refurbishing - OEM Suppliers

[ac4m2]

wrote a really descriptive thread and I'm greeted with a blank page :S Anyways, here it goes again.

I'm trying to startup a refurbishing business and I trying to figure out the do's and don't of the iStuff refurbishing business, and I was hoping someone could give their 2 cents on it. Any advice or correction is welcomed.

- Getting original Apple replacement parts is impossible in traditional channels. Either you get them from not-so-legal places, or scrape them off other iStuff devices.
- The only available traditional suppliers are asian copies (or OEM how they call themselves - and how I will refer to them onward).
- OEM suppliers can be of the varied kind, some are really cheap copies, others are high quality copies.
- Depending on the repair needed, some parts needed (recommended) are of the high copy nature and some can be regular.
- Example of high quality OEM needed - LCD and Digitizer - high quality copies use in panel switching in their LCD and low quality ones thin-film transistors. Most electronic parts have to be high quality copies.
- Example of regular quality needs - sim card tray and screws, Bezels.

OEM retailer of parts in the US
- ifixit.com - they have highest quality OEM parts and the tools to do it.

Repair shop that uses high quality OEM parts
- ifixyouri.com - they either use high quality OEM or salvaged pristine condition parts.

asian suppliers
- tvc mall - they are a hit and miss on quality. They are a known source of having parts even before the phone goes on sale. Their parts are either OEM or salvaged parts.
- etradesupply - another asian supplier a-la tvc-mall. Have heard less on them, would assume they operate similarly.
-sw-box.com - seen them on leaked parts stories.

Asian suppliers market
- alibaba - a good place to find an asian supplier, however filled with scammers. some of the filters regarding gold status and in site check help fend off possible scams.

Does anyone recommend any of the mentioned asian suppliers for this business?
Any experience on alibaba?

ifixit would solve everything but their costs are of a retailer and not supplier, and purchasing from the to send internationally kills a business like that.

Any advice and correction to my assumptions is welcomed.

(admin: please move the thread if I have started in the wrong place)

 

[Gav2k]

Would never recommend going down the Asian oem route.

Have you considered looking at becoming an apple authorised repairer?

It gives you the best of both worlds. You can then order parts from apple or you can source parts from eBay etc.

Personally I fix i-devices as a side line and I source my parts from ebays growing list of 'out of service' devices. Stripping phones and iPads for parts.

 

[ac4m2]

Is this how Gazelle or Target (and those non-apple branded stores), AT&T (and the rest of the TelCo.) refurbish and sell apple products?

I'm not looking to start in the US, its overseas, and we have no ebay.

 

[ac4m2]

anyone?

 

[swordfish5736]

For some parts I use powerbookmedic. It seems like they strip phones to sell used components, and also offer some of these "OEM" parts. I also buy parts phones on eBay when the price is right.


Since you aren't in the US you could use a forwarding service, companies will give you a US addres to ship to then they forward packages on to you. Or you could find a friend in the US to do the same.