aftermarket

[af-ter-mahr-kit, ahf-]

noun

1. the market for replacement parts, accessories, and equipment for the care or enhancement of the original product, especially an automobile, after its sale to the consumer.

   The company holds a large share in the automotive radio aftermarket.

2. any additional market created by a product after the primary market.

   Television is the perfect aftermarket for old movies.

3. Stock Exchange.,  secondary market.

Word History and Origins

Origin of aftermarket¹

First recorded in 1935–40; after + market

Example Sentences

Tenneco has noticed that though drum brake demand in the automotive aftermarket was previously declining rapidly, this has slowed.

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“Compared to domestic cars in a similar price range, they just don’t have as many features and there’s just too big of a cost differential when it comes to general maintenance like aftermarket service.”

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More recently, the department settled a lawsuit over forced-reset triggers, in the process allowing the sale of aftermarket devices that boost a semiautomatic rifle’s rate of fire.

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If you’re going with an aftermarket site, be sure to check its policies for how it will guarantee your purchase.

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However, aftermarket products can be more difficult to regulate and track due to a proliferation of manufacturers, retailers and installers.

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When To Use

What does aftermarket mean?

An aftermarket is a market for parts, accessories, or equipment used to maintain or improve an existing product, usually relating to machinery, especially automobiles.The aftermarket is a market for goods that can be used to repair, improve, or change a product that was already made on a primary, or standard, market. For example, when you buy a replacement power cable for your laptop from a company other than the computer manufacturer, you’re buying it on the aftermarket. Aftermarket is often paired with parts, as in The aftermarket parts for my car are actually of a better quality than the original parts.In the context of a stock exchange, aftermarket is used to mean a secondary market. The secondary market is the situation where investors buy and sell shares that are already owned. In contrast, the primary market is the situation where a company first sells its shares to investors. Before that, the company was owned privately. National markets like the New York Stock Exchange and the NASDAQ are aftermarkets. Example: Because her new car didn’t come with good-quality speakers, Libby searched the aftermarket for better speakers.