The Truth About the Electronics Refurbishing Industry

The Truth About the Electronics Refurbishing Industry - In this video I'm taking a look at used electronics and how difficult it is to make money by refurbishing and then selling them. We'll talk time, money, and customer expectations. And what does "refurbished" mean anyway?
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[@kumisz2]

Thing is, at least in the EU, a place selling refurbished hardware has to sell it with 2 years warranty - if they skimp on the repairs, they get to handle customer service with repairs or replacements later, or even pay back the full price if they can't do either. Buying refurbished hardware with that kind of warranty makes it extremely worth it for the customers

[@charlesbrooks8186]

wow thats great they make them have a 2 yr warranty.

[@Tronicsfix]

That's awesome! Love that policy.

[@OvervoltedMinds]

I think for refurbished and used it’s only 12 months. Or it could be that if refurbished then 24 months, and if used then 6-12 months. Anyhow, other costs that still have to be accounted for are rent for a store or shop .. or both. Also you kinda lock money in. The longer the products wait on the shelfs the more it costs you money and also factor in inflation. And I am sure I am missing out a few other

[@dominicwehrmann8515]

Used 12 months, refurbished, as one could assume tested, cleaned and fixed, 24 months

[@bumpy86]

That is not true, refurbished items have 6 to 12 months warranty which depends on its use, if its a PS4 that is quite old by now then the warranty would be 6 months, if its a PSOne that is super old, the warranty would be 12 months because its already a colectible for most people and wont be used much, if its a laptop, they give you 6 months warranty on the battery and 12 on the motherboard and screen, if its a phone its 6 months, if its an iphone its 12 months or 0 months (mainly cuz most shops dont take on iphones cuz its too expensive and refurbished is like 10% cheaper than a new one so only people whom do that would sell them on eBay or Amazon and they are just people with a hobby...) 2 Years on console and if it has battery its 1 year, that is standard for brand new product, refirbished has this cut in half.

[@tronicsrevival]

I refurbish and sell consoles on eBay, and I think that refurbishing means to try to make a console as close to new as possible. Very thorough cleaning, repairing, and new thermal paste for consoles that need it should be required, and polishing any glossy plastic should be done if you really want to make it good. That’s what I’ve always done and it’s really not too hard to do, I’d say it’s fun too!

[@320iSTWEdition]

Your mindset lies on giving the customer a proper product...... the mindset of some other companies lies on the "I wanna make a quick buck and do nothing for it"-motto... they don't care about the customer, just about his money. Slap a "Guarantee"-sticker on it so you cannot be held liable if the customer wants to check your "work" and you're homefree....

[@MrWhenzulu]

Agree with the approach, I apply the same philosophy on all my refurbished consoles. Though I use refreshed and tested in listing them.

[@Manettvibrante]

nice but do u make a good profit : o?

[@francistaylor1822]

The thing is most 'refurbished' on ebay means wiped down

[@realhumanist71]

I think that's what most people expect and what businesses will hope they think they're getting even if they're not. They're usually vague even when bother to define what it means. Good on you for being one of the better ones.

[@jimbeam275]

I think that if companies just listed items as TESTED instead of REFURBISHED, that would solve the issues. But then they probably couldn’t charge as much for them 🤷‍♂️

[@Narcle0]

Agree. eBay requires extra steps (money) to be allowed to place 'refurbished' tag on your sale item. It feels like a money grab all around.

[@Tronicsfix]

Exactly. I don't care what prices they sell them at, if they'd just be honest about what they do to them.

[@maples328]

Yes, cleaned & tested is more accurate & honest description to what these places that sell “refurbished” consoles, actually sell to customers.

[@mercuraz]

I have come across sellers on my local auction site which make note that an item as been tested (or not) and that makes you a good reseller

[@pandazpaa]

I blame the consumer actually.

[@MisterGiGs]

I've always taken "Refurbished" to mean "used but brought back to as new a condition as possible", including cleaning it, repairing it and making sure it functions as close to new as possible. What I have come to see "Refurbished" to mean these days though, is that it looks as close to new with as minimal a level of effort required. Which generally means they've given it a wipe down at minimum and a basic function test at most (though, the amount of "refurbished" items I've bought over the years that haven't actually worked properly or at all is higher than I would like).

[@Tronicsfix]

Yep, agreed

[@Atsumari]

I’m a stickler for if something is listed as refurbished or like new it must at least do the function it is supposed to do. If it doesn’t I’m one of those people that would sue them or request a refund under UCC because fitness of purpose when you purchase something, that should work... Well it should work. Now if they clearly put in the description not working only for parts that’s different but if you’re selling it as refurbished or like new, it should at least do the function it’s supposed to do.

[@RagingShrimp67]

@@Tronicsfix Still watching the video, but just as a devil's advocate, your setup is great for filming content, not for fixing things as fast as possible. If this was my job I would have a shot air compressor, a vat of isopropyl alcohol, and an ultrasonic cleaner, and this entire cleaning would have taken 1 minute tops.

[@3nertia]

Welcome to capitalism!

[@3nertia]

@@RagingShrimp67 I'd have at least used the vacuum to get the major/large particles off and not removed all that hair/gunk from the heatsink by hand with a brush xD

[@wybuchowyukomendant]

That`s why I buy only broken stuff for pennies, so i can fix and clean them at the same time, making some money that way.

[@Tronicsfix]

It's hard to even find cheap broken stuff anymore

[@gaskinsgarage4192]

I don't spend money on nice new things I get broken and fix till it can't be. I got a free Xbox one x and Xbox 360 fixed both and have had them for going on 5 years at this point.

[@hove131]

​@@Tronicsfixyou're absolutely right.

[@laurigardner6227]

@@Tronicsfix Sadly videos like yours are popular and so people see that they can sell something broken for the same price as working. Because it looks so easy in flipping a non-working electronics device for a working one. I feel there's the fear of the seller in losing out on the money.

[@wybuchowyukomendant]

@@Tronicsfix Here in Poland there`s A LOT of broken stuff, and cheap. I like to buy amazon liquidation boxes with broken electronics, 90% of the time it`s broken port lol

[@itwasaverygoodyear7080]

I'm a Biomedical Repairman. My hospital purchased a "refurbished " portable x-ray device years ago. Inside was very dusty. I found wires taped when spliced. The only refurbishment they did was badly repaint the unit. We never purchased from them again nor used them as a repair source. Enjoyed seeing the detail you went into. Although my field is different then yours, I've applied many of your techniques when dealing with circuit boards and electrical components.

[@folgee7368]

My man what is a good starting point to get started in that field?

[@itwasaverygoodyear7080]

@folgee7368 Well, good question. I received my training in the Navy. I'm not saying that's the way to go about it. Our field is hurting for people. Some colleges offer a degree, but they seem to come and go. We have some techs who came from backgrounds not related to Biomed but show an aptitude for the field. Good luck.

[@rickconlan2709]

As someone that worked for an unnamed blue and yellow electronics retailer for almost 30 years and worked on TONS of car stereos with the same load rollers I also suggest taking the rubber off the roller shaft and cleaning the inside of the roller. In extreme super dusty units I used to add some silicone to the inside of the roller to help it stick to the shaft. Great videos. Love em. Keep em coming.

[@Boodoo4You]

Why not just say the company name though? We all know what it is.

[@bradlauk1419]

Hustler electronics

[@SwapPartLLC]

🇺🇦 Ukraine electronics? Didn't know that was a thing.😂

[@rabmanx9220]

Refurbishing consoles as a hobbyist vs seeing what I see people get in the mail is so irritating when there are people out there that take the careful time to work on, clean, and test everything with a console like you do here. It really makes establishing detailed descriptions and including photos on the top of the list for me whenever I do sell them and being able to establish good reputation really helped me. I feel like those who dont actually do it SHOULD be unsuccessful but with the rise of places like DK Oldies getting away with it for highway robbery prices it makes it feel pointless but I know at the end of the day, the real collectors/gamers out there appreciate a good, well cleaned, well tested, and accurately described item. Whether its a phone or a ps4, the good techs out there gotta keep it up!

[@Tronicsfix]

Agreed!

[@sewdclass10]

I work for a computer refurbish place, and i can promise that majority of the laptops/desktops we sell are not that clean inside, just outside. The main reason for it here is actually time. They only hire one person to complete sometimes 15-20 orders a day (which includes fixing and updating the computers) and they need to meet the deadlines. There is zero time at my company to actually deep clean the computers but that doesn't bother management and from what i can tell with reviews online 90% of customers don't care or will never notice.

[@sewdclass10]

I will also say that when the company is buying these computers, they are on average buying them at half of what prices are on ebay, for some reference.

[@cbcdesign001]

Sorry but in my opinion what your company does is a scam. Cleaning the outside of a device is NOT refurbishment, its just cleaned which frankly should be done anyway with any used and resold device.

[@sewdclass10]

@@cbcdesign001 i dont disagree, but i need money and they pay decent

[@JaimeWarlock]

We were making over $100 per computer at my store, so I didn't care if it took an employee a few hours. I wanted my refurbished systems to have the highest quality.

[@sewdclass10]

@@JaimeWarlock well thank you for being a good company. i actually quit the place last week. they stated they were only making about 30 per computer, and after cutting my hours and starting to send different products than what people ordered i left.

[@maxhiggins6270]

Realistically, I expect dust to be removed and thermal paste replaced. A wipe down of the outside is necessary as well. Probably wouldn’t pay more than $200 for a refurbished console, which I know doesn’t leave much room for profit. Ultimately I’m buying cheaper and cleaning up myself. Ultimately the trick is to find cheaper systems and refurbish those, which is what DKOldies and GameStop does. GameStop trade value on an original PS4 is $55, which leaves a LOT more room for profit. Perhaps the key to the average person doing refurbishment is to find people selling those consoles for cheap (which potentially leads to more issues and parts needed to eat away at the profit margin anyway).

[@Tronicsfix]

Yes, agreed. One of the keys here is getting them cheaper than the average person can find them. These companies are making crazy profit by selling them as refurbished when they don't do anything other than wipe off the outside.

[@maxhiggins6270]

@@Tronicsfix what also hurts too is that companies like DK Oldies buy up those console, even at more expensive prices, in the interest of making availability scarce so that they have a firm foothold on the reseller market.

[@jimmymyers]

Nowadays if you have $200 to buy a console you're better off getting a used Series S as they're going to making more games for it for a long time.

[@GoogleDoesEvil]

@@jimmymyers Just wish it had a disk drive :( Series S would be perfect with a disk drive.

[@alpine4life]

as a part time Canadian repairman, thank you so much for your standards.... every single business should follow these!!

[@Salty_Balls]

You repair Canadians!? How's it differ from others? Isn't the flappy Canadian head that's the difference?

[@wilsvgaddiction4456]

As someone who has done a fair share of buying and reselling over the years, I always open up consoles and controllers to give a good thorough cleaning and also replace worn or damaged parts. I'm more of a hobbyist but my turnaround time is often a couple of weeks, rarely less than a day. I always submerge plastic parts in soapy water and scrub, and of course the drying adds a lot to the turnaround as does a thorough testing. If you're going to do it with that level of detail, honestly it isn't worth trying to make a profit on most things because there is so much time put into it. The parts can also reduce a significant chunk of the profit too. I happen to enjoy it and love to be the one to keep these things out of landfills. Since it's not a "business" for me, I can take my sweet time and paying my bills is not affected by that.

[@zerocal76]

Very cool man. If I didn't have several other hobbies I'd do the same. I do occasionally sell a few lightly used electronics and it feels good the items will be put to use again 🙂

[@mgrsdgfsdafsdgrsdgfsdg6980]

When I hear refurbished two things come to mind: 1. There was a previous issue with it, it was sent back to the manufacturer and the issue (e.g. replaced part) was corrected then resold. 2. It was professionally cleaned and brought back up to spec (parts may or may not have been installed, reapply thermal paste etc.).

[@jmi967]

These are the two I think of as well. The only worry I ever have is whether or not they fixed the original problem. Sometimes they miss something, especially if they can’t reproduce the issue. It's rare that you get to find out why something was refurbished but it does happen.

[@MaxW-er1hm]

That's remanufactured. I would hold that to these standards.

[@JaimeWarlock]

You would be surprised how much stuff is tossed just to get the newest system, especially in government. When I worked at one refurbishing center, we would often get hundreds of computers from a local government office that were only a couple years old. A lot of times, they would pull the new system out of the box and put an old system back in for easy logistics. One pallet we received actually had 5 boxes with brand new computers that they apparently forgot to exchange. They had never been used and I sold a couple for $500 each. Remember, these cost us nothing. Employees snatched up the other 3 (boss would occasionally let us have the best stuff).

[@wettuga2762]

For me, reburbished means to make it look and work as close to new as possible, which requires deep cleaning on the outside and inside, recapping if needed, and definitely new thermal paste, plus a few repairs where needed/possible. IMO, retro-brighting is NOT a refurbishing step, just an enthusiast option. I don't mind yellowed plastics, as long as the hardware is in top shape.

[@rdoc]

A couple of years ago I bought a refurb PS4 from Wally World and was very surprised to find the machine was for all intents and purposes was a brand new machine. I could not see any sign of use at all. On top of that I only paid a bit over $200. I like how you are exposing the truth about a lot of these "so called" furbisher's. I'd buy a refurb from you TF.

[@Ryan_DeWitt]

Thank you sincerely Steve for making this video. So many misconceptions about refurbishing with sky high expectations. You are the literally the very first person I have seen make a realistic video about this subject that isn't just a hype "hate on DK oldies or whoever you choose" type video. I 100% agree that many refurbisher's could for sure and should do a better job, but it would get frustrating when I would try to tell them while it may suck and maybe a bit shady, it really isn't illegal and I would get a lot of backlash.

[@bzuidgeest]

It's hardly realistic. It's US centric. The rest of the world has standards for refurbished and warranty requirements.

[@Ryan_DeWitt]

@@bzuidgeest So, what are the exact "requirements" these other countries you talk about when it comes to refurbishing an old video game system? Do they have to specifically change out certain components? What do they say is "clean." Is there a specific level of grime that is allow and how it is measured? Laws, even in other countries need to be specific or people will find ways around them. Please give some examples.

[@bzuidgeest]

@@Ryan_DeWitt no law is specific to the component level. From that question alone I deduce you are not interested in a real discussion. You likely think that is a smart question for pushing someone in a corner. But every sensible person knows it's unreasonable. Good bye. I'm not interested in educating the uninterested.

[@Ryan_DeWitt]

​@@bzuidgeest You are basically saying the US laws are inferior to the European ones so I am asking what those specific laws are in regards to what qualifies on in this case an old 20+ year old video game system as being "refurbished."

[@bzuidgeest]

@@Ryan_DeWitt the PS4 is from 2013. Again 20+? You're not serious. Refurbished products are no different in status from any other product. They come with the same warranties and consumer rights and protections. If you buy refurbished you are just as safe and can have the same expectations as if it were new. With the small exception you accept some signs of wear that have to be specified. Not happy? Send it back. Full refund. You have that right to.

[@matthewhardwick8208]

This is why I always try to look after my systems when I buy them brand new.

[@finntjomstol9364]

Me and my friend go to electronics recycling centers and find a ton of cool stuff there. A lot of it works too but they’re also fun to try and fix for cheap. We’ve found old iPods, iPhones, MacBook pros, gaming graphics cards, high end cpus, and even some older consoles.

[@state5059]

To me, refurbished means exactly what we saw you do in this video. A used product fully cleaned, repaired and brought back to a like new quality. For a genuinely, well, refurbished product I would happily pay 85+% of retail for the product new. So for a $299 new console, I would say $255 refurbished would be fair.

[@muccisebastian9300]

thats not right refurbished products usually have been used extensively so refurbished means it will work for a little while more, so no, 50 dls less for a one year of use is not a fair deal

[@SweatyFeetGirl]

a refurbished product is a product that has been repaired, cleaned to a "new-like" condition. @@muccisebastian9300

[@TheSlyflyChannel]

Love you man. Been following for years. Don’t think I’ve ever commented. Best thing imo and something I think would work with your philosophy seems to be that most people need to buy responsibly (cheap/reliable/local) and people also need to refurbish themselves. This would eliminate or at least tax the system that intends on scamming us.

[@robinjac4322]

Man, you're presentation style has improved drastically since I last saw a video from you. Well done! Also thank you so much for sharing information about the refurbishing business. Very valuable!

[@Itz_Lurkness]

I think he should start his own Refurbishing company. Since he understands the true meaning of Refurbish. I would feel safe buying something from him. Know how much time he takes into each console he works on.

[@chrisd4813]

But why would he do that if he's acknowledging there's not a huge amount of money to be made?

[@Itz_Lurkness]

@@chrisd4813 because he makes videos of him cleaning them for the extra profit

[@cfldriven]

@@Itz_Lurkness So on top of the refurb he has to shoot and edit videos? That more time and resources for even less money per hour.

[@GrumpyIan]

​@@cfldriveneven if he gets a couple of employees to help him (like editing and commerce) the profit will be too low to make it viable. Especially if there's a back order.

[@rfmerrill]

4:33 for plastics I usually go right to soap and warm water. The only risk you have to worry about is damaging any labels or stickers. If the plastic doesn't have any of that, you have nothing to worry about. Just have to make sure it's rinsed well and that it completely dries out before you reassemble.

[@GeneralChangOfDanang]

Dawn dish soap does amazing things.

[@GrumpyIan]

What I've been using to clean electronics is contact cleaner from the hardware store. It does a pretty good job at removing grime while keeping everything intact. Not to mention the more you use it the better it smells.

[@derhard706]

White spirit/mineral spirits/benzine (I don't know the exact english term) does a great job with any stickers on plastics. Also works on textiles for removing makeup stains and everything that is fatty, even ballpoint pen stains. Best part is, it's not wet and dissolves into the air, so it's kind of a "dry cleaner".

[@nhand42]

What I expect from "refurbished" is exactly what you did. Remove all dust and dirt both inside and out, new thermal paste, replace broken parts like fans. But I know the reality when companies say "refurbished" what they mean is "we did nothing and we hope you won't notice". A complete refurb would also replace caps that fail an LCR test, replace loose ports and connectors, and any other preventative maintenance. When you buy a restored car that's what you expect; new belts, new gaskets, everything restored. But in the computer world they prey on people who don't know that electronic components also wear out.

[@mjc0961]

I've done all that with a few old consoles I bought for myself but didn't want anymore. I took them apart, washed the case, cleaned dust off the motherboards, replaced capacitors, maybe did a video output mod. When I did sell them, I still didn't say "refurbished" just because I didn't want to be associated with the people who misuse the word. I just listed off all the things I had done and took as many pictures of the work (clean shell, solder joints, etc) as I could. When I'm trying to buy something, a detailed list of things that were done as well as a lot of photos would mean way more to me than "refurbished" so that's what I did when I wanted to sell something. But hey, I'm just a hobbyist who occasionally needs to get rid of some stuff rather than some company or person trying to maximize profits at the expense of quality and honesty.

[@erkinalp]

Or, in most of the cases, something in the middle: "we did a cursory clean-up and started it up once, it starts OK, all else is up to you"

[@XxxXxx-br7eq]

Refurbished really means we tested it and it at least functions

[@beatman998]

You should definitely do a video where you get the same console from the 4 major refurbished retailers and see if the price difference has any difference on quality Great video as always

[@hydorah]

I'd also like to see that

[@greatpix]

I've learned there's Refurbishing, basically cleaning and basic function tests, then Reconditioned, where the unit supposedly is taken apart and made as close to new as possible, then there's Factory or Factory Authorized Reconditioning, which usually has a manufacturer's warranty of some length of time and should be brought to like new condition, any worn parts replaced, and will only have a few minor cosmetic issues. As you go up the list prices also go up. I hope I got that right. It's been over 20 years since I managed a store much like Best Buy but we carried a lot more pro gear and was one of Sony's, and other company's, largest accounts.

[@Grayfox82]

Love to learn more about cleaning your own system. Thanks for these videos. I’m planning to get the cleaning kit as well.

[@michaelsavory8499]

I feel that they cut corners myself. I did buy a refurbished phone that lasted three months. Refurbished should be and I think as you shown. Taken a part and checked throughly. Had my xbox one gave me the black screen and found a KZbin channel to fix this problem to. Had second hand and no issues until that black screen at the beginning of this year. Enjoy watching your channel

[@timehunter9467]

My expectation of “refurbished” is a complete clean inside and out, imperfections removed, faulty parts replaced and fully tested. I see “used” as a quick check, replace broken parts, a clean then sell it. Used seems more “as is” than actually tested too. Money wise, refurbished should be at least 50% off retail for brand new.

[@abrarahmed1269]

This is a great video, showing these issues clearly Love the style of this video, with you refurbishing a console yourself. Love from the UK!

[@Tronicsfix]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@RacerX-]

Nice video. I think it depends on where or who you are buying from. I have bought factory refurbished from both Apple and Nintendo and they were indistinguishable from a new device partly because they replace all the shells, buttons and screens.

[@joshsmith4998]

Plus shipping can be quite expensive too. Some businesses can pawn that on the customer but some sellers absorb that or maybe bake it into their asking price maybe.

[@thatcrazyguyjay]

I love buying second hand electronics working or broken and I’ve always made money doing it and I’ve been doing it for years that’s why I love watching your videos mate 😊

[@Tronicsfix]

It is fun!

[@Dtr146]

When it comes to refurbishing stuff. EBay has become sort of a wasteland for buying reputable stuff. People know that there's people looking for broken stuff out there. So the number of people who are out to take advantage of that are starting to outweigh the number of people who was just trying to sell their broken stuff.

[@Tronicsfix]

Broken stuff on eBay is usually priced really high. It's crazy what people pay for broken stuff there.

[@mjc0961]

@@Tronicsfix I used to buy broken stuff on eBay. Then the people trying to take advantage came along and usually I just buy working stuff now. It's not much more expensive. Takes the fun out of getting to fix stuff though...

[@khrashingphantom9632]

This was amazing. You've helped heal some trauma with "refurbishing" businesses. Long story short I'm an AVID PS3 player (still. Lol) and I wanted to get my 60 GB Backwards Compatible PS3 repaired after it got the blinking red light. I sent it to a "local" shop to be repaired and never saw it again. The company was bulls*** and they stole my console! The worst part is I found this out by actually going to the shop to see it WAS a repair place, but it was closed down. It broke my heart and I felt so dumb being taken advantage of (especially with my 1ST PS3 and big electronic purchase.) I had modded games, movies, and t.v shows all loaded onto the 1TB SSD I installed into it and some as***€ stole it. Anyways I wound up getting another one (pre-pandemic) for a decent price, but it DID need repairs even though the seller said "refurbished". Luckily a friend of mine who does hardware was able to fix it and walk me through the process. Seeing you put care into your work was really cathartic and I just wanna say thank you to you and those like you. Sony (and modern console gaming at large) is completely disinterested in making Backwards compatible consoles so fixing what we already own is key to keep certain games and media from disappearing forever in this new all digital age. Thanks again.

[@libertyprime2013]

You should’ve sued them

[@folgee7368]

I used to fix/mod/refurbish broken consoles/controllers and laptops at the height of Covid. It involved removing faulty parts/components (fans, buttons, smd parts…etc), cleaning the pcb and washing the housing shells, then polishing the outside. It’s crazy many companies think just wiping and blowing air into the fans = refurbish

[@UKvideos2009]

Thank you for shedding light on this. Do you think the same can be said for repairs or is repairs generally a more profitable and viable use of time?

[@Tronicsfix]

If the business is run well repairing can be profitable. It's a tough business though

[@philldutra8752]

That’s exactly what I do! I buy PS4’s and xbox X used condition and cleaned everything including the motherboard and add new thermal paste and sell on eBay for $199 plus shipping! But unfortunately, people don’t appreciate it they rather buy used console 🤷🏻‍♂️😒 because is cheaper! I listed them as Renewed ! Maybe don’t believe that the service was done! I’m opening a YT channel to show them the process and hopefully my sales will go better. Love this channel thank you!

[@MrBooyahmofo]

Great video, once again! I sell a lot of ps4s and my buy costs are usually $20-80. Non-working ones can usually be picked up for under $40 so if you're able to refurbish one and get it working then it's pretty good profit.

[@darkghostjd1162]

i bought my ps4 slim last year seller told me needs ribbon cables replaced so i looked at cost of repair parts got the ps and when i got it bit banged up but motherboard was good no broken components saw to ribbon cables wasn't connected so i looked for any nicks or broken points lucky none connected and was good turned on no problems disk drive made a lot of noise so opened up and remembered watching this channel searched and saw disk drive problems more digging found disk drive cd holder is bent so bit of bending and got a working ps4 slim in my currency paid R1300 for console and courier was R150 in Usd paid $77.00 your videos helps a lot when repaires are being done

[@ardent9422]

My definition of refurbished is exactly what you did in this video. I bought a refurbished Macbook Pro in 2008 and it still works now. I bought a refurbished iMac in 2017 and it's still running good, watching your video on it now. I expect refurbished electronics to be opened, cleaned, replace any worn parts, and then put back together correctly for sale. A used item you get as is, a refurbished item goes through what I listed.

[@bobthecpaontheloose4141]

What would be interesting is to go over a few "refurbished" items to check to see what actually may have been done and things that should have but weren't.

[@Tronicsfix]

Yeah, I have a whole playlist where I do exactly that

[@BernardSamson-hf6fc]

You are very good at what you do. My son's PS4 has a noisy fan, I wouldn't know how to remove covers to clean it.

[@SRDhain]

This was quite an eye opener. Thank you for sharing.

[@Dtr146]

The whole refurbished not having a definition thing. That could be very easily solved on platforms like eBay and Amazon. As a matter of fact I think they already have strictly defining definitions of what refurbished is. Now all it takes is the consumer association. I don't know their name. Two create a definition that applies blankently to the entirety of the online market

[@jdocgaming474]

I would typically never purchase pre-owned/refurbished, HOWEVER, if I knew this amount of care, time and detail went into the refurbishment, I most certainly WOULD purchase a refurbished console because all of things that SHOULD be taken care of HAVE been taken care of. That said, as you mentioned Steve, the industry has no standard for refurbishment and thus, you never truly know what you will get with that claim. As such, I wouldn't trust it. On the other hand, if YOU started a business like this, I would purchase from YOU for sure, confidently KNOWING that you do NOT cut corners and you do the job right. And I want that PERFECT amount of thermal paste, as a bonus!

[@Xerkies]

I think a good way when selling refurbished consoles (like this one in the video) is to show pictures in between the taking apart and thorough cleaning of the console. Then customers have a judgement if they should buy it. Even if the price is high for average buyers on ebay.

[@-IAmAutumn-]

Why do YOU talk like THIS ? It's really WEIRD lmfao

[@jdocgaming474]

@@-IAmAutumn- To emphasize a word. Pretty basic English to be honest.

[@-IAmAutumn-]

@@jdocgaming474 Well english is not my first language soooo

[@jdocgaming474]

@@-IAmAutumn- So I guess its my fault you made a snarky comment then? Haha, kids these days. :)

[@brianegendorf2023]

When I did tech support in the 90's, the company I worked for described, "Refurbished" as "Repaired to look brand new"..

[@curtismanley3459]

Great video going through the detailed process of cleaning and checking out a system and putting it up for sale. I honestly wish that consoles would be marked as used and not refurbished personally since I've bought some and have fixed some for friends and family that I would not say were refurbished. I only say this because refurbished systems or equipment typically comes in branded original or marked boxes from the manufacturer as such and also includes some sort of warranty. I only say this since I'm and IT person for over 20 years and have purchased many systems and equipment and have bought refurbished items. The price point of $220-230 seems very fair to me for a tested and working PS4 system... key words there... tested and working.

[@6reen6uy]

Refurbished products direct from the manufacture does have the factory spec standard implied. Especially if out of warranty and paying for repair. It’s these terrible repair shops that give right to repair a bad look.

[@Tronicsfix]

Refurb products from the manufacturer are usually really good in my experience

[@sriley50]

When the cover is on, no-one knows, thats what they prey on.

[@k3choppa495]

I myself repair electronics. Now days finding broken stuff online for a reasonable price is near impossible. You would have to spend hundreds at a time to get the price you want for a single broken system. Buying bulk is basically the only way online. I've had more success buying locally from game stores. It's 100% a tough business solely just doing repairs. Now if you're also reselling video games and accessories. You can make the bulk of your money by reselling. Then having that extra service of repairing brings customers in to spend more money with you. That's just how the market is right now though. So many people getting into the business of repairing as brought up the prices of broken consoles. Then it brought down the price of some consoles bc they're is now more in the market from repairs.

[@johnhayes7775]

Love the videos, tight, informative, and very concise. I feel ready to clean my ps4 pro now

[@Merkantoine]

Honestly I'd say we should push for companies making their systems easier to clean more than anything else. Pretty sure its not that hard implementing a simple removable filter not too different from what is found on air conditioners or dehumidifiers. Either that or having an easy way to disassemble enough to acces the fans Would go a long way into making consoles last longer

[@LamerWan-fm5kv]

I learned how to fix my ps4 disk driver from you, as well as building and customizing my own gameboy dmg and they turned out beautifully. Thank you for great and helpful content.

[@knucklesgb3143]

Seeing videos like this increases my desire to repair, it may seem foolish possibly insane, I'm very interested in BGA stuff. Got plenty of dead things I've collected and diagnosed over the years, just needed a rework station! I'm pulling the trigger this month and seeing what I can learn.

[@OlaNordmannYouTube]

It’s not foolish, it’s admirable. Working with your hands is great.

[@njones621]

I really hate that it is not worth repairing game consoles, and electronics in general. There is so much waste we could use for much longer if we could repair them and make a profit. I do quite a bit of console and electronics repair myself. Many times, if it is dirty, I completely clean inside and out before I package it up and sell. It's very difficult to make money after I buy parts, use pieces from parts consoles, buy supplies, thermal paste etc. to repair. If I didn't love doing this as a "hobby" and calculated the cost of my time, I'd have to quit. I am glad channels like yours can at least get some additional revenue from your videos that we enjoy. Hopefully that continues to keep it alive!

[@VideoGameRestoration]

Good breakdown! Lots of definitions floating around

[@Jobobn1998]

@4:30 - In my experience, putting those parts in a utility sink or shower, spraying them down with warm water, tossing a little soap on them and repeating the process really helps give them a good cleaning. It does really slow finishing the process down since you've got to let the plastic fully dry, but I find it very helpful--and I've got terrible allergies and asthma, so getting that kind of debris under control is extra important.

[@telecomsuk]

Years ago I went into a vehicle spares shop, out the back they were testing starter motors they got from the breakers/salvage yard, if they worked they were cleaned/ painted and had a sticker stating refurbished. These were sold to local repair shops to fit to customers vehicles!

[@JohnZoetebier]

Thanks for exposing these "refurbished" scams. Know this from my own experience. Once bought a "refurbished" monitor from the biggest PC retailer in New Zealand. Checked the monitor for dead pixels, there were a few and I returned it. Got another monitor. Had even more dead pixels. With the third monitor it looked like someone had been scratching the monitor with a screwdriver. This proved to me without any doubt that these monitors had not been refurbished and passed on to the customer with zero quality control. Now I buy from Amazon Australia (or US) for less than the price of a refurbished product in New Zealand.

[@DANRYX]

This is why a new classification of Fully Referbished or F-R should be used. Involved in this would be a device fully disassembled and inspected with all components tested (fan, disc drive, heatsink, power supply, capacitors, thermal paste and thermal pads etc.) That would remove any doubt so long as you trust the seller or if the reputation justifies the buyers faith in the product. I do a full refurbish as a private side job for consoles and everything works like new when I am done. It helps if you enjoy it more importantly, which I fortunately do. Good video and on point!

[@ejeckk]

Companies in the US could voluntarily do some or all of the following: - Offer a 1 to 2 year industry standard warranty. - List EXACTLY what 'refurbished' is defined as for that particular company. - Provide an itemized list of what was 'refurbished' to the customer with every purchased item. Having a warranty is just standard customer service. If a product isn't meeting minimal expectations from the customer, there should be a method of helping the customer achieve that end and a 1 or 2 year warranty suits that purpose. I don't think there can be a hard definition for 'refurbished' that could apply to every industry across the board. Here is why it would be important for the refurbishing company to define what refurbished means for their company for customer. Using a gaming console as an example, a company can state that refurbished means console was opened and reasonably cleaned of dirt and grime, thermal paste and pads were inspected and replaced if necessary, and moving parts were repaired or replaced. Providing a simple checklist that aligns with the company's definition of 'refurbished' to the customer ensures the promise made and the expectation of the customer are both met. If a particular company doesn't list what was refurbished in accordance to its own guidelines, customers can decide with their wallets if doing business with that company is in his best interest. Again, using game console refurbishment as the example -- if one company lists cleaning of heat sinks and replacement of thermal paste as part of it refurb process (something that 'should' be standard no matter which company) and another company does NOT list this as part of its process, the market will decide which company attracts customers. And reputable business people are EXCEEDINGLY good at identifying the needs of their market and what should attract customers. These are not diamond perfect suggestions and there are likely holes that will be poked in them from someone. I do believe this is a nice starting guide that refurbishment companies should follow and become defacto standard practices across the industry.

[@chuckymafia9462]

@6:55 when he says that no one will open up the refurb. You see they slap a sticker that says warranty void if opened so you cannot sue them for lying or call them out. Legally they clean the outside slap that sticker and if you claim it arrived dirty or so on, they can say well the customer removed the sticker and could have damaged it themselves

[@WaynesWorld69]

I've had 2 "refurbished" Xbox Ones come in. Both are filthy inside. Outside is nice and clean. Now to work up the energy to clean them up. Nice work as always Steve.

[@Tronicsfix]

Cleaning them takes so much time! Glad you enjoyed this one.

[@user-fp7cr9qk6q]

pick one up for $29 AUD here in Australia from a house garbage cleaner, and opened it up, it was very dusty some part of the board has corrosion, but I managed to clean them, and it still works.

[@greenreaper1605]

So glad to see and hear you talk about this

[@zodiac_blue9116]

Awesome video! ​​⁠@TronicsFix Do you have a video going over the tear down and cleaning of a PS4 slim? I have one I want to clean up and apply the perfect amount of thermal paste.

[@RH-to8dh]

Everything you did here and said you would do(such as also testing it) is exactly what I always assumed "refurbished" meant. That said, I rarely ever buy used or refurbished. Even if I have to pay exorbitant prices for it; if I really want it, I'll pay that price for new condition.

[@DanTheMan454]

My sister in law bought my 6yo an xbox one s for Christmas and his birthday since it's 3 days later. It was supposed to be refurbished and a 1tb system. When he opened it the system was jammed together. Cd tray misaligned and bottom wouldn't snap on fully and the controller was the same way and all nasty. Then when we powered it on so he could play digital games I noticed it was only a 512gb system so we returned it and I got an xbox series x on sale for $349 at Walmart for him. His aunt originally spent 209 at gamestop for the refurbished one.

[@gilbertrodriguez3276]

Hello I would like to see a full preview of you refurbished gaming console it looks cool and interesting you are an amazing gaming repair guy you are doing your very best to explain to us your best advice on your gaming experience products. thank you for repairing all of the gaming consoles and much more as in consoles parts etc . I'd like to see more repairs on different things and for you to try to do your best to repair.

[@texaspatriot4215]

For me personally as a former electronic tech refurbished to me means electronically and cosmetically checked, but I was a one man operation with my own business, what I see today is someone just wiping a system off (at best) and calling that refurbished. 😡 That doesn't work for me, when I buy a system now at least I can work on them, but most people expect a system to be in nice used condition, after all that's what matters most, but how much life is their really left in that non truly refurbished system, likely not much with today's electronics, with low quality Chinese parts built right into them from the factory (ref. PS3 launch systems, and others) As always, great video.

[@PRican25]

From what I was told back in the day when FuncoLand existed (and is dearly missed), it would be to clean up the device and just replacing the defective part. This was during the time they started selling PS1 refurbs and told that to customers. I was also told the same by older now non-existing stores selling refurbed CD players and such which back then would come from the manufacturer with the label saying Refurbished. Nowadays, it's made more of gimmick to sucker people into thinking of the old school ways of actual refurbishing the product where they just haven't done nothing other than a simple once over cleaning and ship to the customer. A damn shame this happens but you take the risk unless you know it's coming from someone that is reputable,

[@andrasszabo7386]

I do scavenger hunting here in Hungary, where I live. I have found a lot of broken and fixable stuff, which I could sell for some money and they came for free.

[@_aj345_]

When I refurbish ps4s I always replace the fan, thermal pads, and thermal paste with mx-6. I always make sure I clean the disc drive and power supply internals. Depending on how dirty the shell is I deep clean with dawn dish soap. If a ps4 I sold were to be shipped back claiming it was broken in any way of it hasn’t been reopened I would replace the part and maybe even upgrade because of the inconvenience.

[@Tronicsfix]

That's how it should be!

[@malvinas78]

Nice. I remember buying the PS4 slim for my kid. Best Buy Black Friday back in 2017. It was $250 brand new with 3 games. Uncharted 4 and ratchet and clank were part of the bundle. extra Ps4 controllers at Best Buy were $40 each. But that was 2017 over 6 years ago. I can imagine they’re probably half the price now.

[@bargenejourney]

You deserve tons of views such an honedt man many thanks indeed . Sharing is caring

[@CD-bm6rc]

You should use a conductive and grounded vacuum to assist with cleaning. Using canned air should be a last step since it can push debris deeper into areas.

[@bradmarthafocker4285]

I would define refurbished exactly the same way you did. Thank you for making a video that gives people some actual context and food for thought on the matter. The answer to how to make money refurbishing electronics is to start a KZbin channel and post the videos of the refurbishing there lol.

[@paulmendelsohn5562]

That's exactly why I have not joined the eBay refurbishment program. They have obfuscated the requirements for vetting a seller doing the refurbishment. There is a complete lack of clarity in the information they provide for this program. As you pointed out there are no standards. A good cleaning, replacement of any failing parts and testing to determine normal functioning should ensure a reasonable product life. There are good refurbishers out there but that's not the majority. Buyers shouldn't have to guess which refurbishers take the care to do a good job. Having refurbished and listed items on eBay in the past I could safely say that those items were inspected, cleaned and tested to operate as near new condition.

[@Death0Row]

took a service and changed the thermal pads and Paste on my one x after watching ur vid on how to do so,worked like a charm👍Never done a teardown so😂

[@Tronicsfix]

Love it! Nice work.

[@MrMightyZ]

Tronicsfix? You da man. And what are the odds that you’d end up with a career in fix electronics and your name is Tronicsfix? Trippy as bro!

[@suffer8318]

With your comment about companies having 0 accountability of a standard for refurbished items is why I and many others don't buy them as well as most refurbs have the "Bought as is, you take the risk if it doesn't work." fine print. So this is why I always stick with new electronics unfortunately.

[@jockmattock9239]

Not too sure about that Disc Drive..thanks great vid.

[@mikmik9034]

I have to SONY VCR recorder/players with Shuttle features that I used for a year or so. One developed a Squuirt of fast forward, the Other developed a intermittent pause. Took them to reapair, No one could find a problem? The situations only occured after they waer warm. Guess which one I used to puase while fast-forwarding through the commercials or unwanted video spots?

[@PoxyBear]

This is why its important to take the time to learn to do at minimum basic repairs. Find people who know more than you and barter skills as a solid option as well.

[@AlexJaneway]

I got my PS4, for $30 from the pawn shop, opened it up cleaned out what I could, smoker tar. I didn't have a replacement disc drive which was eat up. But with digital content it has worked pretty darn well for the price.

[@FlyingFun.]

I worked as a TV service tech for years, we would referbish stuff every day, It meant stripping down and cleaning all dust off and soldering all the usual dry joints and making sure everything was working properly fixing any issues. Each set would take 20 to 30 mins on average as long as nothing much was wrong. Trouble is these things are often returned because there is a intermittent problem that won't show up in a 30 min referb test, so we used to soak test them for a few hours too. I am pretty sure this is not done now. I bought a laptop recently and it worked for 4 months and then the nvme started playing up crashing the thing more and more, I fitted a new one and reinstalled windows myself because I can do that but a lot of people would not attempt it and just throw it away.

[@baorozzo]

I think that at least for me it would be convenient to buy the used console and refurb it myself. Last week it was my second time opening my ps4 pro, this time I changed the thermal pads too. I was able to do it and sufficiently confident on doing it because I watched your videos. I also changed the thermal paste on my old macbooks and cleaned them too. Repair is the way!

[@lilblackduc7312]

Good show! Thank you...

[@DuniaTrollAnda]

Thanks for detail explaining. I feel better if I know seller directly, so I know they do honest work.

[@LEADER0FY0U]

Used to refurbish machines that came in from all nordic countries from lots of retailers and from brands directly. HP, Acer, Asus, MSI, Lenovo, Sony, Samsung, Toshiba. Circa 2012. The refurb being done was clean exterior, blow air into the heatsink to remove majority of debris. Then do a function test through a Linux network boot. If it passes that test, heat, speakers, mic, camera, video playback then it moved on to having its official OEM provided image installed on it. When the image was installed we let them run for the amount of time with a torture test that the manufacturer said it was supposed to. Most was only for some hour. MSI had 7 days. During this last test we checked for noise, temp and issues with the screen. After this it was put on shelves and inspected by another member of staff, usually from a different department who visually inspected the device for smudges, missing screws etc and decided what grade it was.

[@Ismcant]

the one big cost i think that you didnt mention (or i didnt catch it) is going to be marketplace sale fees, and if you only sell through your own website, you will still have to deal with card processing fees

[@brettrudy2245]

One thing I've noticed from many KZbin channels is that no one ever has an actual air compressor to clean out devices. I see brushes or canned air, but never a professional compressor. I've found that every game system I've hit with 100psi hasn't a trace of dust afterwards.

[@Tacomaster-lq2ik]

I've thought about getting into refurbishing/repairing broken consoles cause its just interesting to me as a little side hobby which hopefully I can make some money on. Little hard being 17 but I am waiting to get in a broken 2ds and ds Lite. Hoping itll go well.

[@EvilGeniusGaming84]

I always tear down my consoles and clean them completely and replace the thermal paste every month to month and a half. Even my Xbox Series X and Series S thanks to you. Stay awesome man 🤙🏽😉

[@UnimatrixYoutube]

9:55 not only that but in my region you also have to offer warranty as business, even if it's second hand/refurbished. So if you missed that tiny little glitch that makes the screen go black after 1,5 hours, guess what, customer is coming for you and their money.

[@sinagolchi1]

Awesome videos, really enjoy watching them. I would wear gloves and a N95 mask opening these consoles though. Stay safe 😊

[@JoeOvercoat]

Thank you for making this video. I only buy refurbished from the OEM, on the weak premise, that they want to maintain their brand’s reputation. I think refurbished should mean, ‘works as good as new’

[@sirflimflam]

Honestly refurbished to me always just meant used, which why I never bought refurbished in the first place. So I was probably closer to the truth than not. The only time I would even consider a refurbished item was if the manufacturer was the one doing the work and had a good warranty in place. If I'm getting an old console or something, I'm going to be as good as anyone else to restore it.

[@TRDiscordian]

Ah I had no idea what this video was going to be. I was thinking “I used to refurbish NESs, I don’t think I was scamming people”. Immediately though, I saw what you were talking about