01How it started
The bench opened in 2026 in Thatcham, Berkshire, repairing cathode-ray televisions and the games consoles that were made to plug into them. Most jobs were the familiar ones: dry joints, worn laser sleds, controller ports that had seen twenty years of use. Customers kept asking whether we had a spare console, a second controller, a copy of the game they had lost.
So we began selling what we repaired. The catalogue on this site is the result: games, systems and accessories that have been across the bench and been found to work.
02How an item is tested
Every console is opened, inspected for leaking capacitors and corrosion, cleaned, and run for at least an hour on a test rig with a known-good game. Disc drives are checked for read errors on retail discs; cartridge slots are cleaned and read on original hardware. Power supplies are load-tested.
Games are tested on the system they were made for, not in an emulator. Save batteries in cartridges are checked and the date is noted. Discs are inspected for rot and resurfaced if the surface warrants it.
Controllers are checked for stick drift, button bounce and cable breaks. Anything that fails is either repaired and re-tested or taken apart for parts.
03Twelve months on repairs
Repair work we carry out, on stock we sell or on equipment you bring in, is covered for twelve months on the parts fitted and the labour. It is the same warranty we give to repair customers, and it is the reason we test the way we do: a returned repair costs more than a careful one.
04Who does the work
A small team: a technician who has serviced consumer electronics since the days when a television weighed more than its owner, a second technician who handles disc drives and handhelds, and one person who photographs, describes, packs and posts. The same people answer the email.
05Describing things honestly
A listing says what we found: the scratch, the yellowed shell, the replaced capacitor, the region. We would rather lose a sale than have an item come back. If a listing is wrong, tell us, and the returns policy applies without argument.
Company details
- Company:
- CRACK CARDS LTD
- Company Number:
- 16015643
- Registered address:
- 5 PARK AVENUE, THATCHAM, ENGLAND RG18 4NN
- VAT Number:
- 477585237