Electronics Spare Parts in India - Repair Mafia?

[y2s]

Is it only me or is getting spare parts for anything in this country impossible? Back in the day I used AliExpress (Was worth it despite the long shipping). Are there some good options specifically for mobile/laptop parts? Not just basic housing or daughter boards. Im looking for IC’s and specific components for board level work.

Coming back to India, Somehow repair shops (3rd party) all have spares available so there must be some dealers/importers. I just can’t seem to figure out who. Even if I’m able to sometimes find a dealer the prices are quite obscene.

Feels like all the players are in cohoots with each other to milk customers dry in the name of “repair” & “experience”

Really sucks for someone like me that can identify problems at board level and go on to fix it at nominal cost of small inexpensive components. Not to brag but I believe I am better equipped to perform the repairs myself than these so called “technicians” that more often than not return your device in a worse condition than what you give them.

Fed up with a recent experience that prompted me to post this.
Was Fixing my friends iPhone 8 which after my diagnosis simply requires a new Tigris IC which goes for less than $3. I can’t get this chip anywhere in india and the few offline repair centers I enquired at refused to entertain me. They want their 10-15k repair revenue for such a small issue and won’t even sell me the chips so I can DIY.

Not only this - have faced similar experience across brands and product categories and it’s gotten a lot worse in the last 2-3 years.

DIY repair is something that truely gives me a lot of satisfaction. Sucks that there are so many institutional roadblocks.

What are your thoughts? Any leads to good repair guys or industry insiders I can build a rapport with?

 

[greenhorn]

Yes, i agree there has been a steep decline in the online availablity of parts online. 10 years ago, everything was available on Amazon, and more importantly, ebay. I feel this sort of business needs a low margin and low cost operational model that ebay had somehow figured out. Today Amazon and other mainstream Ecom sites ask for too much margins while the new start ups in this area (xfurbish etc) have attained neither maturity or economy of scale.
So we are stuck with depending on foreign sellers and an inefficient local market.

My luck has been mostly with trying out random new online sites and OLX sellers. Got lucky in some cases, burnt in others.

 

[superczar]

Is it only me or is getting spare parts for anything in this country impossible? Back in the day I used AliExpress (Was worth it despite the long shipping). Are there some good options specifically for mobile/laptop parts? Not just basic housing or daughter boards. Im looking for IC’s and specific components for board level work.

Coming back to India, Somehow repair shops (3rd party) all have spares available so there must be some dealers/importers. I just can’t seem to figure out who. Even if I’m able to sometimes find a dealer the prices are quite obscene.

Feels like all the players are in cohoots with each other to milk customers dry in the name of “repair” & “experience”

Really sucks for someone like me that can identify problems at board level and go on to fix it at nominal cost of small inexpensive components. Not to brag but I believe I am better equipped to perform the repairs myself than these so called “technicians” that more often than not return your device in a worse condition than what you give them.

Fed up with a recent experience that prompted me to post this.
Was Fixing my friends iPhone 8 which after my diagnosis simply requires a new Tigris IC which goes for less than $3. I can’t get this chip anywhere in india and the few offline repair centers I enquired at refused to entertain me. They want their 10-15k repair revenue for such a small issue and won’t even sell me the chips so I can DIY.

Not only this - have faced similar experience across brands and product categories and it’s gotten a lot worse in the last 2-3 years.

DIY repair is something that truely gives me a lot of satisfaction. Sucks that there are so many institutional roadblocks.

What are your thoughts? Any leads to good repair guys or industry insiders I can build a rapport with?

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On a side note, what do you use for smd soldering?

 

[D C]

AliExpress was an absolute godsend for niche hobby and self repair stuff. Could find literally everything. Down to its components. Switches, relays, weird fuses etc.

Really wish we had an Indian alternative.

But we don’t have much DIY/self repair enthusiasm compared to other countries.

People here are scared to open back cover of their laptops to clean them(not judging them, they right in being fearful of damaging their expensive stuff).

My one experience- got myself a hyperx mechanical keyboard. Keys started malfunctioning within a year, no problem, easy warranty replacement. Same issue in less than a year with the replacement keyboard. The manufacturer has no options for repair, even paid option(no switches, no boards nothing).

Found some cherry mx red switches on AliExpress for less than 10usd.

Although this keyboard has soldered switches and I didn’t know about swappable and diy keyboards. But found about them after experiencing all this.

Until we we get a bit of diy spirit in everyone, not just rely on warranty replacements/at mercy of manufacturers.

With diy demand, I hope supply will follow soon.

 

[y2s]

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www.indiamart.com

On a side note, what do you use for smd soldering?

Not specifically the chip I was looking for but thank you for your effort. I will give them a call to see if they have it (u3300). I just use an 858D clone I got from Ali a few years ago. This is honestly just a hobby - doesn't get used more than 2-3 times a year so has been sufficient for me so far.

To update OP - I went down the rabbit hole further and am surprised to find that its near impossible to even find broken/for parts devices or lots on any online platform . Are offline/cashify etc so efficient that no broken items are making their way to online sales channels? Where is all the e waste ending up?

Until we we get a bit of diy spirit in everyone, not just rely on warranty replacements/at mercy of manufacturers.

With diy demand, I hope supply will follow soon.

Perhaps there isn't a retail demand(This is likely the case) and it is something I considered before posting. But you have to believe there is a large enough market given our population. The problem isn't as much that spares aren't readily available. It's that there is a lot of control being exercised within the supply chain. This is to be expected from OEM's but is surprising to see 3rd parties also do it. At least on the internet, I have not been able to find any of the distributors that these repair shops get their parts from. I am okay with paying 2 and maybe even 5x for a part locally but in my experience prices are often 100x if you are even able to source it. Earlier this year I was quoted 2k for a flex cable that sells $1 for 5.

As I further ponder over this I'm realizing - It's just not worth the effort to jump thru so many hoops for such simple things. Time value starts playing a large role.

I preferred DIY because it was faster for me. With the amount of time I'm having to spend sourcing parts from obscure websites/random ebay or chinese stores, it is just not worth it anymore. Irrespective of the savings.

 

[superczar]

Not specifically the chip I was looking for but thank you for your effort. I will give them a call to see if they have it (u3300). I just use an 858D clone I got from Ali a few years ago. This is honestly just a hobby - doesn't get used more than 2-3 times a year so has been sufficient for me so far.

To update OP - I went down the rabbit hole further and am surprised to find that its near impossible to even find broken/for parts devices or lots on any online platform . Are offline/cashify etc so efficient that no broken items are making their way to online sales channels? Where is all the e waste ending up?

Perhaps there isn't a retail demand(This is likely the case) and it is something I considered before posting. But you have to believe there is a large enough market given our population. The problem isn't as much that spares aren't readily available. It's that there is a lot of control being exercised within the supply chain. This is to be expected from OEM's but is surprising to see 3rd parties also do it. At least on the internet, I have not been able to find any of the distributors that these repair shops get their parts from. I am okay with paying 2 and maybe even 5x for a part locally but in my experience prices are often 100x if you are even able to source it. Earlier this year I was quoted 2k for a flex cable that sells $1 for 5.

As I further ponder over this I'm realizing - It's just not worth the effort to jump thru so many hoops for such simple things. Time value starts playing a large role.

I preferred DIY because it was faster for me. With the amount of time I'm having to spend sourcing parts from obscure websites/random ebay or chinese stores, it is just not worth it anymore. Irrespective of the savings.

the answer is very limited demand, at least in India.

The relatively young population combined with a massive love affair for mobile phones means that handsets see a lot of churn that percolates down the market.
From an end user’s perspective, even if he/she has low disposable income, buying a working handset in the used market starts looking like a better bet than getting a dead/malfunctioning one repaired.

Repair technicians for anything are ridiculously difficult to find - even for things that are relatively modular and the likelihood of a repair being long lived high.
And people with a genuine interest in DIY repairs are even more rare

 

[Hachune]

I just felt like crying when they decided to ban aliexpress. It is the best. Even China do not have anything close to it not to mention India. We will probably never have something similar atleast not anytime soon. They were willing to ship items that costs less than Rs 100 internationally at free of cost. In India, I can't find any online shops that does this. Even Amazon wont free ship below Rs 500, that's the difference between us.

If I want to buy spare parts for electronics, I mostly go for Electroncomponents, Electronicscomps and Robu. I don't think there is one shop that sells all.

 

[deusExMachina]

I suspect that they get spares directly from contacts inside China and old dead devices. For a DIYer, it'd be hard to buy in volume and they might not have as many scrap laying about.

Also OP, what equipment do you use? I'd imagine you need all sort of specialized tools for the SMT rework.

 

[nRiTeCh]

AliExpress was our bread butter for almost anything or say everything! But sadly the war and then the sympathetic make in India crap killed it forever.
There wont be any such site like AE forget India where everyone is only interested in looting for thousands and lacs for a mere 100 bucks thing! and these days on the excuse of lockdown losses!
Indiamart is your only option around but mind you they mostly do not sell 1 single unit but in 100s quantity.
Even for my hobby stuff its all major roadblock after closure of AE so all seems stagnant!

 

[deusExMachina]

AliExpress was our bread butter for almost anything or say everything! But sadly the war and then the sympathetic make in India crap killed it forever.
There wont be any such site like AE forget India where everyone is only interested in looting for thousands and lacs for a mere 100 bucks thing! and these days on the excuse of lockdown losses!
Indiamart is your only option around but mind you they mostly do not sell 1 single unit but in 100s quantity.
Even for my hobby stuff its all major roadblock after closure of AE so all seems stagnant!

Yup, there is a toolmaker who supposedly makes their stuff in India. They increased their prices by something like 25 - 30% overnight when Ali got blocked.

Also interestingly, despite claiming to be 'made in India', their products are exact copies of the Chinese ones while being more expensive.

It's a bit disheartening in general. We barely make anything here, all the imported stuff get slapped on with so much charges that they get quite expensive.

@nRiTeCh Have you bought anything from IndiaMart? are they reliable?

 

[nRiTeCh]

Yup, there is a toolmaker who supposedly makes their stuff in India. They increased their prices by something like 25 - 30% overnight when Ali got blocked.

Also interestingly, despite claiming to be 'made in India', their products are exact copies of the Chinese ones while being more expensive.

It's a bit disheartening in general. We barely make anything here, all the imported stuff get slapped on with so much charges that they get quite expensive.

@nRiTeCh Have you bought anything from IndiaMart? are they reliable?

Never but heard good words from industrial friends who used to frequent stuff from there.

 

[superczar]

Yup, there is a toolmaker who supposedly makes their stuff in India. They increased their prices by something like 25 - 30% overnight when Ali got blocked.

Also interestingly, despite claiming to be 'made in India', their products are exact copies of the Chinese ones while being more expensive.

It's a bit disheartening in general. We barely make anything here, all the imported stuff get slapped on with so much charges that they get quite expensive.

@nRiTeCh Have you bought anything from IndiaMart? are they reliable?

Indiamart is a b2b directory.
The actual reliability lies on the vendor you find over there

 

[TigerKing]

Indiamart is a b2b directory.
The actual reliability lies on the vendor you find over there

Can we order 1 product or is there any minimum order quantity?
I wanted to buy some 20-30, 18650 Samsung 35E but unable to determine original from IndiaMart.
I found batterybro.com which provides original cells but done know about India shipping.

 

[nRiTeCh]

Can we order 1 product or is there any minimum order quantity?
I wanted to buy some 20-30, 18650 Samsung 35E but unable to determine original from IndiaMart.
I found batterybro.com which provides original cells but done know about India shipping.

You can request for sample they might send you single item for demo but be ready for their call thereafter to buy in bulk quantities etc.

 

[TigerKing]

You can request for sample they might send you single item for demo but be ready for their call thereafter to buy in bulk quantities etc.

Can you provide some good trusted sellers link?

 

[nRiTeCh]

Can you provide some good trusted sellers link?

How can I when I havent ever bought anything but my friends. You are on your own, research before ordering. You can also email or even call the sellers before final orders.

 

[Darth Vader]

I tried my hand at procuring thermal pads/ Firewall/Thin Client & some stuff as an individual on Indiamart. The process is simple, you search for the dealers/post your requirement and the sellers will contact you on chat or share the number. I met with sellers willing to sell their inferior product at bulk or don't respond at all after they realize it isn't a business order.
Maybe it'll workout for you depending on what you inquire for. But remember nothing in India ever going to replace Aliexpress.
Gd lck !!

 

[TigerKing]

I tried my hand at procuring thermal pads/ Firewall/Thin Client & some stuff as an individual on Indiamart. The process is simple, you search for the dealers/post your requirement and the sellers will contact you on chat or share the number. I met with sellers willing to sell their inferior product at bulk or don't respond at all after they realize it isn't a business order.
Maybe it'll workout for you depending on what you inquire for. But remember nothing in India ever going to replace Aliexpress.
Gd lck !!

AliExpress provides fake 18650 batteries.
Only original source in India is used laptop Batteries.

 

[blr_p]

Really sucks for someone like me that can identify problems at board level and go on to fix it at nominal cost of small inexpensive components. Not to brag but I believe I am better equipped to perform the repairs myself than these so called “technicians” that more often than not return your device in a worse condition than what you give them.

Feels like all the players are in cohoots with each other to milk customers dry in the name of “repair” & “experience”

So i wanted to repair a wall clock by Seiko. The problem it turns out is I used Duracell batteries. Never use those in a wall clock. Always use non-alkaline batteries in a wall clock. These batteries won't last as long as alkaline but at least won't damage the clock movement.

Well i figured out the problem and approached Seiko for parts. I only wanted the part as i could do the fix myself.

Not possible. They would only sell me the part so long as I agreed to let them fix it ie. Labour costs on top.

That is the business model.

The other part of it is a proper fix in general, doesn't matter what the equipment, costs less but takes up more time and requires skills.

So the practice is to replace modules which cost more than the faulty component, charge more and use less skilled people.

They call this good business or maybe its the only viable way to provide ASS in the present environment.

I feel this sort of business needs a low margin and low cost operational model that ebay had somehow figured out. Today Amazon and other mainstream Ecom sites ask for too much margins while the new start ups in this area (xfurbish etc) have attained neither maturity or economy of scale.
So we are stuck with depending on foreign sellers and an inefficient local market.

This is the problem in a nutshelll as far as parts availability goes.

To update OP - I went down the rabbit hole further and am surprised to find that its near impossible to even find broken/for parts devices or lots on any online platform . Are offline/cashify etc so efficient that no broken items are making their way to online sales channels? Where is all the e waste ending up?

An interesting question. There is a lobby out there that is against second hand sales because they fear it will affect their sales.

How do they prevent second hand stuff from appearing anywhere I wonder.

Perhaps there isn't a retail demand(This is likely the case) and it is something I considered before posting. But you have to believe there is a large enough market given our population. The problem isn't as much that spares aren't readily available. It's that there is a lot of control being exercised within the supply chain. This is to be expected from OEM's but is surprising to see 3rd parties also do it.

Bingo!

AliExpress was our bread butter for almost anything or say everything! But sadly the war and then the sympathetic make in India crap killed it forever.

I've seen people post videos of buying from AE using a VPN. Are these fake videos ?

@nRiTeCh Have you bought anything from IndiaMart? are they reliable?

@rdst_1 has

I wanted to buy some 20-30, 18650 Samsung 35E but unable to determine original from IndiaMart.
I found batterybro.com which provides original cells but done know about India shipping.

https://www.rcproduct.in/product/samsung-inr18650-35e-3500mah-pink-2pcs/

I was going to suggest robu

https://robu.in/product/samsung-inr18650-35e-3500mah-2c-li-ion-battery/

I picked up a panasonic from them and its genuine. The next bit is figuring how to get a spot welder. Any ideas ?

There are see cig packet size ones on sale on AE. That's the kind to get. They use 18650 batteries to provide the spark.

Read this https://robu.in/about/

They started it because of the very reasons in the opener.

 

[Mumbgamer]

There needs to be a right to repair movement in India too.
Only recently did normal consumers have been able to get spares for automobiles through manufacturers. I remember service centers refusing to sell parts unless repaired there. It is still a issue to get service/workshop manuals for your cars.

AliExpress was also useful for obscure parts like mouse switches, pc start and reset cables & switches, pci diagnostic cards etc. You could even get difficult to find led bulbs in obscure sizes like ba7s,ba9s etc.

Also these mobile repair guys have inside contacts at service centers where they get parts from old phones, dead boards etc