Hello, Habre! I continue to talk about my own experience in repairing gadgets in Spain. This time I will share interesting cases of purchases on the Spanish analogue of Russian online flea markets. In most cases, everything is fine and there are no problems, but you always have to keep your ear sharp, as they say. Why? Details below!

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Buying AirPods Max

If we talk about recent purchases, then the purchase of AirPods Max headphones impressed me the most.

Somehow I wanted to buy these headphones. I didn’t want to pay 550 euros, I decided to see what was available on the BO market. Why this particular model? I just heard about the active noise reduction function a long time ago and read reviews where the owners praised this device enough.

I go to my online flea market, look for a product and find it. A seller with a good rating, registered 5 years ago, sells many luxury goods – up to bracelets for 20,000 euros. The description of the headphones says that they are like new, with a box. I think: “Wow, you definitely have to buy, the seller will not deceive you.”

Apple headphones on his sales list are almost the cheapest in the assortment and cost 300 euros. I dare to take it and ask if there are any signs of use. He says that there are practically none: “I listened several times and decided to sell, but they did not come up.”

I buy headphones, I wait, they come. I open it, and there…

Moreover, there is also the smell of cigarettes and some kind of perfume. I immediately decided to return it, but, I think, I will turn it on, connect it – I will at least check the functionality. When connected, a message is displayed that they are still tied to his Apple ID. I write to the seller, they tell me about these problems – he tells me that he has trained with them several times, and he can unlock it only after payment.

I say that I am not going to buy such things, he calmly tells me to send them back. I give a request for a return, pack, and then a message arrives that he sent the request for review by the resource administration. That is, the seller considers it normal that the condition of the device is indicated as new, but at the same time they are in the condition in which I showed them in the photo. The administration of the resource is adequate, the request is approved, the money was returned to me.

The moral is like this. Even rated sellers at flea markets with good products should not be trusted. To be honest, I don’t know how to check them. He did not seem suspicious to me, he was polite and adequate until the moment of his return. Everything else turned out after processing the return request.

Nintendo Switch Lite

I already wrote about this case on Khabri. Saw on the same resource the sale of Nintendo Switch Lite for 50 euros. It was sold as non-working: the device does not turn on, does not show any signs of life.

Chatted with the seller in the chat room. She stated that this Nintendo is her son’s console, which suddenly stopped working, and the reason is unknown. I always ask if the gadget has been flooded with water. And most often sellers tell the truth. The reputation of the seller was excellent, judging by the reviews – although mostly for the shoes, clothes, etc. sold. So I decided to take a risk. Bought for 50 euros. The console came with a box, which is cool. I really like when a refurbished gadget can be put in its own box.

However, in my case, the seller decided to resort to deception. When I disassembled the console, it turned out that it was not only flooded (traces of water remained on the motherboard), but also that it was still being repaired, and by a professional, judging by the quality of the replaced chips. And they changed a lot – several main chips, including a charge controller, a touchscreen chip, a couple of transistors. Well, it’s simply impossible not to know about it – the little boy is unlikely to have secretly gone to fix the console, paying at the same time 50-60 euros, or even more.

In response to my accusations of fraud, the seller replied that I was a fraud, nothing like that happened. The console fixed it, but the sediment, as they say, remained.

Buying a gaming laptop

A similar story. Found a seller with excellent reviews and ratings. Selling a gaming laptop that does not turn on. Not cheap, but the model is interesting. I can’t remember how old it was, but it was some Lenovo, which is still worth 500 euros used.

By tradition, I ask why it does not turn on, whether it was not filled, whether he took it to the service center, etc. The answers are also usual: the seller knows nothing and denies everything negative.

I buy, my beauty comes. I disassemble, test, see a short circuit on the main power line. I look under the microscope and see that someone has clearly poked the throttle in front of the processor, and one contact on the side of the processor has been soldered. For those who are not in the know, let me explain: this is what the masters do in order to understand whether the short circuit is from the side of the processor – most often this is the verdict of the laptop – or, on the other hand, then it can be repaired. In my case, it turned out that the processor was not working.

At Lenovo, it is extremely difficult to replace such a chip due to the large amount of compound. In addition, the chip itself is expensive, so the skin is not worth the effort.

I ask the seller about this, but he does not return the money, because the description of the product stated that the laptop is not working. In this case, anything can happen to the product, the funds will not be returned.

I will say here that I perfectly understand the risks of this kind of purchase. But still, most sellers are more or less honest. And here it is a 148% deception, because the seller clearly took it to the master, who found the problem and had to answer for sure that this device cannot be repaired.

Life teaches a lot

Yes, of course, it’s not the first time I’ve encountered outright deception, but it’s always unpleasant. And here are some conclusions for novice craftsmen who plan to buy non-working devices and repair them.

1. Don’t trust anyone. The seller can be very friendly, but it ends as soon as you start making complaints, even politely. If you were cheated, you will most likely not get your money back.
2. If you want to buy something to repair, be sure to carefully evaluate the posted photos. If there’s any indication that the seller does repairs: good tools in the background, a soldering station, and even a soldering mat, don’t take any chances. It is better to look for something from another seller. It’s also not a guarantee, but something.
3. Do not risk large sums. The advice that is usually given to those who borrow money is relevant here: “Don’t risk an amount you will regret.” With the same game console, I spent an amount that would not be a pity, even if the gadget could not be fixed. I advise you to do so: even if the seller tells cool stories about the fact that the laptop or set-top box “turned off just like that and does not turn on”, do not believe it and do not overpay.
4. Be prepared for the fact that you will not repair the device. When estimating, immediately estimate whether you can recoup costs by selling spare parts from the device or by reselling it as non-working. If so, you can take it. If the risk is high, refuse the purchase.
5. Don’t be afraid to take risks. Sometimes you have to learn, and if the price for a non-working device is adequate, buy it, you will be able to learn something new. Soldering, circuit analysis, device firmware, etc., all this can be learned gradually by acquiring similar devices.

In general, in this article I told everything I wanted. And it would be nice to learn about your personal experience of successful and not so successful purchases at online flea markets. It’s always interesting, because sometimes something quite unusual happens.