First off, I apologize for writing you an essay, but there's no short way to explain this.
Ok, this is my huge secret to buying things: only idiots buy things on auction. Most repair shops & purchasing companies will scan (themselves, or sometimes use bots) the "Time: Newly Listed" section of eBay.
Go to this page:
http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?LH_B...md=2&_sc=1&_sop=10&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_vc=1
That shows you all of the broken items listed on eBay right now, sorted by the most recent listing first. It also filters out all auctions, and only leaves buy it now items.
That's the easy part. The hardest part is actually completing the purchase before anyone else. It's sort of a race, and sometimes if the price is low enough, you won't even be able to read the auction.
To do this, you need to refresh the page as soon as you're done scanning the newest couple items (I do the first 10 usually). If you devote 2 hours to doing this, you can get a couple great deals.
Let's say you see an iPhone 3Gs 32GB for $75 with a cracked screen. That's an awesome deal, and chances are there's a dozen other people clicking that item as you are. Don't read the auction at that price, you'll be able to recoup costs from it no matter what the issue is. Go right to the "Buy It Now" button, and then click "Commit to Buy". The whole process should take about 5-10 seconds, unless instant payment is required. For larger items, like MacBooks, you need to scan the description and quickly go back to the top of the page and commit to buy. Don't spend time hung up on reading the description, since chances are the seller will work with you to cancel the purchase if you just ask (avoid this though).
I've purchased these items this week: 13" Macbook pro ($115), iPhone 4 16GB (Complete, but in pieces - $35), Powerbook G4 15" Newest Gen. ($19), Macbook air Display assembly ($35), macbook air complete logic board + bottom assembly (fully functional $200), and a few more things. I could keep going for a while with that list, but you get the point.
Compared to the auction prices for these items, you're spending nearly 50-80% less. A broken iPhone 4 16GB was averaging $250 when I bought mine, a broken MBP 13" is $300-$400 depending on the issue, and a macbook air display assembly alone costs $200-$300.
