I’m sure this must sound stupid for many, but I never get any responses, until like 3 days later when I check my spam folder and realize my scheduled interview appointment came from some random server that got deleted as spam mail.
How the hell do people get jobs online? I’ve only ever landed a job in person.
Just start fixing devices yourself. Make a professional looking ad and do it at home. Advertise on your local facebook groups. Just be upfront about not having a shop yet. Buy broken devices and fix/resell them. Offer electronics recycling and get stuff for free that you can resell/scrap for money. If you need help with ebay I can write up a guide. I’ve been selling for 20 years.
Been there, tried that.
I tend to get about three different categories of devices that I refuse to work on.
Please help me unlock this
stolendevice…Please fix my 72 inch TV, my kids broke it. Never worth it to even attempt to replace large screens like that, it costs more than the device is even worth.
Please fix my (insert product name here). Oh fuck, parts cost money, well nevermind…
Offer to buy or recycle #3.
#2 parts like control boards and power supplies are worth money on ebay.
#1 maybe crimestoppers money. See if you can get the serial number and check with the device manufacturer or the cops.
Wait, you mean when I actually did track down exactly where a stolen computer came from, and spent an hour or so with the cops, you mean I could have actually gotten paid?
Fuck, I had to wait on my boss to go on vacation before I even reported that shit (wasn’t the boss that stole it, but he requested me to unlock it for the thief customer).
You can always use it as goodwill for your business. Take a selfie with the cops and make a facebook post like “Another stolen phone recovered thanks to the local pd!” People eat that shit up and it gives you some legitimacy and clout, maybe even a piece in the newspaper about how you just like helping the community.
I’d be shot in the head in less than 4 hours here.
Wait wait, offer electronics recycling?
Fuck, I’ve been pushing for that for like 20 years around my area, that’s like impossible. Nobody takes that shit, I can’t even get anyone onboard with salvaging the gold from boards, and I gotta keep the scrap mercury safe from other idiots that would just as soon toss it in the landfill.
There’s places you can mail just the valuable boards and take scrap steel and copper to the metal recycler. Don’t take tv’s or smoke detectors. Sell good parts on ebay.
Define what is considered a valuable board.
Around my area, if I happened to show someone any device, even if it was originally worth $5000 in working condition, they wouldn’t even give me $5 for it if I even fixed it.
They’ll just turn around and brag about the latest shit they bought off of Amazon or something. Nobody gives a fuck around here anymore, electronics are like candy to these dumbfucks anymore.
Where the occasional money is at around here is if someone’s vehicle breaks down and they need someone to replace their starter or alternator or brakes or something.
It’s not a lot, but it’s another revenue stream to consider.
https://www.scrapmonster.com/scrap-yard/price/electronics-scrap/4
You can also tell people you’ll recycle it for them and actually just fix it yourself if they’re not going fix it anyway.
I sell a lot of vintage electronics like vcr’s, tape decks even a laser disc player for $300 one time. I have a whole package of random belts for the tape decks, which are easy to replace. I also do a lot of car parts as well as other random items. If you have a source for those hotel lock parts that are getting thrown away anyway then look uo how much they sell for. (Search ebay and filter by sold)
I’d love to get back into fixing vintage electronics, but I don’t really know anyone that’s interested in buying anything more than 3 days old.
The only people I do know into vintage electronics are more or less anonymous friends that have a garage or storage shed full of the shit and not interested in any more.
Fuck, I found a totally working buisness class video projector that had an original MSRP of almost $16,000, yet I couldn’t sell it to anyone for even a mere $50, they apparently have a policy around here to refuse video projectors, working or not.
ebay
Dunno how to sell things online.
I haven’t had a bank account in almost a decade.
Why? Because my bank fucked me over and refused to accept my tax return payment. I’ve literally never been able to get a direct deposit, something always went screwy, and even the bank manager couldn’t explain why that was.
So I closed my bank account and have been cash only for the past 10 years.
I’ve actually worked for 4 banks before and never had any problem with them cutting me an actual physical check, but God forbid they actually allow a direct deposit…
Like seriously WTF?
Sorry, can’t help you there, you need a bank account for ebay. I would check your credit report and make sure it’s not fucked up. Employers check that too, could be why you keep getting passed up. There’s always fb marketplace and craigslist.