Macbook glass - why you shouldn't buy off eBay & Amazon.
Price isn't everything.
I've always been outspoken against price shopping for parts to repair laptops. You want to arrange by lowest price – you'll get precisely what you bargain for, and eBay & Amazon are two of the worst cespools when it comes to purchasing repair parts.
Good Macbook glass aint cheap!
Today I'd like to use the example of Macbook glass. This was brought in by a customer hoping to save a few bucks. We charge $100 in labor to replace the glass, but $150 with our part. He got this for $19.99. Here are a few of the things you get along with that cost savings of $30.01. We repair the glass on A1278 Macbooks and also sell the part for those so inclined to repair it themselves.
Crap glass has inferior packaging.
Good glass has a screen protector that is flush against the entire surface of the glass, applied at the factory at the time of production. You won't find dust, or any other junk under this protector.
The crap used glass has a white piece of paper over the backside of it. This is not factory applied, this is applied by a person - a lowly skilled one at that, who often eats over his work. You'll find dust and all sorts Crap glass has inferior packaging. of crap between this piece of paper and the glass, as it is not sealed.
Crap glass has bubble defects.
You'll have to look closely, click & zoom in to see. These defects cause angry customers, chargebacks,and bad reviews.
Crap glass has discolored borders
Ok, so the $100 camcorder doesn't do a stellar job of getting this point across, but if you can see it with the crap JVC Everio, imagine how bad it is in person. The crap glass on the bottom isn't even black - it's grey.
What does this mean for the repair shop?
You are giving your customers excuses to bargain with you. You are giving them reasons to say “I'm not happy with this – I'm not paying.” You're giving them reasons to leave a bad review.
What does this mean for the customer?
You're turning a beautiful, $1200 laptop into a piece of shit. The very part you interact with on a regular basis is tainted in a manner that, even if it is subtle, makes it shittier to work on.