Starter Kit. Idea 446 of 500. Cluster 23
Phones and laptops refurbished in Sri Lanka, graded, warrantied and sold on to the markets of South Asia and Africa
The mechanism, from the book
The single largest unused asset in the country is sitting at home. Much of what keeps it there (childcare, safe transport, working hours) can be sold as a service, and the industries that would employ it can be built.
The first step
Buy ten used phones from a reliable source, test each one, replace the battery or screen where needed, and grade them by condition. Offer each with a written warranty for a fixed period. Sell the first batch locally to learn the prices, then ask traders who ship to South Asia and Africa which grades they buy and at what price. The proof is a trader's repeat order.
- Who pays first
- A trader who buys used phones by the box for markets abroad and pays more for tested, graded stock with a warranty.
- What leaves today
- Old devices sit in drawers or leave as scrap; skilled repair adds the value here and sells them on at a higher price.
Ask first
- Sri Lanka Customs. Ask what is needed to bring in used devices for repair and to send them abroad again.
- Central Environmental Authority. Ask how to dispose of old batteries and broken parts safely and legally.
Check before you spend
Confirm proof that every device was obtained legally, that the previous owner's data is wiped, a written warranty, and safe disposal of batteries.
Find out these three numbers
- What does a trader pay for a graded, tested phone?
- Where can used devices be bought reliably in volume?
- What do replacement batteries and screens cost?
The test
Does it keep value that now leaves the island, or build the proof that lets somebody else do so?
From the appendix of Why Not Sri Lanka? by Dr Maheshika Halbeisen. The idea and the mechanism are the book's; this kit was written for the site.