# CarParts.com pushed A-Premium from $45M to $50M run rate in one quarter by scaling last-mile delivery partnerships *The auto parts brand turned distribution capacity into a standalone revenue stream by handling last-mile logistics for competitors.* By **Jenny Huang Goodman MPA MSc MHSA, Principal** — The Stash Edge, Hako Shikin LLC. Published 2026-08-20. Canonical: https://www.pops4.com/stash/articles/carpartscom-a-premium-2026-08-20t03-3 Subject: CarParts.com (A-Premium) Tags: distribution scaling, last-mile logistics, partnership revenue, fulfillment arbitrage, automotive parts, logistics infrastructure --- CarParts.com reported its A-Premium private label reached a **$50 million annualized run rate** in Q2 2026, up from **$45 million** in Q1, according to Seeking Alpha. The company stated it now targets **300,000 packages annually** through last-mile delivery partnerships, converting its own fulfillment infrastructure into a contracted service for other brands. The play: CarParts.com built warehouse and last-mile capacity to serve its own direct-to-consumer orders, then opened that capacity to competitors and adjacent brands that lack final-mile networks. A-Premium products move through the same trucks and routes that already serve CarParts.com customers, filling unused delivery slots and absorbing fixed logistics costs. The company charges partners for both product and delivery, treating distribution as a standalone margin line. This works because last-mile logistics in automotive parts is expensive and fragmented. Most small to mid-sized parts brands ship via third-party carriers, paying retail rates and losing control over delivery speed. CarParts.com already negotiated volume rates, owns routing software, and trained drivers on bulky-item handling. By sharing that infrastructure, the company turns a cost center into a revenue asset while partners gain predictable delivery at lower per-unit economics than they could negotiate alone. The **300,000-package target** signals the model scales beyond A-Premium's own SKU base. CarParts.com is not simply shipping more of its own inventory; it is becoming a logistics provider that happens to sell parts. The quarter-over-quarter revenue step—**$5 million annualized** in three months—indicates the partnership pipeline is active and converting. A small physical-product brand with its own fulfillment can replicate this in miniature. If you ship **200 orders per month** from a shared warehouse or 3PL, approach brands in adjacent categories that serve the same customer but lack your delivery density. Offer to include their SKUs in your outbound shipments for a flat per-package fee that covers marginal handling and one extra stop. Start with a single partner, one SKU, and a **$3-5 per package** charge. Run the pilot for 90 days, measure incremental revenue against added labor, and expand if margin holds. For brands without owned logistics, the path is partnership from the buyer side. Identify a larger brand in your category that already ships at volume to your target geography. Propose a test: you supply packaged, labeled units to their warehouse, they add your SKU to existing delivery routes, and you pay a per-package fee plus a small revenue share. You gain last-mile speed without building infrastructure; they gain margin on capacity they already paid for. Document delivery performance and customer feedback, then scale by ZIP code. The mechanism is not unique to automotive parts. Any category with dense, repeat delivery—pet supplies, grocery staples, industrial consumables—can convert logistics capacity into a revenue line if the brand controls routing and has unfilled truck space. The constraint is trust: partners must believe you will not compete directly on their core SKUs and that you can deliver without damaging their brand. Contracts should specify product categories, delivery SLAs, and customer-facing branding to prevent overlap and reputational risk. CarParts.com's **$5 million quarterly step-up** indicates it is signing multiple partners or expanding package volume with existing ones. The model compounds because each new partner increases delivery density, which lowers per-package cost, which makes the offer more attractive to the next partner. The question for a physical-product marketer is whether your current fulfillment operation has enough unused capacity to justify the partnership overhead and whether you can price the service to cover incremental labor without undercutting retail carriers. The next move is testing adjacency. If you ship consumer electronics, approach brands in smart home accessories. If you ship apparel, approach brands in small leather goods. The delivery vehicle and route are the same; only the SKU changes. Start with one partner, one product, one market, and measure whether the margin justifies the complexity. ## The takeaway Convert owned fulfillment capacity into revenue by charging adjacent brands a per-package fee to share your last-mile delivery routes. --- ## Publisher **Hako Shikin LLC** — Virginia Beach, Virginia. Founded 1997. ASI 217876 · DUNS 18-204-6339. Principal and author: **Jenny Huang Goodman MPA MSc MHSA**. - Author: https://www.huanggoodman.com/about - LLM context: https://www.pops4.com/stash/llms.txt - MCP endpoint, for AI agents: https://mcp.pops4.com/mcp - Client dashboard: https://dashboard.pops4.com/ - Catalogue: 70,000+ products, 200+ brands