From: blockedofcourse@foo.invalid
On 12/17/2025 8:45 AM, Theo wrote:
> Don Y wrote:
>> On 12/15/2025 6:55 AM, legg wrote:
>>> On Sun, 14 Dec 2025 12:26:58 -0700, Don Y
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> I repair a lot of LCD/LED TVs -- to keep them from the land fill.
>>>>
>>>> But, there are only "so many" people/places you can find who
>>>> are willing to give a home to said rescued kit (free).
>>>
>>> Maybe you're advertising 'free for pick-up' in the wrong places.
>>>
>>> Never had that problem with TVs or microwave ovens with a free
>>> listing on Kijiji, but my location is central in a major
>>> metropolitan area with educational and imigrant populations.
>>>
>>> This despite low cost availability from Goodwill, Sally Anne
>>> Thrift Stores or Value Village outlets. These are also good
>>> places to drop off unwanted, but working, consumer products.
>>
>> I have to *fix* them. I'm not keen on turning them into someone
>> else's profit at my expense (parts and labor). Many of the "for free"
>> sources, here, are, effectively, suppliers to folks who are looking
>> to pick something up and flip it for THEIR profit.
>>
>> When I convince a friend or neighbor to site one on their porch
>> or garage, I know they will take it *if* they will find a use for
>> it, there; they won't be tossing it out some months later.
>>
>> Or, trying to SELL it.
>
> Why don't you sell them for *your* profit instead? Instead of offering them
> for free, offer them for some sum that covers your effort. That might be a
> low figure if you got the broken device for free, or depend on what parts
> and labour it needed.
I have no desire for "customers". I don't want folks showing up on MY
doorstep, having to make plans to meet at a particular time, etc. Or,
coming back a year from now because something ELSE shit the bed and
expecting me to fix it for them (as-is, where-is). That's a *business*.
Rather, I'm looking to see what I can divert from land fills with "a
little bit of (my) time and (my) money".
[You can't imagine how much "stuff" gets discarded!]
As of yesterday, there are 25 such TVs that will end up in the tip if
nothing is done about them. After the holiday, there will likely be
two or three times that total -- with more coming in every day. There
isn't enough time/manpower to address *everything* that gets discarded
with useful life. (I've refurbished a dozen electric wheelchairs but
even "for free", you can't give them away because they are difficult
to transport and who is going to SERVICE it if you have NEED of one?)
LCD monitors are not worth the effort, anymore -- they have become
commodity products.
We scrap pallets of network switches every week. Ditto UPSs. (Often NiB!)
We only refurbish PC's with i5's or better. Servers get scrapped "whole"
(cuz the folks who disassemble the PCs are stumped by the construction
and size of most servers).
Medical devices can't be reintroduced to the US market (so have to be
exported to someone who will assume responsibility for them "elsewhere",
typically a second or third world country).
There are only so many "keyboards" (as in "organs") for which you can
find a home.
There's little need for "old phones" as folks always want the latest and
greatest -- and it was "free" with their 3 year service plan! I've rescued
half a dozen phones and use them as appliances: one sits by my bed
with a BT speaker if I want to listen to music; one has some games on
it; one I carry when I'm away from the house; one for SWMBO; one for our
regular "home phone" service; one as a (small) portable media player when
I'm out walking (and timepiece); etc.
When TV's were in the 40 inch range, you could coax someone to taking one
off your hands (free). But, at 85 inches, they're not interested -- or,
already have a NEW set that fits that bill. Or, think 99K is so much more
viewable than anything less...
We can gift some to shelters for battered women -- but, they tend to
want *one* communal TV, not one for each "apartment/room".
And, despite being "free", folks always seem to want someone they can complain
to when/if they have a problem!
> If nobody buys, either you're doing something wrong (eg listing them in the
> wrong place), or the 'flippers' are adding some value to achieve a price
> more than you could (eg selling in a locations where there are more buyers).
> It may be that they are expending some effort to make sales where you can't,
> in which cane that's their value-add.
Exactly. They'll drag them to a flea market, swap meet, across the border
into mexico, etc. But, only if they *work*, else they develop a reputation
for selling crap.
If they want to make money on this endeavor, then THEY should invest the
time and money repairing them. We'll GLADLY give you every one that comes
in the door -- some MAY even work (but YOU will have to make that assessment)
> Or it could be that you aren't adding enough value to make it worth your
> while. In which case you have to put a value on how much you're willing to
> expend to keep the item from landfill (or being recycled).
They aren't really recyclable. The screen and frame to support it set a
minimum size on any disposal. There are only a couple of PCBs inside -- and
a lot (relatively) of effort to get at them (working on even a 55" TV takes
a whole tabletop -- I rely on the living room *floor*!).
I can replace LDOs, caps, reflow joints, etc. for very little money. But,
if there isn't a "customer" waiting to take the item, what point in that?
We had a guy who used to build Linux boxes. He stopped coming in when he
realized no one wanted a *free* Linux box!
--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)
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