Is there a need for this niche?

Hey Matt, the short answer is 100% yes.

​The catch? Everyday consumers will usually just throw away a cheap broken item. But for contractors, equipment owners, and local shops, a discontinued board or broken plastic part means a $5,000+ machine is dead in the water.

​You aren't just selling repairs—you’re saving them thousands in replacement costs and downtime. That’s huge value.

​If you go for it, three quick tips:

1. ​Target B2B: Connect with local mechanics, tool repair shops, and trade contractors. When they have to tell a client "that part's obsolete," you want them handing over your card.
2. ​Market the Problem: People won't search for "plastic welding"—they'll search "how to fix [specific broken part]." Show off before-and-afters of saved equipment.
3. ​Charge Bench Fees: Reverse-engineering takes time. Always charge a flat diagnostic fee upfront for your time.

​When someone needs what iFab does, you aren't just an option—you're their only option. That’s a great position to be in. Best of luck!

I think the niche is real, but I don't think your customer is the average homeowner.

As a general contractor, we've had situations where a small plastic part, discontinued component, or control board held up an entire project because a replacement simply didn't exist. In those cases, the cost of the repair is almost secondary. What you're really selling is getting equipment or systems back online.

I'd lean heavily into contractors, manufacturers, maintenance departments, property managers, and industrial clients. Those customers understand what downtime costs, and they're much less likely to throw something away if a repair gets them running again.

One thing I'd also consider is finding a handful of discontinued products that have a surprisingly high search volume and building dedicated pages or videos around those specific repairs. If thousands of people are searching "replacement for XYZ control board" or "ABC plastic gear discontinued," and you're one of the few people offering a repair or remanufactured solution, you can become the obvious answer instead of hoping people discover your service.

I'd also emphasize real examples. Before-and-after photos, "saved a $12,000 machine with a $300 repair," or "recreated a discontinued part in 48 hours." People often don't know a service like yours exists until they see a problem you solved.

I don't think you're selling repairs. You're selling a solution when replacement isn't an option. That's a much stronger message.

I think you know this is a niche and that is a good start, but I think we live too far into a "throw away" culture now. When something is broken a lot of peoples first instinct would just be to replace the whole thing. I had a friend way back in the day that would make metal tool repairs and replacement parts. He told me any time he makes one part, he would make 3 more to have on hand when the next one breaks on someone else. He was doing well with that as a side hustle but this was back in the late 90's and cheap Chinese replacements hadn't fully taken over.

I like the idea and would consider using it for a few of my tools if they went down, but mostly I would be replacing the whole tool and maybe salvaging some parts for later.

I personally wouldn't consider this as my fulltime business, but something to do when the work comes around would be awesome to offer.