Author/Writer of "Financial World" Weekly Editor Ni Yuping/Chen Fang's business is also not doing well. At 9 o'clock in the morning, Lao Qian's mobile phone repair shop in Shilibao, Beijing opened on time. As soon as the door was pushed open, the welcome buzzer at the door rang t

/ Author of "Financial World" Weekly Ni Yuping

Editor / Chen Fang

Business is not doing well either

At 9 o'clock in the morning, Lao Qian's mobile phone repair store in Shilipuo, Beijing opened on time.

As soon as he opened the door, the welcome reminder at the door rang twice. The store is not large in area. Directly opposite is the blue and white "China Mobile" sign; on the wall on the left hand side, a whole wall of headphones, charging cables and other accessories are hung closely together; on the opposite side of the wall is a narrow On the counter, a variety of second-hand Apple phones are displayed. Looking down from the counter, you can see the sofa that has dropped suddenly.

Whenever someone comes, Lao Qian slowly lifts himself up from under the counter, pushes up his black-rimmed glasses that are about to slide to the tip of his nose, and asks casually, "What do you want to order?"

In addition to a " With the neon sign "Mobile Phone Repair", there is almost no trace of mobile phone repair in this store. When "Financial World" weekly asked about business, he crossed his hands on the back of his head and slumped into the sofa again, "This business is not easy to do anymore. When people ask about the price, they think repairs are too expensive, so it is better to buy one." ."

"No matter whether your phone is worth money or not, the accessories are so expensive." Laoqian scratched his messy hair: Some mobile phones cost several hundred yuan to replace the screen, so it is better to pay for a new phone and persuade them to cancel it. A wave of people. Unless there is something important in the phone, or it is a new phone, it will be repaired.

html Qian, who is about 250 years old, has been in the mobile phone repair business for more than 20 years. He has rented this shop for more than ten years now. His family also revolves around mobile phones: the eldest son "can't sit still" and is unwilling to do repairs. He usually runs around outside recycling second-hand mobile phones; his wife also runs a repair shop, and when she encounters a job she can't handle, she Just bring it over and fix it for him.

But now, there are fewer and fewer mobile phone repair jobs. In the past two months, Lao Qian has only made a few dozen yuan from repairs, and "he hasn't even saved his money." Rent, water, electricity, labor and other expenses are costs that have to be considered for offline maintenance. In the past ten years, Lao Qian's store rent has increased from more than 3,000 yuan per month to about 10,000 yuan, but his income has dropped - "Once you pay the rent, the money is gone." In the early years, Laoqian could still make a net profit of 20,000 yuan per month.

(Picture/ Visual China )

No traffic is the biggest problem. "People rarely go out now, and they don't wander around after work." Laoqian's mobile phone repair shop is open from morning to night, but there are not many orders. "If I hadn't had regular customers, I wouldn't have been able to continue my job."

Although Fang Yuan's mobile phone repair shop is located in an office building near Yong'anli, Beijing, it is also facing the dilemma of not having new customers.

His store is larger, about 20 square meters, bright and clean, with some second-hand mobile phones and mobile phone accessories placed very restrainedly on both sides. Facing the door is a small black maintenance workbench. While checking his cell phone, Fang Yuan said: "Basically all the customers are acquaintances, there are too few new customers."

"There are almost no direct customers now." Fang Yuan said, there were not many orders in a day.

Lin Dong, who repaired all the way from pagers to smartphones, clearly feels that the mobile phone repair business is getting worse year by year. The industry is not profitable and many people have changed careers.

"In the past, the quality of mobile phones was not up to par. Counterfeit phones and low-end phones were prevalent, and they broke easily, so the total amount of repairs was large." Lin Dong analyzed that with the improvement of mobile phone quality, under normal use, today's mobile phones Problems rarely go wrong, so repairs aren't that much.

This is indeed the case. Li Mu’s iPhone and vivo phones have been used for five or six years and have never been broken. She originally planned to get a new phone when her phone broke, but she never got the chance. "Some time ago, there was no signal on my mobile phone. I thought it was because the phone was broken. I was very happy because I thought I could finally use a new phone. But I didn't expect that the phone card was broken. I just need to change the card for free."

Like Li Mu There are many consumers.Ah Feng, a mobile phone repair practitioner, said that if the current consumer's mobile phone is broken, the first thought is to directly replace it with a new one, or to make do with the old idle mobile phone. Few people choose to repair it.

Some time ago, Li Mu’s friend’s iPhone screen cracked. She went to a repair store for consultation. It would cost seven to eight hundred yuan to replace it with an original screen. After thinking about it, she decided to make do with a spare phone.

It is difficult to do business related to mobile phones. China Academy of Information and Communications Technology data shows that in the first five months of this year, the total mobile phone shipments in the Chinese market totaled 108 million units, a year-on-year decrease of 27.1%. People's replacement cycles are becoming longer and longer. Market research organization Strategy Analytics analyzed that the average replacement cycle of Chinese users is close to 30 months.

In this context, some people thought that the mobile phone repair business would explode and usher in a "second spring". Unexpectedly, the relationship between repair and mobile phone business was that "both prospered and both suffered losses".

"The main growth bottleneck in the Chinese market lies on the demand side." Nicole Peng, vice president of mobile business at Canalys, an analysis agency, believes. Now it seems that the desire for repair in the mobile phone market also applies to this analysis.

He lost money repairing the screen

Compared with Lao Qian, Afeng’s business is quite stable. In a day, there can be 10 maintenance orders on good days, and three or four on bad days.

In 2018, he opened a mobile phone repair shop in Yichang, Hubei. In five years of operation, Afeng's store revenue has formed a shallow "U" shape: in 2020 and 2021, Afeng's revenue dropped by 25%. In the second half of last year, the income situation slowly improved, but it has not yet returned to the level before 2020. Currently, he "barely" earns 10,000 yuan a month.

According to Afeng’s observation, among the maintenance orders received, most of the maintenance business is focused on screen replacement. Although the screen is the most expensive part of the mobile phone, the risk of replacing the screen is relatively high, and "you may lose money if it fails", so the profit is average.

In May this year, he replaced the external screen of a Samsung S20. "It was successfully replaced, but when installing it, I found a small bubble in the screen, so I decided to rework it." As a result, I accidentally dismantled the internal screen and had to pay for an original screen. "After all, we lost 700 yuan on this order."

During maintenance, the repair of the inner screen is about three times more expensive than the outer screen. "For example, on Huawei MATE30 Pro, it costs 300 yuan to repair the outer screen. If the inner screen is broken, it costs upwards to 1,500 yuan." Afeng joked, "In this world, every repairman will lose money on the screen." Although he said His mentality calmed down, but in June, he also damaged the internal screen when repairing two curved screen mobile phones, and he lost more than 1,000 yuan in total.

(Picture/Visual China)

It’s so distressing. He smiled bitterly and said, "I've been forced to retire several difficult machines during this period. I'm afraid of the consequences, so I have to slow down."

Another big business in mobile phone repair is repairing motherboards. Compared with changing the screen, this is basically risk-free. If it's repaired, you'll get paid; if it's not repaired, it'll be returned to its original condition. Usually, A Feng likes to repair the motherboard from 22:00 to 0:00 in the evening. During this period, there are very few external distractions and you can work more focused.

Generally speaking, "This industry is not considered huge profits. What you earn is risk money, manual money and hard-earned money." But misunderstandings will still exist.

Once, he was suspected of secretly replacing the battery during maintenance. Afeng took the customer to the after-sales service for testing, "to clear my name." After that, he installed a surveillance camera on his workbench and videotaped the entire work of his hands. "In case there are concerns about the safety of parts, I will show him the replay."

Afeng feels that the Internet has made mobile phone parts and the entire repair industry transparent. “Before entering the store, most customers will check the price online.” This makes it difficult for “unreasonable profits” to exist. Before Ah Feng entered the industry, it was easy to earn huge wealth when only a few people knew how to repair.

The era of "creating wealth" has dissipated

Brother Yong, who came from a factory in the south to work in Zhongguancun, Beijing, is a witness to the era of "creating wealth" in mobile phone repair.

“I didn’t know anything about maintenance or technology before, and I didn’t know how much the goods cost or how much the labor costs. I had no idea about these. I just took a commission. As many people as you brought to me to repair, how much money would I give you. "Yong Ge, who was wearing a big T-shirt and whose belly was slightly bulging from sitting for a long time, told Caijingtianxia Weekly.

Brother Yong has been in Zhongguancun for more than ten years. Watching people who repair mobile phones "buying a house" and "buying a car" in Huilongguan, I slowly "came back to my senses" and realized that "the commission may only be one-tenth or even one-twentieth of their profits", so He fumbled his way into the industry.

This is a period of rapid development in the industry, and people from all directions are constantly pouring in. Lin Dong recalled that at that time, the apprenticeship period was one or two years, and he had to charge fees ranging from 5,000 yuan to 8,000 yuan. “Nowadays, it’s hard to find free apprentices.” Brother Yong, who has also taken apprentices, added, “In the past two years, we have hired apprentices and paid them three to four thousand yuan a month.” Usually, apprentices After learning for a long time, they would ask to set up their own business. They scattered and opened stores in Shunyi, Changping and other places where the rent was cheaper.

Lao Qian did not start as an apprentice. He went north from Jiangsu and joined the industry with his fellow villagers. "At that time, relatives would bring relatives, and fellow villagers would teach fellow townspeople. If you didn't understand, you would learn from them, and they would bring them to Beijing one by one. In one town, at least 100 families came out to do mobile phone repairs." When people came into the business in a steady stream, Lao Qian A mobile phone repair shop also opened next door, and the two families lived in peace and harmony for a long time. "As the old saying goes, peers are enemies. Although we haven't spoken much, we have never had a quarrel."

These glory, which are frequently mentioned by practitioners, happened around 2016.

This year, excluding rent, water and electricity and other costs, Lao Qian can earn 10,000 to 20,000 yuan per month, with a net profit of around 200,000 yuan a year.

Brother Yong also set a daily average income record of more than 60,000 yuan. In order to restore data for "a sister who came back from overseas", he was busy from the afternoon when he received the order to about 1 a.m. on the fourth day. In the end, he received more than 50,000 yuan in remuneration for this order alone. Including the income of more than 10,000 yuan from other maintenance businesses, Yongge made more than 60,000 yuan in a single day, which was the "most profitable day" since the maintenance.

He opened his own store in Hailong Electronic City in Zhongguancun. The business hours of the store and the building are consistent: opening at 10 o'clock to welcome customers, and getting off work on time at 7 or 8 o'clock in the evening. After get off work, Brother Yong always goes to "drink" and "play cards." In your spare time, buy a bus ticket to visit Tiananmen Square, or climb Xiangshan Mountain with your friends. When a customer calls, he only replies, "We're done, we'll talk about it tomorrow if we have anything to do."

The good times did not last long. At the same time, Zhongguancun’s Electronic Plaza was also undergoing transformation. In 2016, Hailong Electronic City closed down; in 2019, Dinghao Building closed down. Mobile phone repair shops in major electronics stores have been relocated one after another and have been concentrated in Kemao Electronics City . The rent has also risen to 10,000 yuan. But the prosperity of the past did not last. In late June, "Financial World" weekly magazine came here. Almost all repair shops on the basement floor of Kemao Electronics City were open, but most of them were empty. A shop owner complained, "It's three o'clock, and it's not even open yet."

Brother Yong’s life is no longer what it used to be. After get off work every day, he rides his electric bike directly home, cooks his own food, sleeps, and seldom goes out to play. “First, he is old, and second, his living conditions do not allow it.”

“When I open my eyes in the morning, I think How to settle the rent, whether there will be an epidemic, and if so, whether to close the business..." Now, at around 10 o'clock in the evening, when I receive a call from a customer, Brother Yong has to discuss the order clearly before hanging up the phone."In the past few years, I never thought about whether there would be business tomorrow."

His shop has already moved away from Hailong Electronic City. Because it faces the street, the monthly rent exceeds 20,000 yuan. In the second half of last year, he lost nearly 100,000 yuan due to continuous closures. After this year’s New Year, till now, I am still in a state of “not making any money”. However, relying on regular customers and other businesses, the repair shop "can survive for a while" for the time being.

I am also confused about changing careers.

Mobile phone repair has become a sunset industry, Fang Yuan thought. Lao Qian, who was 8 kilometers away from him, also saw that there were very few newcomers entering the industry, and in this circle, there were fewer and fewer fellow villagers to meet. "Many quit after the rent is due."

Lin Dong, who has been repairing pagers since he was a pager, has witnessed the changes in the entire mobile phone industry, and has also experienced the glory and disenchantment of mobile phone repair. He decided to turn around and started working as a dealer, selling both new and used mobile phones. Lin Dong admitted that in comparison, maintenance profits would be higher. But the problem is still there, "the current stores don't have much repair capacity."

Brother Yong is considering moving his business online, but the huge initial investment makes him hesitant. If it were fully rolled out in , Baidu, , , Jingdong, , Taobao, etc., it would cost 20,000 to 30,000 yuan a week for online promotion. After investing this fee, you have to scroll down several pages to see the location of the online store. "The money is almost wasted." "If someone clicks in to take a look, the transaction may not be completed, and the promotion fee will have to be paid."

In short, "It's not good." If you put too much energy into it, you can still maintain the status quo here and move to another (industry)." He paused, smacking his lips and trying to find the right word, "It's hard to say."

This cautious attitude may also come from the lessons learned from the transformation of peers. In his circle, some people have switched careers to catering, tourism, accommodation, entertainment and other industries. “But once the epidemic comes, these will no longer work.”

(Picture/Visual China)

At present, Brother Yong is betting on the store’s profitability in the second half of the year. "Every May to October is the peak season for mobile phone sales and repairs, and business will definitely be better." As for the longer-term plan, he has no definite idea: he can only take it one step at a time. After all, no industry can Guaranteed to survive forever.

However, the legends of successful people are still quietly circulating for Brother Yong and his companions to observe and imitate again and again. He mentioned that a friend of a friend had made door-to-door repair services very popular. The monthly promotion fee is 100,000 yuan, but the large investment has also brought huge returns: the rumored successful person has earned more than 100,000 yuan every month. "Despite this, there are always very few people who succeed, and they have to work in this industry for a long time."

Fang Yuan plays Douyin , and is also envious of these "maintenance experts" who have high attention and high exposure on the Internet. "As long as the skills are in place, there will still be good income."

Currently, he is also taking repair orders from his peers. The tricky and difficult ones will be sent to Fang Yuan. "Mobile phone design is becoming more and more complex, and we need to keep learning to keep up with the development." Fang Yuan is eager to continuously improve his repair technology. In the end, only by being like the high-profile "repair guru" on the Internet who "never fails and can fix anything" can we achieve better development.

However, contradictory thoughts quickly emerged. “No matter how good your technology is, it’s useless if no one comes to you.” So the question comes back to the original point: How can we find more new customers? How to stimulate more demand for repairs?

is just like old money, still troubled by this problem. He took off his glasses, walked around the counter, and sat down on the small sofa in the corner. "Mobile phones are not for food. You eat them at noon and at night. How many times can they be repaired in a year? Many people cannot repair them even once a year."

Just a year or two ago, Lao Qian opened the business as usual. But that morning, he found that his neighbor who had been doing business for more than ten years "couldn't stand it any longer" and withdrew from the industry. The store next door also became He opened a breakfast shop. But Lao Qian was not very happy. “My business has not been much better since he left. There are still not many people. "

(A Feng, Lao Qian, Yong Ge, Lin Dong, Fang Yuan, and Li Mu are pseudonyms in the article)

This article was originally produced by AI Finance and Economics, an account of "Financial World" weekly. Please do not use it on any channel or platform without permission. Reprint. Violators will be prosecuted.