I get a lot of spare parts from AliExpress. This is all likely to come to an end when the government removes the de minimis customs exclusion from import duty, and imposes the new UK customs clearance charge (as per the last budget). Then many of the things I currently repair will become uneconomic to repair. Also bare in mind many Amazon items come this way too, they will also vanish. This is something the repair organisations should be taking up. It’s not actually the import duty, or possibly the UK customs clearence charge, but it’s the charge the couriers make to collect those payments which will make the items too expensive, and anyone who thinks ERVi would ever manage to handle this without losing even more items has no experience of EVRi.
In terms of banned things, these are things various different repair cafes ban that I can think of:
- Microwave ovens - never permitted to remove the top cover, or any door repairs such as the hinges or latch or interlock switches, or anything else which would require testing for microwave leakage afterwards. (You can replace the turntable motor from the underside if this can be done without removing the top cover or the door).
- Any item with a fuel tank (such as a petrol engine) even if the tank is empty.
- Electric Blankets.
- Illegal blades.
- Cane Furniture (no idea why)
- industrial devices
- 3 phase power tools
- mobile phones
- Items which might contain asbestos or other dangerous materials
- Items which are grossly dirty (e.g. unwashed kitchen appliances, unemptied vacuum cleaners, etc).
- Items which are too large or heavy to safely handle at the event.
- Alterations to clothing size.
These are ones I haven’t seen any rule about, but should probably be added to the list:
- Any Lithium battery intended to run a motor vehicle such as a bike, scooter, mobility chair, etc. must not be brought indoors. (Might impose a maximum energy capacity, as airlines do.) Some sites might consider repairing such items outdoors with extra risk assessment, or repairing the items indoors if the batteries are never brought indoors, and then tested outdoors with extra risk assessment.
- Anything containing a transmitter or laser above milliwatt levels, or any ionising source (UV or X-rays, or any radioactive substance, old clocks/watches/dials with radioactive luminous displays, BT Trimphones, etc).
- Any safety-critical appliance (e.g. medical appliance, fire or smoke detection, etc).