So I’ll start this with a story. I was looking to play Pokemon sword and I didn’t want to pay $65 after tax and everything so I looked on Facebook. I ended up getting a second switch lite that came with sword cib for $120. So factoring in the cost I would have paid for sword on the e-shop, this switch is worth about $55 to me.
Today I just traded that ‘55 dollar switch’ for a yu nagaba umbreon card and a 3ds ll with broken hinge and allegedly a top IPS screen. The seller sent video of it working despite the broken hinge and it had custom firmware. Now that I have the 3ds I’m seeing that it doesn’t turn on and that it has no sd card when he said it had a 64gb.
When I click the power button the blue light comes on for a bit and then turns off with no sound or screen output. Is it not turning on because he removed the sd card with Luma or because of other hardware issues?
I’m not mad about the state of things since I really only spent 60 bucks, but the seller immediately blocked me after leaving so I can’t ask him anymore questions
Attached are pictures of the broken 3ds, the umbreon card, and my handheld collection because I wanna show it off
Posted by 0r10nn
4 Comments
# Missing or required SD card (very possible)
Since you said it had **custom firmware (CFW, like Luma)**, this is a big clue.
* Many modded systems rely on files on the SD card (like **boot.firm**)
* If the seller removed the SD card, the system can fail to boot
* The quick blue light shutdown is **classic for missing/corrupt Luma files**
👉 This is the *best-case scenario* because it’s fixable.
* **Try SD card fix first**
* This is the easiest and most likely win
* **Hold it at different hinge angles while powering on**
* If it flickers or boots → ribbon cable issue confirmed
* **Try recovery combos**
* Hold `Start + Select + X + Power` (sometimes triggers boot with Luma)
* **Open it up (if you’re comfortable)**
* Check ribbon cables near hinge
It’s the sd card, i think the card needs to read some files for cfw. Just look at a youtube vid on cfw. They’ll tell you where to go to get the appropriate files for your sd. Seller sucks major balls for removing. They could have at least pointed you in the right direction before blocking.
Edit:only know this because if i remove my sd my 3ds wont boot.
From your story, it sounds like the speaker cables are damaged. This both 1. Causes the issue of the blue light coming on and turning back off, and 2. When the blue light turns off, there will be no sound (due to the speaker cable being ripped). This is the most likely issue given the hinge damage.
Furthermore, IPS screens are not available on Original 3DS XL/LL models. You can find them inside of *New* 3DS models only. Unfortunately, it seems the seller was being dishonest with you in this case.