Worklog I repaired a Gamecube controller!

[Zini]

Don't really have anywhere to share this but I'm feeling pretty proud right now.
I bought 2 original controllers for 25 canadian dollars in, well... not mint condition. One of them was an easy fix, it just had no rubber coating on the joystick.
The other pictured below. Somehow the little protrusion thingy on the stickbox snapped off and lodged inside the joystick cap (is that the right name? no? whatever.) causing the stick to um, have trouble getting it up. I wait a few days for the replacement to get here and get to work. For my first time soldering I don't think I did too bad a job. A little bath with dish soap and some finagling to get it back together and it's good as new.

Now it was time to test. I plug it into my wii, load up melee and huzzah! It works. Huge upgrade from my terrible 20$ chinese knock-off from a retro shop nearby. Think I'll relegate that one to the player 3 slot. Gotta keep the little brother controller tradition going!

Still just as bad at melee though. Don't think anyone could fix that.

 

[noonja]

hey nice job! its not easy messing with those small parts and being diligent enough to clean some of that pesky gamer gunk!

 

[Lemoncake]

Don't really have anywhere to share this but I'm feeling pretty proud right now.
I bought 2 original controllers for 25 canadian dollars in, well... not mint condition. One of them was an easy fix, it just had no rubber coating on the joystick.
The other pictured below. Somehow the little protrusion thingy on the stickbox snapped off and lodged inside the joystick cap (is that the right name? no? whatever.) causing the stick to um, have trouble getting it up. I wait a few days for the replacement to get here and get to work. For my first time soldering I don't think I did too bad a job. A little bath with dish soap and some finagling to get it back together and it's good as new.

Now it was time to test. I plug it into my wii, load up melee and huzzah! It works. Huge upgrade from my terrible 20$ chinese knock-off from a retro shop nearby. Think I'll relegate that one to the player 3 slot. Gotta keep the little brother controller tradition going!

Still just as bad at melee though. Don't think anyone could fix that.
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2 GameCube controllers for $25?! Dude, what a steal! Where did you get them from? I’m currently in the market for a 1st party one as well which is why I’m asking.

 

[Zini]

2 GameCube controllers for $25?! Dude, what a steal! Where did you get them from? I’m currently in the market for a 1st party one as well which is why I’m asking.

I picked them up from Facebook Marketplace, the seller was selling 4 for 50$ but two of them had been sold already. Unfortunately those two were the ones in better condition so I got the runts of the litter so to speak.

There are plenty of deals to be had on local sites like Craigslist or FB Marketplace, you just need to know what to look for.
The vaguer your search the more likely you'll come across a seller who doesn't know the worth of what they're selling, I like to go on marketplace every now and again searching terms like "Nintendo" or "game system" anything I could imagine my grandmother titling her listing after pulling out a console from her closet. This means more time spent searching for what you want but it nets you a cheaper deal.
The downside with buying from local classifieds sites is that you'll have to make a trip to the sellers location and bring cash. There also isn't as much buyer protection as there is on sites like ebay. Still, I think this is usually worth it in the end as the savings are immense.

If you're looking for consoles and already have the accessories (or can find them cheap) just throwing "untested" on your search can help you find great deals from people who have the console but no cables to test it. More often than not the console is fine.

And of course there's also haggling, I usually just offer something a bit lower than asking and try not to lowball, but if I notice a listing that has been up for a long time and never sold I offer lower than I usually would.

Though it is usually just luck and timing when it comes to finding deals on these sites. I do it every so often just to see if anything is at a good price, but more often than not nothing catches my eye. So I would suggest just keeping at it for a while until you find something good.

 

[Lemoncake]

I picked them up from Facebook Marketplace, the seller was selling 4 for 50$ but two of them had been sold already. Unfortunately those two were the ones in better condition so I got the runts of the litter so to speak.

There are plenty of deals to be had on local sites like Craigslist or FB Marketplace, you just need to know what to look for.
The vaguer your search the more likely you'll come across a seller who doesn't know the worth of what they're selling, I like to go on marketplace every now and again searching terms like "Nintendo" or "game system" anything I could imagine my grandmother titling her listing after pulling out a console from her closet. This means more time spent searching for what you want but it nets you a cheaper deal.
The downside with buying from local classifieds sites is that you'll have to make a trip to the sellers location and bring cash. There also isn't as much buyer protection as there is on sites like ebay. Still, I think this is usually worth it in the end as the savings are immense.

If you're looking for consoles and already have the accessories (or can find them cheap) just throwing "untested" on your search can help you find great deals from people who have the console but no cables to test it. More often than not the console is fine.

And of course there's also haggling, I usually just offer something a bit lower than asking and try not to lowball, but if I notice a listing that has been up for a long time and never sold I offer lower than I usually would.

Though it is usually just luck and timing when it comes to finding deals on these sites. I do it every so often just to see if anything is at a good price, but more often than not nothing catches my eye. So I would suggest just keeping at it for a while until you find something good.

Thanks for the advice! I’ve never thought about going on Facebook Marketplace or any of those other sites before. I’l have to give it a try!