Denys Zavizion is an entrepreneur who, together with a partner, owns a small business manufacturing unusual, custom, including rare, tuning parts for BMW cars. Since each market has its own specifics and moral rules, the company consolidates many divisions in different countries, each time creating what is called a private label. Such a strategy, along with excellent product quality and a high level of service, contributes to the recognition of Ukrainian products among car owners worldwide.

How it all started

The business appeared long before Denys entered the automotive sphere. His partner independently created the company. It worked solely with individual orders — manufacturing various parts directly in his own garage specifically for the local market.

“I ended up in this business purely by chance. I saw an ad on a service from my current partner, who was looking for a colleague. At that time, I had a bunch of online stores — everything on the local market. It’s not that I was looking specifically to enter the automotive business, but I needed to develop somehow, try something new. So we met, talked, and agreed to work together.”

In any business, the main thing is to decide on the direction, give up everything unnecessary, and focus on one thing. Inaction or dispersal of results will not bring anything. Only the search and optimal use of time can. Guided by these principles, Denys and his new partner began exploring the nuances of their joint business, breaking it down into parts, researching the market to understand the opportunities it offers.

“Until you thoroughly study every detail, nothing will work out. That’s how it went. We took each position and started doing a detailed analysis. For example, let’s take the lower bumper overlay. We dissect it: how it is made, what is done, why it is made, its advantages, where to sell it, who needs this overlay, how to deliver it (this is important because of its large size). And most importantly — how to make the customer happy. We needed to find a golden mean between the customer’s expectations and the price they pay. And so on for each position.”

The company specializes in car tuning, specifically exterior modifications. The assortment includes hundreds of unique parts, reminiscent of old models, but no longer manufactured. Customers who want their car to have an old-school look gladly purchase these.

“Now BMW produces m-performance. Long ago, on older cars, it was called m-tech or M-5 or M-3. It looked beautiful, but now old parts cannot be bought. BMW factories no longer produce them. All parts that were made are either long broken or kept by collectors. The point is that every BMW enthusiast is convinced that the car must be exclusively in M trim. Otherwise, no way. So they persistently search for these parts and eventually come to us. That’s our target audience — buyers who have a clear idea of how their car should look: it should be beautiful, functional, and most importantly, not lag behind modern trends.”

Later, the domestic market alone became too small for business. There weren’t many buyers. Plus, domestic consumers don’t always understand that a good part that doesn’t need modifications costs money. In the US, such goods are called Plug&Play, meaning you take, install, and the part works without extra effort. Here, the advantage is given to cheaper products, although buyers do not consider that by purchasing a cheap part, they will also need to pay extra for installation and fitting.

“We looked at what others do abroad, tried to make something similar because if it works there, it will work here too. Businesses often do that. Then we started making our own adjustments, creating our own product. Sometimes, we had to engage in dumping prices. But this is business. The strongest survives.”

Shop on eBay

At that time, Denys had no experience with international sales. He left an advertisement on a freelance platform about the need to register an eBay account. The person who responded not only registered the entrepreneur on the marketplace but also advised Western Bid as an intermediary that could help with financial issues.

“After that, I started learning the rules. I read the entire eBay database from A to Z. I spent about a year on this because there were very many pages. I started with eBay.de, that is, Germany, and Western Bid in Europe. It was very hard. The first money, 1500€, I received through Western Bid on January 31, 2019, for goods sold in October 2018. Payments were delayed because I was in the so-called beginner’s period. After such prolonged delays, there were no more.”

The first order — fender flares for 80€ each — was quite large even for Germany. For BMW fender flares, it’s an enormous hassle, an oversight from the factory stage. However, it so happened that Denys’s company solved this problem. Since then, clients from Germany purchase fender flares in huge quantities. It’s the only product Germans love above all.

“Who would have thought that a German buyer would come to us and pay such money? When I saw the deposit in my account, I was, to put it mildly, shocked. All that was left was to package the order, add the tracking number, and send it. This was something new for me, and I am very grateful to Western Bid because everything worked perfectly, like clockwork, without any problems. Since then, even the BMW Germany Club — a national organization uniting all recognized car and motorcycle clubs in Germany — often contacts us about fender flares.”

Interestingly, in advertisements for selling cars, Germans often indicate that the installed fender flares are made in Ukraine.

“This shows that our product is valued. It is the gold standard of quality. For Germans, precision and quality are paramount. If they find a part with a millimeter gap, they consider it defective and throw it away. The main thing for them is that everything fits like in a BMW — smooth and perfect. It’s easier with Americans in this regard, but they also know that high-quality auto parts can be bought in Ukraine. This is often discussed on BMW enthusiast forums. It’s through these forums that various car clubs usually reach out to us.”

In addition to fender flares, many dosimeters were also sold to Germany. After the release of the miniseries “Chernobyl” (2019), they were sold so many that the company couldn’t keep up with production and shipping.

“They were snapped up so quickly that it felt like there was radiation everywhere. It was very interesting to watch how easily people fall for advertising and how news influences our consciousness. One might think that mass hysteria is impossible, but it turns out very much so.”

However, it is not necessary to follow trends to have big sales. You can develop an existing product just as successfully.

“I have personally verified that money is earned in both ways. There are small opportunities that you can take and scale. The main thing is to approach it correctly. Some people truly have a gift for catching opportunities, tracking trends, while others excel at purely relying on their vision and developing their own product. The only thing I know for sure is that you should always listen to your customers. For those just starting their own business, I recommend paying attention to customers and never contradicting them. Just listen. They will tell you how to do things. If you do as they tell, everything will turn out the best. If we didn’t do this, if we didn’t guarantee quality service, and didn’t collect analytics, nothing would have worked.”

Research can also be done in other, not only passive, ways. Dealerships, which often come and tell what they need, can be of great help to sellers. Otherwise, internal surveys can also be useful.

“Suppose we release a new product and sell it. To understand whether the product met expectations, we gather feedback from customers. Not just reviews like ‘liked/disliked.’ We are interested in details: whether it was difficult to install, whether problems arose, whether there are comments. We offer discounts to some customers, gifts or free shipping to others. Under such conditions, buyers often respond. Especially Americans. I really like Americans. They are extremely straightforward people. Promise them a 20% discount in exchange for a review and good photos, and they will honestly do everything you ask.”

The majority of the company’s analytics are based precisely on customer feedback. Denys decided not to involve firms that do professional analytics. One reason is the small range of products, making the work of specialized firms, which costs about $20,000–$25,000, simply unprofitable.

“What is business? Spend less, earn more. But if we talk generally about what we are engaged in, the answer is one — first of all, we give happiness to our customer. I am sure of this because many customers return to us. Some have made 10-15 purchases of the same product. Based on this, I conclude that we are moving in the right direction. It only remains to continue and strengthen what we have.”

Of course, there are also unpleasant situations with scams. The most common scammers, Denys says, are those who leave negative feedback without explanations, which significantly damages the shop’s rating on eBay. When you ask these people to delete the feedback in exchange for a refund, they immediately agree. The most atypical scammer is the one who makes an order through some warehouse with many complicated shipments, and eventually writes that he never received the product. Among scammers, there are also those who try to prove through the bank that they did not make the transaction — claiming the purchase was made by a child or someone else.

“To minimize problems, I have developed a sense for scammers over the years. I try to position my product in a separate, not low-cost but slightly higher segment. It’s better for me not to be bought than to get into an unpleasant situation. So my advice to others is — bring your business to the middle segment. It’s difficult, it requires resources, and a great idea. Moreover, you should sell not only the product but also an emotion. There will be a lot of work, but believe me, it’s worth it. You will have far fewer problems.”

To reinforce his point and filter out casual clients, Denys additionally notes in product descriptions: “If you don’t understand what this is, please do not buy. Or ask me, and I will tell you in more detail.”

“I don’t want buyers who buy just to buy. I need a conscious buyer who clearly understands what he is buying and why.”

After February 24

The company fully started operating on the international market in 2019. But a year later, the coronavirus outbreak happened. Activities had to be paused.

“At that time, we didn’t have a clear understanding of what to do. We had to run the business and somehow develop — under those circumstances, it was not an easy task. Thank God, we had enough financial literacy to figure everything out and save the company.”

When the financial crisis occurred and the stock market fell about 20%, which was considered quite a significant drop, the US government more or less stabilized the situation. It strongly supported its citizens: printing money and organizing various social assistance programs.

“Then we decided to resume work. We used the downtime to understand how and with what exactly to work in the new conditions, what to improve, and where to sell. I wouldn’t say the pandemic period was bad. During that time, we created quite a few new products. The only thing is — it was really hard. Mainly because of excessive stress. But when the war started, stress increased many times over.”

According to Denys, COVID taught them not to stop, but it was still very upsetting. It seemed they had only just got back on their feet after the pandemic when the war started. The future was full of uncertainty. But, having gained experience from the previous test, after February 24, the team continued working steadily. When asked about the shipment of goods, Denys always answered — yes, it is carried out.

“We overcame this stage and continue to develop. We endured, kept our team of 12 people. We even managed to increase wages for everyone. We do all this not only for ourselves but also for Ukraine. We know many businesses have gone under. In contrast, we survived. So, we support the country as we can and where we can. We have technologies that can be used to assist in combat operations. Moreover, people abroad know about us. When we were at an exhibition in Berlin, we asked those present to donate to our funds. And we also pay taxes. This is important because the budget of any country primarily consists of taxes from small and medium-sized businesses, and these funds will go to the recovery of Ukraine after the war, paying debts, and supporting our population.”

Western Bid

When car clubs or dealers contact Denys with a clear request, they immediately emphasize that delivery must be carried out exclusively through Western Bid. For them, Western Bid is primarily about high-quality delivery of goods, whether to Europe or the USA.

“The transportation of our parts is often accompanied by a high risk. We always worry about the goods arriving intact and undamaged, so we immediately calculate the delivery and, depending on where the parcel is headed, choose a box and one of the suitable shipping options: UPS, FedEx or DPD. Thanks to DPD, Western Bid is a special thank-you. It’s the only delivery I can practically always use.”

Based on DPD, Denys developed a whole project. Now Europeans are afraid to order goods from Ukraine, so they are told that, despite the fact that production takes place in Ukraine, shipping is carried out from Europe. When this method was first applied, the reassurance worked — sales immediately increased several times. And even over time, this small trick still works.

“Western Bid is a very reliable company that provides excellent service. And service and reliability are sometimes more important than the product itself. It’s also worth noting the various innovations. As soon as they appear in the personal account, I immediately test them, see how convenient they are, and where I can use them. As for payment acceptance — I still use Western Bid’s services today. I signed the contract and have no problems with sales or the tax authorities — everything is open and transparent. And if problems arise, they are solved quickly, just call the support center. Working with Western Bid is very convenient, I like everything about it.”