Make America Repair Again

Business insider ^ | 1st May 2025 | Emily Stewart

[Cronos]

It used to be the case that people had limited amounts of stuff, and when whatever stuff they did have broke, they fixed it. Then the postwar economic boom and the "Mad Men" era of advertising, and voilà, stuff-palooza. Unlimited amounts of things now surround us, allowing us to take an on-to-the-next-one approach to consumption. When our phones, washing machines, or jeans show even a remote sign of wear, the path of least resistance is to replace them. Now, with President Donald Trump's tariffs threatening to increase prices and continuing concerns about inflation, that calculation may not be so straightforward. Repair is becoming increasingly appealing. The problem is, it's a habit we've moved away from — and one that may be tough to get back to because of technological, financial, and cultural shifts.

If Americans want to avoid tariff-driven price jumps, they may want to put down their credit cards and pick up some duct tape or a screwdriver

It's better for Apple if you buy a brand-new $900 iPhone than spend $90 on a new battery or give $25 to some small local shop to replace your cracked screen. The company spends a lot of energy on getting you to do that, via design, marketing, and other strategies. "They refuse to sell replacement parts to consumers, or they use software locks that frustrate repairs. Even if you're using authorized original manufacturer components, they leverage intellectual property law

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TOPICS: Business/Economy
KEYWORDS:

[Cronos]

The tariffs will be good for the environment. And create scores of new 1 person repair businesses

[HIDEK6]

They’re not Trump’s tariffs, they’re our tariffs.

WWII reconstruction is over.

[PeterPrinciple]

When our phones, washing machines, or jeans show even a remote sign of wear, the path of least resistance is to replace them.

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darn it................

I mean

darned; darning; darns
Synonyms of darn
transitive verb

1
: to mend with interlacing stitches
2
: to embroider by filling in with long running or interlacing stitches

[US_MilitaryRules]

Sounds great to me! I usually repair all things around my home and shop. Friend once told me “If man built it we can repair it!” So I do.

[PeterPrinciple]

Any repair you do is self employment.

Hire some one to change your oil, (illustration) Cost you $50 of after tax income so you need to earn $66.

No taxes paid on your repairs improvements you do your self. A good way to get ahead financially.

[PeterPrinciple]

and I would add, while you are changing the oil your self you are not spending money at the bar or golf course. Actually that is where the big bucks are gotten.

So total earned per hour is close to $100.

[Red Badger]

When I was growing up in the 50’s and 60’s, there were actual repair shops that did appliances, TVs, Radios etc. Just like “Emmett’s Fix-It Shop” on the Andy Griffith Show....................

[blackdog]

I fix everything I can, which is most everything. If I can't fix it, I repurpose it.

A question on Tariff outrage among uninformed Americans......If PepsiCo, Nestlé, or Sara Lee, want to sell their products in Kroger Stores, they have to pay a fee for the shelf space in order to have consumers access their marketed products inside a Kroger Store.

How is this long, Long, standing practice not the same as Tariffs as Trump wants to impose? How come nobody is coming unraveled over Mattel paying Target for the added costs for Barbie dolls shelf space? Coca Cola is adding those shelf fish space costs onto every bottle or can of soda. Sara Lee is adding those shelf space fees into the cost of every loaf of bread.(Granted, it's mostly chemical bread)

Is my thinking off?

[BBB333]

“It’s better for Apple if you buy a brand-new $900 iPhone than spend $90 on a new battery or give $25 to some small local shop to replace your cracked screen”

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Author has NO concept of reality. Broken screen is $400.00.

[alloysteel]

Use it up, wear it out, make it do, do without. Old Yankee philosophy, it has served the nation well in times of scarcity and want.

On the short term, at least, we are headed for some of that.

[GingisK]

In the beginning, all electronics devices had schematics and tube placement diagrams glued to the bottom or inside cover. Tube circuits were relatively easy to repair. Repairing tiny circuit boards with surface mount components is a different matter. Given the cost of repairing today's electronics in comparison to the cost of a replacement, there is no decision to be made.

That being said, having to pay $1200 to $2200 for an animated temperature controller is outrageous. My next furnace will indeed have a simple on/off thermostat.

...and so on.

[Maine Mariner]

Great post! However, I am sure some revenue agent at some level of government will read it and figure a way to tax the value of your labor services.

Some years ago the IRS or some other tax agency wanted every homeowner to pay a tax on the imputed rental income of their home. The proposal did not go very far. Here is how it works, first determine how much income you receive if you rented out your home, then include that imputed rental income as part of your taxable income!

[dfwgator]

Rewire America Again!

[goodnesswins]

I had my broken screen fixed by a guy for @$90...Samsung A42

[Maine Mariner]

Sixty years ago a friend of my parents told me “If you know how to fix things, you will never be without work!” He was right then and he is right now. The people who fix things have a market niche. There are still people that repair and recondition typewriters, film cameras, etc.

[stevio]

Amen. Bring back Radio Shack!

[Macoozie]

Cracked the coffee pot-
Similar new machine is $75.
Replacement coffee pot is $35.

It’s all about choices.

[ansel12]

""""When I was growing up in the 50’s and 60’s, there were actual repair shops that did appliances, TVs, Radios etc. Just like “Emmett’s Fix-It Shop” on the Andy Griffith Show....................""""

That went at least into the 70s, and quick stop stores used to have a device that would test your TV vacuum tubes.

[BBB333]

iPhone specifically mentioned.

Lulu my cat knocked my iPhone onto a concrete floor with a rock in juuuuust the right place — $399.99 to fix it.

[Dr. Sivana]

Counterintuitively, the green movement is a MAJOR factor in "rip out and replace". Taking lead out of solder, and other materials out of circuit boards weakens connections and shortens the lifespan. Making all powered devices, not just cars, use smaller, lighter parts, make them wear out faster, and repairs more expensive. My mother's 1950s wring Maytag ran into the 1980s and was only replaced when the bottom of the porcelain tub wore out. Cars actually need many repairs less often. They are just harder and more expensive. Replacing the fuel pump on a 1966 Dodge Dart took ten minutes and ~$30 (easy as replacing an in-line fuel filter), compared to hours and north of $600 today, but the new ones wear out less frequently and probably work better for the engine. On the other hand, the bodies are less prone to rust. People DO use 1980s cars and especially trucks here in Phoenix as daily drivers. No one was using 1930s cars as daily drivers in the 1970s.

Changing technology creates new issues. I finally threw out an old flip-phone because 2G is GONE. I tossed what was a nice Olympus digital camera, because the one in my iPhone 7 (bought used) is much better, and I already had the phone. If someone bought a large Curtis-Mathiss TV (before they became a K Mart brand) thinking they would hold onto it like a Maytag Washer, the amount of money spent on getting it to run with digital, current Cable/satellite, disc players etc, could well exceed the cost of a bigger, flatter, better LG flat screen.

Good luck finding small, cheap rerplacements for broken feet on a high end computer keyboard from the OEM! I had to go to ebay and get one from someone who 3D printed them (works fine).

The articles point that a mindset change is needed is well-taken, though. Americans have to be willing to shell out more not only for mostly USA made and greater reliability, but also reparability and upgradeability.