Why one part number has three price levels
A part number identifies a component specification, not a single factory. Several independent manufacturers may hold the drawings for the same specification, and the original vehicle manufacturer may also still supply it. They are all "the same part" dimensionally, but they differ in tooling, material grade, warranty and packaging — and therefore in price.
| Tier | What it is | Typical use case | Know it by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Genuine Original | Made and supplied by the vehicle brand itself, in original packaging. | Warranty jobs, insurance work, vehicles still under cover. | Bare part number, no letter suffix. |
| Special Price | The same specification released outside the official dealer channel — the
-XX release. OA-grade quality at a lower price. |
Price-sensitive fleet and workshop jobs. | Part number ending in -XX. |
| OEM Brand | Everything else we supply: established aftermarket manufacturers (filtration, braking, suspension specialists) and the original maker's own brand, all built to OE-equivalent specification. | Standard trade repair, high-turnover service items, buyers who know and trust a brand name. | Any other letter suffix, or a supply brand shown per listing. |
This three-tier structure runs through every listing on our catalogue, so you always know which tier you are looking at before you commit to a price. The tier is always stated on your quotation — we never substitute one tier for another without telling you.
How to identify the tier from the part number
You can often tell the tier before you ask for a quote, because the tier is encoded in the number itself:
- No letter suffix — the number as the factory publishes it. Treat it as Genuine Original.
-XXsuffix — a second-line or reduced-price release of the same specification. This is our Special Price tier.- Any other letter suffix — an alternative supplier or brand variant. These fall under OEM Brand.
The suffix convention is worth understanding on its own, because it is the fastest way to read a quote. It is covered in detail in what part number suffixes mean.
Which tier should you buy?
There is no single right answer, but there is a reliable way to decide:
- Match the tier to the job, not to the cheapest line. A warranty or insurance repair should not be filled with a second-line part, however tempting the price is.
- For safety-critical components — braking, steering, suspension — ask what the differences are in material and testing before you downgrade a tier. On these parts, the saving is rarely worth the exposure.
- For high-turnover service items — filters, wipers, belts — the OEM Brand tier is usually the right commercial choice.
- For cosmetic and body parts, tier choice rarely affects function. Fit and finish are what matter; ask for a photo of the actual stock.
How we quote more than one tier
Because we buy from several suppliers in parallel rather than routing each brand to a single source, we can usually price the same part number in more than one tier at once. When you send a part list, the reply can show the quality options side by side, so the tier decision is yours and it is made on real numbers rather than on an assumption.
If a tier is unavailable at the time of quoting, we say so rather than substituting silently. Availability, quality tier and freight are confirmed before payment — that sequence is the whole point of running an enquiry rather than a checkout.
Next step
Send the part numbers you need and we will come back with the tiers available, the price for each, and the freight to your destination. If you only have a vehicle description, that is enough to start — see how to find a part by OE number.