Hello!
In the comments to previous articles, I was repeatedly asked where I get spare parts. In this article, I decided to share this information, since there is no secret in this.
Photo taken from topfacts.com
But before we start, I would like to make a small remark that will disappoint those who like to look for a black cat in a dark room – all the information presented below is for informational purposes only and has nothing to do with advertising.
Go.
When I just started doing self-repair, on the one hand, the question of finding spare parts was especially acute for me. On the other hand, this was not a problem, because repairs were rarely done, for oneself or for close relatives, and there was no question of waiting time. The very first source of spare parts for me was the famous Chinese auction, Aliexpress.
The ordered spare parts drove to me for a long time and painfully, and sometimes they did not reach me. Sometimes the wrong ones came, and cursing the Chinese, I opened disputes and returned my money. To immediately spend them on the same spare part from another Chinese businessman, which indescribably pleased the businessmen of the Middle Kingdom. So I see the owner of a store from Aliexpress sitting and rubbing his hands at the sight of my next order: 'Oh, this white laowai again brings me his money!'
This continued until, in search of another trifling spare part, I went to a regular service center to ask if they had it in stock, and suddenly they would agree to sell it to me.
I was refused, which in principle was expected, but instead of just escorting me, the foreman wrote me a phone number on a piece of paper and advised me to call and ask there.
Having phoned, I found out that a person had the spare part I was looking for, and he was even ready to sell it to me for a reasonable price (the margin was about 150-200 rubles from the price from Aliexpress).
We agreed to meet the next day. I was told to go to the mall, stand in a certain place and dial this number.
I went to the meeting with strange feelings. What was happening was like a detective.
However, everything turned out to be simple on the spot. There were already waiting for two like me, novice knights of a screwdriver and a soldering iron.
A man came, talked to each one in turn, gave us the parts we were looking for, advised us not to remove the seals and films until the spare part was checked for operability, received his reward and was so.
Then I more than once or twice turned to him for spare parts, and for a long time he remained my main supplier, offering good prices and, more importantly, good quality spare parts.
As usual, if a person loves what he does, the business grows. At the moment, this is a fairly large online store, in which I continue to buy pieces of hardware from time to time. Despite the fact that over the years the turnover has grown significantly, the quality has not deteriorated. The big advantage for me is that the store is located in my city. At the same time, the store has dispatch of spare parts in Russia, and you can make orders by mail.
Store address is simple and straightforward: ul-phone.ru
Word of mouth was working, and acquaintances of relatives and friends began to carry more and more devices for repairs. The necessary spare part was not always available in ul-phone, which forced me to look for new suppliers.
Having thought that delivery in Russia takes less time than delivery from China, I began to ask about where my familiar masters get spare parts. By that time, I met many of the city's craftsmen when buying spare parts in the store, which I wrote about above.
Then I was advised the online store mobparts.ru.
I was pleasantly surprised by the speed of delivery. Having made the first order, he asked about when I can get my piece of iron in my city. I was told that within two days. I didn't believe it then, but in the end it happened. Due to shipping costs, the total cost was often slightly higher than other providers, but when not elsewhere, there is no choice. At the moment, I rarely use the services of this supplier, but the efficiency of order processing and the speed of delivery are sometimes very helpful.
Despite the presence of a large number of suppliers, I have not stopped using my favorite eBay to order spare parts, which are usually not available from Russian suppliers.
This is not surprising, because Russian suppliers are focused on spare parts for models sold in Russia. What is the point of ordering a batch of spare parts for the American modification of the phone, which may never be sold out? So eBay and the reseller that I still use come to help out from time to time.
The online store does not always remain only virtual. This is exactly what happened with the next supplier, whom I found out about after literally stumbling upon their pavilion in a newly renovated shopping complex in my city. We are talking about the green-spark.ru spare parts store
In the comments to one of the first 'Master Notes' I veiledly recommended this store, calling it 'green sparks' (this is how the name is translated).
The main advantage of this supplier is the walking distance to the store and the availability of a large number of a wide variety of spare parts and tools. It turned out that there is a store in many large cities of Russia. I had situations when not a single local supplier, including the local representative of 'green sparks', had the necessary spare part, and then I made an order in their online store, and the spare part was brought to me in a day, simply by moving it from the nearest Samara or Kazan, and passing with a minibus.
Nuances
Almost all sellers have one rule when buying a spare part, the observance of which will help you save both money and nerve cells – before installing a spare part, you need to check it by 'throwing it on snot', that is, connect it without assembly and installation, without removing the films and without damaging the seals. This rule was invented not in order to catch an inattentive master and not return the money to him, but because otherwise the seller will not be able to understand whether it is his spare part, and also, later, he will not be able to return it to his supplier.
On the one hand, one can reasonably argue that this is the problem of the seller who sold you a defective part, but on the other hand, as is often the case in closed communities of people united by one thing, “everyone knows each other”, and are, if not friendly, then in friendly relations and, one way or another, collide with each other. Therefore, by itself, an understanding of the rule 'you are for me, I am for you' is developed.
Conclusion
Some five years ago, it was much more difficult to get the necessary spare part in the regions, and often one of the few, if not the only, ways were aliexpress or Moscow stalls 'on Gorbushka'. Over time, the number of electronics in people's hands has grown significantly, which means that the spare parts market has become much larger. Thanks to this, at the moment, you can buy a spare part for your gadget at almost every step. Here you have a whole scattering of online stores, private traders, and groups on social networks. I don't want to choose.
Over time, everyone has proven places and their own sellers, which you turn to again and again. You get overgrown with the right people, and now you are already getting a 100% original spare part, which you cannot find or buy anywhere else. Already familiar masters offer you to buy 'for a penny, for spare parts' a device that the client refused, and you just have the same phone on which you have already despaired of finding a rare piece of hardware.
Each list of verified suppliers may be different, and the experience of the same store may differ, but you should never forget that there are people everywhere who are ready to cooperate and help if you are ready for it.