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 four tiers, and the difference is not academic — it decides your margin, your return rate and whether the part fits at all.
This page explains the four 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.
Why one part number has four 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 | Supplied through the original manufacturer's channel, in OE packaging. | Warranty jobs, insurance work, vehicles still under cover. | Bare part number, no letter suffix. |
| Special Price | Same specification, second-line or bulk channel. This is where the -XX
mark sits. |
Price-sensitive fleet and workshop jobs. | Part number ending in -XX. |
| International Brand | Produced by an independent brand (filtration, braking, suspension specialists) to the same specification. | Standard trade repair; buyers who know and trust a brand name. | Letter suffix other than -XX, or a brand shown per listing. |
| OEM Brand | Manufactured by the original equipment maker but sold under that maker's own brand rather than the vehicle brand. | Best value when the factory itself is the selling point. | Listed as a supply brand on the part page. |
This four-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.
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 International 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 international and OEM brand tiers are 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.