The Truth About Fix or Flop: Income, Expenses, and Change

Added: 2026-05-24

[00:00:00]This here is a viewer's recent PC build.

[00:00:02]It boasts a Ryzen 5 5600X and Asus 3060 Ti Asus DDR4.

[00:00:13]This here, this here, this here is another viewer's broken gaming PC. It's no secret fix or flop has been this channel's most successful playlist over the past half a decade. And for those who aren't aware, in it we diagnose and often fix broken gaming PCs for free. in exchange for filming and publishing of said works on sites like YouTube. The business model isn't new or innovative.

[00:00:35]It's been done by others in the PC, automotive, and even landscaping scenes for years. Though, I can't say any of them were direct inspiration as fixer flop was developed out of what I saw as a need in the community during a tough time. PC components were becoming more and more expensive. Folks were stuck at home, furoughed, some barely making ends meet. And let's be honest, it can be a bit difficult to trust a place like Geek Squad with an expensive computer. I try to say this often, but hosting FixerFlop has been a huge privilege, and I'm grateful to all of you for simply supporting the channel by clicking on these uploads. I don't care if you're using an ad blocker, whether you're physically viewing, or even how much of it you sit through. All of it helps. And in turn, we get to help folks out in our community. But there's a lot about this playlist, this idea that you don't know about. And in this video, I'll reveal all of it in full. And to back that up before we cut to our ad break, this is how much we make in AdSense from a typical fixer flop episode averaging around 100,000 views. And there's much, much more where that came from. I hope you will stay with me. If you're looking to save some serious money on Corsair gaming PCs, consider refurbished and refiable series builds. Professionally restored, performance ready, and nicely discounted. Both lineups are tested, cleaned, and repackaged with either 90-day or one-year warranties, with the key distinctions being price and quality. Revival pre-builts cover both grade A and B products, which may have some cosmetic imperfections, but will still be fully functional otherwise.

[00:01:57]While refurbished units both function and appear like new, shipping with all original parts and accessories. For consumer tech, generally speaking, more choices equals more better. So, having the option to choose between discounted and even more discounted with minor trade-offs means you can shop flexibly with virtually any healthy budget between Vengeance 5 and 7,000 series gaming PCs, Corsair 1 pre-builts, and more. In a market that seems to grow more expensive by the day, it doesn't hurt to give these a look. Learn more about Corsair refurbished and revival series gaming PCs via the sponsor links below. So, let's jump right into the meat and potatoes regarding income. And I know a lot of you want to know about if an average Fix Flop episode gross is a little north of $1,300, then how much has the entire playlist earned over its lifetime. I didn't think I could be this specific and vague at the same time in YouTube analytics, but here you go.

[00:02:43]Since the first upload in May of 2021, FixerFlop has earned just north of a4 million in Google AdSense revenue, and that's from almost 140 episodes, but it doesn't break down evenly. These are the top five videos by lifetime earnings, with our highest two pulling in $10,000 each. Of course, this doesn't roll in all at once. In fact, some of these didn't initially do exceptionally well in the beginning, but every now and then the algorithm pops off and one of these benefits. Of this total $275,000 figure, by the way, $240K of that came directly from watch page ads or the ads YouTube bakes directly into videos, which I really have no control over. Even if you know you see several of them, YouTube will just decide to kind of put them wherever you want in my experience. And if I disable monetization entirely, YouTube still plants ads in those videos. I just don't get any cut at all.

[00:03:30]So, of course, I'm going to get that bag, right? Why not? Interestingly, about 33K came from YouTube premium subscriptions, of which we receive a portion based on watch time from the creators, 55% revenue share. YouTube keeps the other 45%. Never been a huge fan of it. I don't personally have premium, but I know a lot of folks that do, so in case you're wondering, there's the cut there. Fixer Flop also generates revenue from what we call pre-rolls, as well as organic inclusions. Now, pre-rolls are baked in, often creator curated ads commissioned by brands who reach out for explicit advertising. You just saw an ad from Corsair in this one, for example, and it often starts with a simple email or text. Someone from the company requests to buy an ad slot. My team communicates our rate. Paperwork is signed. A pre-roll is filmed, edited, and revised if necessary, and it's injected into a video that falls into the brand's publishing window. It sounds complicated and often is with brands with whom we've never worked before. But as we've developed relationships with many of these companies over the years, most things have gradually become streamlined and approachable. I can't give specific ad rates for contractual reasons, but I can say that we often bring in more from pre-rolls than we do from AdSense per video. And I'm referring to a video like this, where the AdSense revenue is somewhere in the $1,000 range. Income like this is definitely not the norm. In fact, you can see how quickly this falls off by the fourth and fifth top lifetime earning videos, where it's already cut in half from our highest grossing. So, without crunching the numbers from 140 uploads, I'd wager our average AdSense revenue from a single Fixer Flop video after 30 to 60 days, when a vast majority of that income is realized, is somewhere in the $1,000 to $1,500 range.

[00:05:00]Organic inclusions are the other form of income outside of AdSense and pre-rolls for Fixer Flop videos, and these are often structured around legitimate hardware needs identified on a per video basis, typically with Be Quiet. I've been a huge fan of their products since long before they ever paid us for anything, and it's worked out so perfectly that they've agreed to source components and compensate us at the same time to feature and promote products needed to repair PCs in the playlist.

[00:05:23]These deals are structured in a way where they agree to pay for up to a certain number of inclusions if needed.

[00:05:29]For example, a PC power supply, let's say, is cooked in a particular episode.

[00:05:33]A be quiet unit comes in for the rescue.

[00:05:35]It also allows us to present the company's product in perhaps the best light possible, right? helping out folks whose systems genuinely need replacements and upgrades. And then it gives us a bit of revenue on the back end to keep things churning. We don't know if or when an episode will warrant an organic inclusion until we have the PC in front of us, which is why we structure these deals the way we do.

[00:05:53]They're not necessarily open-ended.

[00:05:55]There's like a cap on how many we could run. Uh but we don't guarantee a minimum because we just don't know if any given PC is going to need a component that Be Quiet, for example, can supply us. I know the format's a bit convoluted and it's probably more info than you really care to know about, but I found that it actually does work out great for all parties involved. It gives us extra inventory to put to good use when needed along with some extra cash. It presents the sponsoring company in a great light with decent clickthroughs and it helps fix rigs faster with quality hardware which helps the owners of these computers out. So, as you can imagine, revenue generated from this is fragmented and unpredictable, often coming in on an average per video basis of about half of what a typical video makes from AdSense alone. But it all adds up, of course, and I'm very grateful for the continued support both financially and hardware-wise. So, with all that taken into account, AdSense, pre-rolls, and the occasional organic inclusion, a ballpark of the overall average gross income a typical Fixer Flop video generates is somewhere in the 4 to 5K range. Some earn more, some earn less, but I think I think that range is a is a fair representation of the norm.

[00:06:58]Now, of course, there are also expenses to consider, right? part of my personal mortgage is responsible for this office space, though I don't write it off for certain reasons I won't get into here. I have employees and contractors who you don't really know about whose payrolls, when averaged on a per video basis, take a small but noticeable portion of this income away, and justifiably so. I also have to buy parts from time to time to keep these videos turnurning. I hate sending rigs back to their respective homes halfbaked, though it has happened more than once. Things like graphics cards, RAM, especially nowadays, and even SSDs are nearly impossible to receive from manufacturers for free, even in exchange for exposure and video, CTAs, and links and all that other stuff. Just they're not as enticing anymore as they once were. And so, I find myself having to dip it in my own pocket oftentimes for things uh if I want them quickly, especially like it's so annoying trying to get a company to send something quickly enough in time for a video like this. When I have a client's system just sitting on the shelf waiting to be fixed, I find it's just easier for everyone involved if I just purchase it out of pocket right off the expense and get the system fixed quicker. And just so you know, I've always had difficulty sourcing graphics cards. In fact, much of what's in my closet currently, aside from the empty box here and there, was purchased out of pocket. And as much as I wish I could give each and every rig a sweet upgrade, no strings attached, it simply wouldn't be sustainable. So, as it stands with incomes and expenses considered on a pervideo basis, our revenue drops from the 4 to 5K range down to the mid3s. We don't upload Fixer Flop episodes every week, but one could easily extrapolate monthly income net from there on a rolling basis because we make residual income from legacy videos. The channel often earns around 4 to 5,000 in AdSense monthly, spiking to roughly double this during the holidays, thanks in large part to the success of many videos in this very playlist. It is again no doubt our bread and butter. And when combined with other income sources and expenses, the channel as a whole nets anywhere between 10 and 20,000 USD on a monthly basis. This range was higher during the co years and has since declined due to a combination of both personal and industry factors, but still provides me with enough of an incentive to ignore my college degrees in pursuit of a quote real job. About half of all fixer flop submissions done through our website, which you can find linked below by the way, are from folks out of state. We don't accept shipments for liability reasons, though that may change in the future. All that to say, for now at least, our volume is strictly limited to our local Central Florida market. The furthest anyone's driven to drop a system off was Key West, if I recall correctly, followed closely by Atlanta, Georgia. And yes, Atlanta is actually closer to Orlando than Key West is. And I always insist on heavily pushing back on folks who desire to trek this far.

[00:09:33]Right. Fixer Flop is set up intentionally to remove as much pressure and liability from my end as possible.

[00:09:38]It's totally self- serving if I'm being blunt because while I'm not charging for anything, I'm also not guaranteeing anything. And if I can still get a video out of it, then I'm making something on the back end, right? I'm not really losing anything. I'm not even losing time. Whereas the owner of a system driving to drop it off and pick it back up again may very well be. But I think it's safe to say our track record so far has countered this. My goal isn't ever to return a system unfixed. But the possibility is still there. And this setup does relieve much of the pressure that your average mom and pop repair shop might be unable to circumvent. But since it's a free service, it incentivizes folks to take the leap. So, it helps there. Uh, it's also its own form of marketing, right? Instead of buying up billboards or commercial slots on TV, I can promote the service for free in my own videos and through word of mouth to keep the playlist running.

[00:10:23]And I've had several folks reach out who haven't even watched YouTube, like like all of YouTube. They have no idea about the channel, but a friend or family member recommended my service, which is really cool. Like, it's not intended to just benefit folks who support the channel in other ways. If you're willing to allow me to give fixing your rig a shot, I don't really care if you watch or not, right? It's allowing me to create content, and if I can help you out in the process, then it's a win-win for everyone involved. To date, there are only a small handful of rigs I'd say were genuine flops to tie in the name, including this one here. And it turns out the likely reason was this little guy right here. A standoff where it shouldn't have been. It was likely shorting the backside of both motherboards I tried. I'll have that full video linked below if you want to check it out. It's me making a fool of myself. True to its name, though, the outcomes are almost always the same, right? Either the rig is fixed and sent home in working order or returned with one or more problems unressed. At the very least, I try to diag down to specific components so that the owner knows what needs replacing. But yeah, this episode I'm not too proud of. Still can't believe I missed that one. On a lighter note though, in the nearly 140 meetings I've had with owners of broken rigs over the years, not a single individual failed to show up. I'm not joking there. In fact, I can't even think of an instance where someone was even extremely late, right? 10, 20, 30 minutes. That's sure that that's traffic forgetfulness. It happens. But to never have been stood up once is quite the feat. And to that, I really do have to commend each and every person that has driven out. I'm going to knock on wood because I'm sure that's going to change now that I've publicly said this. But, uh, I mean, it's just it's it's pretty incredible to look back and think about every single meeting I've had. Almost everyone I can think of has just been so cool, so open and willing to to be flexible with with meeting times and um, just been patient when I ask questions, right? I ask a lot of questions that most of you don't see in the Fixer Flop videos, right? So, I I'm I'm asking them, "Hey, when was the last time that you did this? Did you change this? Did you try this beforehand? Did you ever touch this component?" Right? I'm I'm fishing for any additional info I can, especially when I get stuck. And everyone has been super upfront. They've been honest and uh I'm just I'm so grateful to to this community.

[00:12:28]Seriously, everyone has just been very very nice. Now, looking inward, there actually were a few times when when I've been late myself. I remember one guy I completely stood up, of course, unintentionally. We agreed to meet the night before uh in a certain place and I forgot about it entirely. I learned from then on to always follow up the day of before either party makes the drive. But I felt super bad about that guy. I think I agreed to meet him where he wanted that next morning and even threw in like a gift card or something. I felt terrible about it. Lesson learned.

[00:12:57]Traveling to and from comes with the territory when dealing with Pixer Flop, especially when you're trying to circumvent shipping. Other headwinds the playlist has endured over the years.

[00:13:04]YouTube itself, wow. Let me tell you, it has been a wild ride. Of course, you saw the AdSense revenue, right? How the heck could I complain about this? This is phenomenal revenue, even broken down annually. But I have noticed a huge change in how YouTube's recommended our fixture flop content lately, and that's prompted some changes you've likely noticed. See, in the beginning, it was hot, right? It was a relatively fresh idea in the tech scene, and folks were there for it. We grew fast, and views kept climbing. It's what prompted me to create the season and episode format.

[00:13:32]But this does not work anymore. Consider this chart. In the first year of Fixer Flop's existence, a large chunk of our viewer base, more than half, was unsubscribed. At first, you might think this is a bad thing, right? YouTubers are always after more subs, whether they admit it or not. But in this context, the ratio was actually great. It meant that new, fresh eyes were viewing our content, a recipe for future growth. We converted many of these eyes to subs down the line, as our analytics show.

[00:13:57]Some of you may be watching this video right now, and for that, I very much appreciate you. But let's just trend with what we're seeing today. Yeah, the writing is literally on the wall today.

[00:14:07]A vast majority of our Fixer Flop viewer base is already subscribed. And uh this tells us a few things. Firstly, the biggest is that we have a loyal viewer base. Like folks come back episode after episode wanting something new, another puzzle to crack. And that is often what we're able to deliver. Not all the time, but you just never know what you're going to get with some of these systems that come into the office. But when only a small fraction of those viewing are unsubscribed, it also means that we aren't being shared with audiences outside of our comfort zone. And that's terrible for growth. So, how do we retain the loyal fans we've garnered over the years while at the same time attract fresh new eyes to stimulate that subc count. A lot of it in my research comes down to titles. Honestly, it's as simple as that. Each Fixer Flop video up until very recently has been titled exactly the same, save the season number and episode. Folks who may not have heard of the playlist before may be curious from the thumbnails we produce, but discouraged at the same time if they see that they've missed out on over a hundred episodes leading up to it. Now, you and I know that each episode is entirely self-sufficient, right? No upload is reliant on another. That's by design, but a random scroller isn't likely to catch on or click for that matter, which reinforces YouTube's tendency to resist pushing it further.

[00:15:15]It's a vicious cycle, I'm afraid, and it's why we've recently switched to naming each episode uniquely. They'll still be chronologically listed in the playlist page and each respective thumbnail will have our new Fixer Flop logo top right corner. So, keep a look out. But at this point, I feel that my hands are more or less tight. Like, I love the consistency of our viewership, but in this business, stagnation is a death sentence. I've seen it time and time again. I'm sure many of you have as well. It unfortunately necessitates innovation. And if we aren't growing, then we will fall behind and the channel will likely die at some point, which is not what I want. I I want to be able to continue doing this in the future. Like, at some point, I'd love to retire, you know, and say, "Hey, look back. That was a job well done. We made a lot of money. We're able to cash out and not worry about uploading anymore." But I genuinely love this job.

[00:16:03]I still I still love fixing computers.

[00:16:06]Like, I love that that every new project, it just feels fresh and I I love solving things. I love fixing things. because I do it with the car channel, right, as well. And now the car channel financially, that's that's a whole another story. The car channel loses a ton of money. Uh so much of the the net income that this channel produces, this playlist specifically does goes straight into car parts and and car purchases, co-art, you know, cars that need repair and all that stuff. So, uh it is more or less like taking from one bucket, throwing it into another and not really realizing as much of the income as maybe my family would like to. Uh, but I look at the car channel like an investment, too. Like, it's going to cost more upfront because cars are expensive. Car parts are expensive. But if I can get that to grow at some point to to make us some money to where it at least sustains itself, like I don't have to profit from it, but if it'll pay for itself and I get to pursue another passion of mine at the same time, I think that's a huge win. I really do feel this is an effective way to hook new viewers without overdoing the clickbait. And there's often a fine balance there. Of course, I want people to click. So, I guess it is technically all clickbait if that's my goal, but I don't want to mislead you. I don't want to lie and throw something up uh on in a thumbnail image or in the title that doesn't actually make you feel fulfilled. And uh I I hope that you all can forgive me moving forward. Just understand that this is something that I have to do as a creator. Otherwise, I'm not doing my business any favors and I might not be here, especially with this kind of content.

[00:17:37]three, four, or five years from now. I want to keep doing this. Again, I love this job. So, just bear with me. These small changes, I promise I'll make it worth your while. Well, that was uh a lot. I'm sure I skipped over a ton. I I wanted this to be like all-encompassing, but there are inevitably going to be things that I've left out. So, if you have a question, if you want to know more about how all this works, I will be sure to check the comment section for trends. So, don't hesitate. If you would like to know anything about the the playlist or other revenue streams, if something just pops up in your head, feel free to leave a comment down below.

[00:18:11]I very much appreciate your support, even if you're new here. Thank you so much for giving this one a click and for sitting through it as long as you have, I'm only here because of it. My name is Greg. Thanks for learning with me.