Is it profitable to fix DS consoles in 2024?

Don't forget to check out PCBWay at www.pcbway.com for all your PCB printing needs! Following up on the 30 DS consoles I fixed a few months ago, was it worth the time and effort or not? Does anyone still buy these things in 2024? Lets take a look how it went!
Tools I use quite frequently for repairs -
Multimeter s.click.aliexp...
USB A/C amp meter s.click.aliexp...
Soldering station s.click.aliexp...
Desoldering braid s.click.aliexp...
Tweezers s.click.aliexp...
Flux s.click.aliexp...
Grinding Pen s.click.aliexp...
Board holder s.click.aliexp...
Screen clamps s.click.aliexp...
Screen pry tool s.click.aliexp...
flat screwdriver s.click.aliexp...
tri point w tweerers s.click.aliexp...
solder s.click.aliexp...
solder iron s.click.aliexp...

[@Robojoe1]

Hey man, first of all I wanted to say that your video quality has gone up so much in the past few months and this channel is super underrated! Just subbed! A few months ago I paid about US$300 for a lot of 18 DS Lites, 5 DSis, and 2 Switch Lites, all broken. I looked at them and figured I could fix them since I have some experience (and all the tools you listed). A week later I received… in short, crap. Nearly all of the systems had no battery, stylus, or battery cover, and the majority of their shells were basically trash. Over half needed screen replacements. I was able to fix about 7 of the systems but ended up reselling most of them as parts, which resulted in very little profit from the whole thing. So I am wondering, how do you end up with better quality systems in your packages? I know the consoles you receive are broken, but they seem to be in so much better quality than the ones I receive. Is there a certain country where they are best to buy from? I live in America and in general consoles are not in good shape. Also, how do you get shells and parts so cheaply? I can never find good prices for them on eBay. I was thinking about abandoning DSs and moving on to 3DS, Gameboys, or Wiis, but this has made me reconsider. I’d appreciate any advice you could give me. Thank you!

[@chickenmaster121]

Thank you so much for the kind words appreciate it! It really comes down to who's selling them. If the person selling them is a tech or repair shop then chances are they already tried to fix them, so what they're selling are the scraps not worth the time or effort. I got lucky with that lot of 30 I expected there to be much more problems. I've also had my fair share of consoles which are complete write offs. You can try get some from Japan, there are some bulk sellers on there for ds lites. I get all my parts from AliExpress, I always put links in the description of what I used so you can get them yourself (I also get a small commission if you use my links) 3DS cost more and are harder, game boys cost more aswell but they are easier to work on. No harm in branching out to other consoles. I generally don't sell the ones I don't repair either, keep them so you can pull parts from them. Things like fuses, charging ports etc die frequently on DS consoles so having boards there to pick the parts from is very useful.

[@Kaizuki2140]

Ive started to specialize in only DS lites, and the nice thing about them is the fact that they aren't region locked, so i typically buy them in bulk for 10-12$ each from Japan. Idk why, but japanese consoles always seem to come in way better shape from japan then when I buy them locally in the US, and shipping generally takes maybe a week longer.

[@chickenmaster121]

yeah I did the same pre covid. It was still hit or miss for me, had some completely stuffed ones due to water damage but still fixed at least 80% I reckon.

[@unknownpatata]

Great video. Small question regarding the digitizers. I heard that some third party digitizers have a different texture or a yellowish hue to them. Where did you buy yours? Any recommendations? Thanks

[@chickenmaster121]

I've never seen the digitizers have a yellow hue but I do agree they feel different sometimes. You can tell when using the stylus is doesn't feel as smooth, but they do work. I always put parts used in the video description but here are the lite digitizers s.click.aliexpress.com/e/_DmT8Ky9

[@songsan807]

I brought many DS Lites and DS i a few years back. Just found them a few of them either had the bad broken top hinge or don't turn on. I didn't want to waste time fixing them up so sold them in a lot as parts/repairs. Should have kept them to learn how to repair them. Looking at your chart, you did get them cheaper than what I seen broken especially most of the time the buyer also need to pay S&H. And you also got them sold for higher prices then what I seen got sold. Factor in the equipment and time for a newbie like me to fix it and the profit goes way down.

[@chickenmaster121]

yeah prices for broken ones these days are getting to high, they were much cheaper pre covid. same for parts costs aswell. Its a good feeling when you get them fixed tho

[@TeraByte38]

cool

[@chickenmaster121]

Stonks

[@frozerinosrepairs]

Very interesting video ❤❤❤❤

[@chickenmaster121]

thanks frozerino

[@rune3pro]

Flux me ded, good profit!

[@chickenmaster121]

good pun me like