Sample Books necessary/good to have for a repair business?

[eevblogger88]

Hello, Iam startin my repairing journey. (I want to repair mostly smartphones, tablets, graphic cards etc)

To have the common components at hand I saw that repair shops like Louis Rossmann is selling „sample books“ for capacitors / resistors.

But I can’t find a definitive answer if this is really helpful for a repair?
I mean does it make sense to have sample books?
I can’t find a video about that question from a repair shop.

https://store.rossmanngroup.com/resistor-capacitor-books.html

Espacially:
0402 Resistor Book
0201 Resistor Book
0402 Capacitor Book
0201 Capacitor Book
0603 Resistor & Capacitor Book

Does it make sense to buy those and have these components at hand?

[bob91343]

I used to be in the repair business.  My suggestion is to hold off purchasing parts you don't need.  When you need a part, order a few and stock the extra.  In time you will develop a store of genuinely useful parts.  Of course this will slow your repairs but it's the most effective.

Also develop some sources for the expected parts so you know where to order.

[Shock]

The simple question is, will you use them? You have to look at the videos and repair logs of the failing devices you will be servicing. It's the only way to work it out ahead of time.

I would say they are useful as it covers a large range of values. If you are going to buy chinese components though go directly to the source as it's cheaper. The only real reason not to get them is if you are on a super tight budget and have a bunch of spare boards (secondhand parts) or will use genuine quality parts on a needs basis (and can eat the costs and time associated with that).

Generally you want to be hesitant in stocking too many parts in the beginning, but a few hundred dollars in starter parts is nothing. Hint though, when you order parts if it's under a buck and commonly used you're buying 10 or more at a time. The idea is as your business grows you swap admin time for labor and it's more cost effective to reach in a parts drawer than place an order, which is essentially unrecoverable "non income" generating time. Even though you think it's covered by the cost of labor, your goal is to eliminate wasted time.

You have to be careful buying larger more expensive parts in quantity as you can quickly get into thousands of dollars of stock that is otherwise not being recovered by a repair. If you are starting out with no overheads with income security a single repair should easily cover the cost of a whole book. If you have overheads like rent, power and other associated business costs, good luck.

[Shock]

To expand further on the admin overhead of ordering parts.

You reach to your bin or used parts stock and look for it. You then search for it online and add it to an order or to an existing order. If it's a separate order you may have a minimum quantity or have to order other parts with it to reduce or make the shipping cost effective. You may need to monitor the shipment or go pick it up or unpack it. Then put the extras into your parts bin or inventory management (which may come later). Process the invoice at some stage so it can be counted as an expense and claim back tax etc. Only ordered that one component? Oops it blew up again, you missed the short circuit (happens).

Now multiply that by 5 different resistors or 5 different caps etc. This is why people buy a selection of the low cost parts because wasting time like this will suck the life out of you. In order to negate it you just need to find a good balance of realistic stock levels and the rest becomes intuitive as you go. But it's different case by case for each business and their turnover. If you are working by yourself regularly it becomes like ordering lunch.

[bob91343]

Again, there is no substitute for understanding the circuits you repair.  Once you do that, the occurrence of repeated failures will drop sharply.

In my business I avoided using second hand parts.  Sometimes the most efficient approach was to cannibalize an old unit but in the interests of maintaining integrity I wouldn't do it.

However, stocking a random assortment of parts is not financially efficient.  I definitely vote for the purchase-as-needed philosophy, always with some spares for future use.

[Shock]

Secondhand parts are sometimes unavoidable unfortunately. But it's not an excuse to use crappy parts when you can order quality ones. You just cannot physically stock or get hold of everything.

Anyone who advertises they use only quality components and regularly uses chinese equivalents, knockoffs or secondhand parts is basically full of shit. The best idea is be transparent with the customer that parts are subject to availability and not make up stories.

[Brumby]

My suggestion is to hold off purchasing parts you don't need.  When you need a part, order a few and stock the extra.  In time you will develop a store of genuinely useful parts.

Most sensible for semiconductors and specialty parts.

Of course this will slow your repairs

This is very true.  You have to consider availability, lead times and shipping times and how such delays will affect your customers.

but it's the most effective.

Depending on the parts.  I wouldn't be so critical for basic things like resistors and capacitors.

Also develop some sources for the expected parts so you know where to order.

Definitely.  You need to have a firm handle on prices, availability, shipping costs, shipping time, reliability as well as alternative sources.

To expand further on the admin overhead of ordering parts.
... ... ...
This is why people buy a selection of the low cost parts because wasting time like this will suck the life out of you.

Time is your most precious commodity.  Funds come second.

I am all in favour of sample books of resistors and capacitors to get you started.  If you then find you are using half a dozen values of particular components, then go and buy a larger quantity of just those.  Sample books can also provide you with some (infrequently needed) values on hand that you would have otherwise had to order in.

I might also suggest some other jellybean parts - but don't get carried away here.  Check other people's experience and take note of the parts that get mentioned and make your own list of parts for consideration.

[m3vuv]

is it even worth thinking about?,iI dont want to piss on your strawberrys but here in the uk,nothing electronic gets repaired normaly just trashed!

[Shock]

Depends on the cost of the goods and repair cost. Most people here only mess around with repairs as a side hustle. Sorin (Electronics repair school) operates the repair side of a small store in the UK. He works in a middle class area with fairly low income, so cheap quick repairs.