Open Tech Evaluation

Patterns I have already observed in my years on Youtube and Instagram:

Mainly specific to India:
→ Entitlement: "Because you exist online and I watched you, you now owe me time, labor, emotional regulation, and responsibility."
→ Shift Responsibility: "I can't decide for myself but since you made a video, you decide between these products for me."
→ System Gaming is glorified: "You are a stud if you can scam someone and get away with it. The bigger the money and the more the people affected, the better."

Had I been born in a country where society functions, I might have honestly considered this.

However, here are more reasons why I didn't go through with it:

After thinking long and hard about it, I realized that this realy can't work without a high degree of trust.
Giving someone your home address, your phone number and a direct line of contact which some will certainly abuse[1] and the reason people regard me is due to the organized and deep thinking that I can do and it requires to be free from obligations.
I take great care to keep myself calm throughout the day because 95% of my work is critical and organized thinking. If I lose that just so that I can make some money, I will lose everything else.
Just the fact that I had to check comments on these posts regularly on which the same old purchase/tech help comments started to show up made it so clear how terrible it's going to be later down the line.
For context, I already stopped checking all comments on all my socials: YouTube and Reddit and only had opened on Instagram for these messages only but it was clear this was going to be abused like hell.
Sending someone something means opneing up a direct line of communication, which just like comments above will be abused or other things.
Giving 30 days return(whcih I still firmly behind against) might mean that simply I will be making negative money on things that are returned because I wanted to keep margin low in the first place. Negative money is not something I want to do at all.
The mental and physical work of packaging, sending and following up on issues is the biggest reason I don't want to do it. Those things require significant amount of time for one person and this will need scaling quickly and I might end up just doing that instead of actual product reviews.

For this reason Open Tech Evaluation is hereby closed and converted to Closed Tech Evaluation where I only partner with a few people.

Open Tech Evaluation is an independent, transparent approach to testing imported technology. Products are sourced directly, evaluated hands-on, and documented openly so people can understand real quality, real costs, and real trade-offs without marketing layers or unrealistic warranty promises.
Any circulation of products exists only to support testing and research. This is not a shop, not a business activity, and not a sales programme.

Many third-party companies import products in bulk from China, apply large markups, and advertise warranty or support that is often difficult or impossible to actually claim.
Alibaba is primarily a B2B platform, and importing single units or very small quantities usually involves disproportionately high shipping and handling costs.
Even if you decide to import despite the high shipping costs, it is difficult to know which sellers or listings are trustworthy.
This is where I come in.
I independently import and evaluate products myself, document the results, and point out which listings are worth considering. Relevant findings are documented across the appropriate sections of this website.
To properly evaluate products, I often need to import more than one unit. This naturally leaves me with additional pieces beyond what I personally need for testing.
Where possible, these additional units are circulated among a small number of trusted participants for hands-on evaluation.
Any contribution involved is intended solely to recover a portion of testing and import costs, so that future evaluations can continue.
Note: If at a future point, my external income becomes sufficient to cover these costs, these units may be shared purely for collaborative testing without any contribution, similar to how I already work with a few people .
A secondary goal of this project is educational: to demonstrate, transparently, how small-scale importing, testing, and cost structures actually work.
This is intended as a learning reference for people exploring independent paths at a time when traditional job security is becoming increasingly uncertain.

This is not a retail programme. No products are sold here.
Any contribution, where applicable, only helps offset testing and import expenses so evaluations can continue. It does not constitute a purchase.

This project currently operates in a closed evaluation phase.
Participation is limited to a small group of people, primarily people I have interacted over a long period via comments and DMs and a few technically curious participants who are interested in hands-on testing and feedback even if they don't already know me.

All product circulation is done via India Post (both directions)

India Post has improved significantly over the years and, with neutral outer packaging (no product branding visible), provides reliable tracking at the lowest practical cost.

Since the goal here is evaluation and cost transparency and not speed or convenience, so, courier services are intentionally avoided wherever possible.
Contribution details, when relevant, are discussed only after testing insights are available, because the goal is cost-sharing and sustainability, not pricing or selling.

Any discussion around costs happens only after the product has been received and thoroughly evaluated.

This is necessary because import charges, packaging, and shipping behaviour can change when quantities increase. Observations from single-unit imports do not always apply at larger volumes.

When applicable, contributions are calculated based on:
- Import cost
- Domestic shipping
- Reusable packaging
Some expected prices are shared but they will certainly change later. Please don't take these expected prices as final.
Shipping is accounted for upfront to avoid friction later

Two-way India Post shipping is planned in advance so participants do not have to deal with unexpected costs later.

This approach exists because asking someone to separately pay for return shipping often creates unnecessary friction, even when the return itself is reasonable.

Planning shipping upfront keeps participation predictable and fair for everyone involved.
30-day evaluation & hand-back period

Products may be returned within 30 days of receipt if they do not meet expectations, provided India Post is used.

This exists because return protections in India are inconsistent and often difficult to exercise, even on large platforms.

I understand why stricter return policies exist — misuse, fraud, and logistical abuse are real problems. This is precisely why participation is currently limited and manual.

If something breaks accidentally, honesty is appreciated. In some cases repair may be possible, but this project does not function as a paid repair service.
[Undecided] Project sustainability

This project is not designed around profit.

If needed, sustainability may be supported through:
- Voluntary contributions
- Donations to fund future evaluations
Any support received is used to recover evaluation costs and enable further testing, not to operate this as a retail activity.
No warranty beyond the evaluation window

Beyond the 30-day evaluation period, no warranty is offered.

International return shipping is impractical, and long-term reliability requires time and volume to establish.

I have previously attempted repairs on multiple devices on YT:@ni6hantwork, and the consistent takeaway has been that most modern devices are not designed with repairability in mind.

In many cases, even successfully repaired devices failed again shortly after. A simple example is the Koss KSC75.

₹600: 8-in-1 USB-C Docking Station (USB 3.0, PD, Ethernet, HDMI, TF/SD) → Technical details

LOT 1:
4 people already commented on this instagram video.
Approximate cost-sharing contribution (not a price): ₹600
Ordered on 18th December. Estimated delivery: 7th Jan 2026 based on older orders However, Alibaba says Jan 3 -24.

LOT 2: 11 slots open. Please comment on this Instagram Video.
₹1600: PlayStation Style Controller: Wireless Bluetooth Controller (DTGC001-1, multi-colour) → Technical details

If you're interested in hands-on testing, you may comment with your preferred colour on this Instagram post.
Approximate cost-sharing contribution (not a price): ₹1500

NO LOT YET. Need to test one I have ordered
Ordered on 18th December. Estimated delivery: 7th Jan 2026 based on older orders However, Alibaba says Feb 10 2026.
For now, I only ordered one as I was unsure if it's even worth getting. This first unit cost around ₹2400 because it was a single-unit import. If more units are evaluated later, costs should reduce due to better shipping efficiency.

If these products enough people interested in these products at the said estimated price, I might consider ordering them next. Also, please feel free to comment on this post if anything is missing.

Tech Except Gaming

Budget Projectors

Thermal paste needs to last for a very long time. There will alwasy that doubt if I try to get it from anyone apart from the manufacturer. ~~PTM Thermal Paste~~

Laptop Cooling Pads

Gaming Related

Controllers→ Already doing. (NOT Mobile game controller as mobile gaming is not recommended due to health reasons)

Retro Game Consoles Standalones (NOT HANDHELDS as I don't recommend handheld game controllers for health reasons)

Non-Tech→ Not for now

Too little money. Would rather spend in tech and gaming for now.

Closed Tech Evaluation

Open Tech Evaluation General Idea

Ground Rules

Evaluation Section

Products incoming for testing & research

Will be considered for evaluation if enough people are curious

General Product Category that might be considered

Tech Except Gaming

Gaming Related

Non-Tech→ Not for now