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>> Amazon has them for $30, but has none of the legitimate item which are only sold through a dealer network and dealers charge the OEM price of $285 bucks plus shipping. It’s not quite the same part – cause dealers only sell a larger unit that includes the heater - you can’t buy the actual part number except via a knockoff.

Possibly the reason the OEM price is so high is because it is backed by huge liability insurance (e.g., you get into a Jacuzzi and get electrocuted). I'd pay for that assurance. By assurance, not that I get a payout, but rather the company has sufficient QA to avoid a payout.

>By assurance, not that I get a payout, but rather the company has sufficient QA to avoid a payout.

They also have sufficient insurance that a payout doesn't tank their company. I don't think their risk avoidance translates into your risk avoidance.

>>By assurance, not that I get a payout, but rather the company has sufficient QA to avoid a payout. > They also have sufficient insurance that a payout doesn't tank their company. I don't think their risk avoidance translates into your risk avoidance.

The insurance company doesnt want a payout though -- they will ensure certain certifications. Also, insurance companies will not payout (and hence bankrupt the company) in cases of fraud or gross negligence.

The system is not perfect, but it exists to align interests.

The insurance company doesnt want a payout though -- they will ensure certain certifications.

Those certifications aren't worth as much as I thought they were. I just took apart a UL-certified power strip with scorched plastic, which is a significant fire hazard. It had an LED that was fed from the 120V line through a 15K 0.5-watt resistor.

a UL certification will hardly be the only one in place for a commercial insurance firm to guarantee a jacuzzi. Just imagine the risk of electrocution.

Just look at it from a retail standpoint -- perhaps you have car insurance.

- (where I live) You are forced to have a driver's license

- (where I live) Even if your spouse claims not to drive, they wont insure me unless all other adults in my household have licenses

- i'm forced to pay more if i drive an unsafe car vs a safe one

- I can pay less if I have a LoJack or other safety device

- I can pay further less if I take a driver's safety course which runs 5hrs long

- I can pay further less if I install a OBD-2 device sharing my driver behavior

- I risk having my insurance cancelled If I do something bad (DUI)

- I risk having no payout if I do something illegal

I'm sorry but you're logic really doesn't add up. If a part goes from $30 to $285 because of massive insurance premiums, that indicates that the insurance company expects things to go wrong.

The real reasons oem parts cost more is always some combination of these three things: 1. They use more expensive processes and materials. 2. They charge more because they can. People are willing to pay a premium for "genuine" parts. 3. They have a "dealer network" to support, which is convenient but expensive to maintain.

#1 is the only thing I want to pay for. Ultimately it's on a case by case basis whether oem is worth it and you never know for sure.

But I'm really thankful non-oem parts exist, just as long as they're labeled as such and not comingled.

There's also 4) Manufacturers could position the price of spares at a level that's intended to provide pressure to scrap salvagable devices and put the customer back into the market. The classic "it will be $150 to send the guy out, and the magic PCB is $250, while an entire new washer is $550, are you sure you want to throw money into an N-years-old unit? (Bear in mind this calculus applies to the people who are not even considering DIY repair)

5) Manufacturers are burdened with selling the entire spares catalog, while third parties may concentrate on the highest-turnover items that they can sell easily.

Years ago, I looked at the service manual for a 1980s stereo receiver, and the manufacturer literally starred the parts they mentioned as most commonly needed for replacements. (The part I needed was, unsurprisingly, on that list)

I wish we'd see more in the way of "open PCB" appliances. 90% of "white goods" appliances (washers/driers/dishwashers/fridges/stoves/microwaves) have a board somewhere that reads a membrane keypad and a few sense switches and activates some relays and displays a timer. You could probably design a master PCB that replaced hundreds of different models, with different cable harnesses and firmware configurations for each model.

This would dramatically reduce the number of SKUs to stock, but at the cost of the master PCB probably costing a few dollars more because they can't strip out every non-essential component for lower-end models.

>> I'm sorry but you're logic really doesn't add up. If a part goes from $30 to $285 because of massive insurance premiums, that indicates that the insurance company expects things to go wrong.

The part goes from $30 to $280 due to 5 or 6 factors, which you've outlined well. Insurance is one of many factors. Insurance isnt high because they expect things to go wrong -- insurance forces better QA/QC and overall processes so there isnt a payout -- all those precautions raise the price. It aligns everyone to focus on quality outcomes to prevent payouts.

https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/apple-cables...

Mislabeled parts is in fact always a bad thing.

Being able to source a non OEM replacement is different than that.

OEM replacement bins for my refrigerator door are > $100, i'll take the stronger knockoffs from Amazon for $20 any day.

Yeah, and when you buy the knockoff, buy two.