4 ms·

If you are paying 112$ instead of 35$ for the exact same product (except shipping times, but perhaps you could find them on ebay/amazon with fast shipping) and

by arein3 5y ago

If you are paying 112$ instead of 35$ for the exact same product (except shipping times, but perhaps you could find them on ebay/amazon with fast shipping) and you do not feel taken advantage of, good for you. To make it clear, it's not theoretical, I bought the parts for 35$ instead of 112$, and the are exactly the same as from iFixit or better. I just dislike the aura of "iFixit is fighting for you, doing the right thing!" and then proceed to rip you off. Also, on aliexpress things go trough a few middlemans (and aliexpress cut). They probably buy bulk from alibaba or another channel, and prices there are lower.

bradknowles 5y ago
It's not a ripoff. The additional markup pays for all the other things that iFixit does for you, but for which you are not directly paying. Like those guides, and curating the tools that look exactly like the other tools but actually are much lower quality. And so on. The fact that you can buy from the same suppliers and avoid that markup also means that you're now responsible for waiting the extra time to ship from China instead of iFixit, and you're responsible for making sure you really are getting the quality tools instead of the lookalike ripoff tools, etc.... If you value your time so little that doing this process makes you think that iFixit is a ripoff, well that tells me that you're looking at the wrong end of the telescope.
- arein3 5y ago
  As long as there are people like you that value their time so much, I guess they could increase the price even more. Just mention to people when talking about iFixit that they could by the same product for a few times less. I don't have a problem if anyone uses them, just that usually resellers increase the price much less than them. I am sure they could reduce the price to half and still make a very good profit, but that is not in the interest of the business. A lot of people are hearing about iFixit now with the right to repair push and I assume they don't know that the products they are selling on their website have such inflated prices as compared to real price.
  - bradknowles 5y ago
    So, if you knew anything about the commercial market and the relationship between wholesalers and retailers, you would know that a 3x markup is actually about the smallest you typically see. Those jewelers you see with those three balls hanging outside their door? That's a statement by the jeweler that they are "triple-key", which means that they intentionally limit themselves to 3x markup on most items (the expensive ones). It used to be that many jewelers had a much larger markup that they typically charged, and many still do. So, if you want to spend your time dealing with a wholesaler that might or might not be the same supplier that iFixit uses, and you want to take your chances on whether you're getting dodgy equipment from some fly-by-night Chinese company that has copied the look of the quality tools you might otherwise get from a trusted retailer, then more power to you. I'll stick with the trusted retailer, myself. I think iFixit is one of the few relatively honest companies left in the business, and I'd prefer to continue to support them with my business.
    - arein3 5y ago
      That's not true. Luxury jewelers have a pretty high markup because of the brand. Do not mix reselling stuff from china and jewellery business. Usual jewelers keep prices depending on the price of material and the weight, not at 3x markup. When buying from aliexpress/ebay you are buying a single piece, like from a retailer, same process as from ifixit. So by you logic if every retailer has 3X markup, but iFixit has price 3 times higher than the aliexpress retailer, it means that iFixit has at least 9X markup. You also see reviews, and based on them you can decide who you trust. That is time consuming, and I would prefer to be a place where I can buy without having to worry, however also don't try to rip me off because they thought I would pay anything for cheap stuff imported from china.
      - bradknowles 5y ago
        Aliexpress is not a retailer. They are another outlet for the manufacturer -- not even the wholesaler. So, you're cutting out at least two layers of the traditional sales channel. It makes sense that their stuff would be much, much cheaper. You cannot reasonably compare their prices with any other wholesaler or manufacturer. But you do you.

by arein3 5y ago

bradknowles 5y ago

It's not a ripoff. The additional markup pays for all the other things that iFixit does for you, but for which you are not directly paying. Like those guides, and curating the tools that look exactly like the other tools but actually are much lower quality. And so on. The fact that you can buy from the same suppliers and avoid that markup also means that you're now responsible for waiting the extra time to ship from China instead of iFixit, and you're responsible for making sure you really are getting the quality tools instead of the lookalike ripoff tools, etc.... If you value your time so little that doing this process makes you think that iFixit is a ripoff, well that tells me that you're looking at the wrong end of the telescope.

arein3 5y ago
As long as there are people like you that value their time so much, I guess they could increase the price even more. Just mention to people when talking about iFixit that they could by the same product for a few times less. I don't have a problem if anyone uses them, just that usually resellers increase the price much less than them. I am sure they could reduce the price to half and still make a very good profit, but that is not in the interest of the business. A lot of people are hearing about iFixit now with the right to repair push and I assume they don't know that the products they are selling on their website have such inflated prices as compared to real price.
- bradknowles 5y ago
  So, if you knew anything about the commercial market and the relationship between wholesalers and retailers, you would know that a 3x markup is actually about the smallest you typically see. Those jewelers you see with those three balls hanging outside their door? That's a statement by the jeweler that they are "triple-key", which means that they intentionally limit themselves to 3x markup on most items (the expensive ones). It used to be that many jewelers had a much larger markup that they typically charged, and many still do. So, if you want to spend your time dealing with a wholesaler that might or might not be the same supplier that iFixit uses, and you want to take your chances on whether you're getting dodgy equipment from some fly-by-night Chinese company that has copied the look of the quality tools you might otherwise get from a trusted retailer, then more power to you. I'll stick with the trusted retailer, myself. I think iFixit is one of the few relatively honest companies left in the business, and I'd prefer to continue to support them with my business.
  - arein3 5y ago
    That's not true. Luxury jewelers have a pretty high markup because of the brand. Do not mix reselling stuff from china and jewellery business. Usual jewelers keep prices depending on the price of material and the weight, not at 3x markup. When buying from aliexpress/ebay you are buying a single piece, like from a retailer, same process as from ifixit. So by you logic if every retailer has 3X markup, but iFixit has price 3 times higher than the aliexpress retailer, it means that iFixit has at least 9X markup. You also see reviews, and based on them you can decide who you trust. That is time consuming, and I would prefer to be a place where I can buy without having to worry, however also don't try to rip me off because they thought I would pay anything for cheap stuff imported from china.
    - bradknowles 5y ago
      Aliexpress is not a retailer. They are another outlet for the manufacturer -- not even the wholesaler. So, you're cutting out at least two layers of the traditional sales channel. It makes sense that their stuff would be much, much cheaper. You cannot reasonably compare their prices with any other wholesaler or manufacturer. But you do you.