Decide what you will repair
Start narrower than you think you need to. Most walk-in work on a phone repair counter is screens and batteries for the handsets people carry most often. Charge ports, back glass, cameras and speakers come next. Board-level repair, where you work on the circuit board itself, is a different skill with a different tool budget, and it is reasonable to leave it for later or to send it out to a specialist.
Write a one-page list of what you repair and what you do not. Then decide on the edges of the business:
- Phones only, or tablets, laptops and games consoles as well?
- Walk-in only, or postal repairs too?
- Will you sell cases, chargers and screen protectors? They bring people back through the door.
- Will you take old devices in part exchange or buy them outright?
Skills, training and parts suppliers
Repair quality is your reputation. Learn on devices you own before you work on a customer's, keep a log of what went wrong, and repeat each repair until you can do it without surprises. Courses and manuals exist for most repairs, and they are worth comparing before you pay for one.
Parts are the other half of quality. Ask each supplier what grades of part they sell and what their returns policy is, test a small order before buying in volume, and keep a note of failures by supplier. Having two sources for your most common parts protects you when one runs out. Record what every part costs you, because that cost is what you need when you price the job.
Premises, tools and equipment
You need a counter where customers can hand over a device and see you handle it, and a bench with good light, a static-safe surface and room to lay out a repair in order. Devices left with you need somewhere safe and labelled, so that a phone never gets confused with another customer's.
A basic tool kit covers precision screwdrivers, opening and prying tools, a heat source for adhesive, tweezers and a way to test every device after the repair. Add a printer for tickets and labels, and a barcode scanner if you intend to scan IMEIs in and out; barcode scanners and receipt printers for a phone shop lists what we supply. Get quotes for equipment and read the terms of any lease carefully before you sign. For rules on premises and business rates, start with the business pages on gov.uk.
Pricing your repairs
A price has to cover the part, your time, the risk that the repair comes back under warranty, and a margin that pays for the shop. Copying the shop down the road is tempting but tells you nothing about your own costs, so work out the cost side first and use local prices as a sense check, not a method.
The guide on how to price phone repairs for profit walks through parts cost, labour, warranty and margin step by step, including how to check afterwards what each repair really earned.
Taking walk-ins and bookings
Decide how a repair enters the shop before the first customer does. A consistent intake routine protects you and the customer. At the counter, write down the device model, the IMEI or serial number, the fault the customer describes and any damage you can already see. Tell them the price and when it will be ready, and ask them to agree before you start.
Walk-ins will always happen, but bookings smooth the day. A customer who books a slot online is already committed, and you can plan the bench around the appointments. See online repair booking for what that looks like on a web shop, including reminders and mail-in repairs.
- Check the device powers on and note anything already broken.
- Record the IMEI or serial number and the fault in your own words.
- Agree the price, the expected collection time and the warranty before you begin.
- Tell customers about the risk of data loss, and ask them to back up if they can.
Warranty and terms
Decide what you guarantee, for how long, and what is not covered, such as new damage or water damage. Put it in writing in plain words, show it at intake and keep a copy with the job record. Repeat customers and good reviews follow shops that deal with a returned repair quickly and fairly.
The rules on services and consumer rights are not covered here, and you should not rely on a guide to write your terms. Check what applies to your business with gov.uk and your local trading standards office, and have the wording checked by someone qualified.
Records, stock and insurance (check with your accountant and insurer)
Keep a record of every job: customer, device, IMEI, the fault, the price, the parts used, who did it, and when it came in and went out. Keep a record of parts stock and what each part cost. Keep your invoices and receipts. Those records are what your accountant needs, and they are what you reach for when a customer disputes a repair.
Registering the business, tax and VAT depend on how you trade, so ask your accountant and read the start-up pages on gov.uk, including the pages on setting up as a sole trader and on VAT. You will also hold customers' personal data and sometimes see what is on their phones, so look at the guidance for organisations from the Information Commissioner's Office. Finally, ask your insurer what is covered when a customer's device is in your care, and get that in writing.
Choosing repair shop software
A notebook and a spreadsheet will carry a very small repair shop for a while. They start to hurt when two people work the counter, when jobs wait for parts, and when you want to know what a repair really earned. At that point look for software that handles these things together:
- Repair intake with the device, IMEI, fault and price in one form.
- A technician, a priority and an expected collection date on every job.
- Parts taken from stock and attached to the job, so each repair shows its cost.
- A till that can sell accessories and take trade-ins on the same order.
- Online booking, if you want customers to book without ringing.
- Reports you can export, and a way to see profit by repair.
Try two or three options on a real week of work before you commit. We make Gadgets POS, so we have an interest, and it is only one of the options to compare. The checklist is the same whichever you pick.
Opening checklist
- Business registered and tax set up, with your accountant's advice.
- Insurance in place, including cover for customers' devices in your care.
- Premises sorted, with the lease terms checked.
- Parts suppliers chosen and a test order received.
- Tool kit, bench, test method and a safe, labelled storage area.
- Price list written from your own costs.
- Warranty and terms written down and shown at intake.
- Intake form, job tickets and labels ready.
- A till and a way to take card payments.
- Software chosen and set up, with a few test repairs run through it.
- A booking page or phone number customers can use.
- Signage and a plan for the first week.
How Gadgets POS handles the repair side
Gadgets POS takes a repair in with the IMEI, assigns a technician and priority, attaches parts from stock and shows cost and profit per job, with a till for accessories and trade-ins. See phone repair shop software for the detail, including what it does not do.
About this guide: it is written by the team that makes Gadgets POS, a POS system for phone, gadget and repair shops. It is general guidance, not legal, tax or financial advice, so check your own position with your accountant, your insurer and gov.uk. It contains no invented statistics, and any worked example is an illustration with made-up numbers. Last reviewed 10 October 2026.