One photo, one answer, no rabbit holes.
Mend tells you whether something is worth fixing — in seconds, not hours.
How it works
1. Upload a photo
Take a picture of the broken item. Front, damage close-up, or model label — whatever you have. Up to three photos.
2. AI analysis
GPT vision identifies the item, diagnoses the likely failure, and looks up part numbers. We pull real pricing from eBay sold listings and replacement markets.
3. The verdict
You get a clear recommendation — fix it yourself, hire a pro, sell it for parts, or replace it — backed by actual dollar amounts and a comparison table.
The math
Every Mend verdict comes down to a simple economics comparison across four paths:
| Path | What we calculate |
|---|---|
| DIY Repair | Parts cost + estimated hours. If the repaired item is worth significantly more than what you spend, this wins. |
| Pro Repair | Estimated shop quote (parts + labor). Worth it when the repair is too complex for DIY but the item still holds value. |
| Sell As-Is | What the broken item (or its parts) would fetch on eBay. Sometimes a dead device has more value parted out than repaired. |
| Replace | Cost of a used replacement in working condition. The baseline: if replacing is cheaper than repairing, that's the move. |
The verdict goes to whichever path gives you the best net outcome. When the numbers are close or the diagnosis is uncertain, we say so.
Why Mend exists
Most people have a graveyard of broken things. The coffee maker that sits on the counter for six months. The vacuum in the closet "until I get around to it." The laptop with a cracked screen that might be worth fixing, or might not.
The problem isn't laziness. It's that repair decisions are surprisingly hard. You have to identify the failure, find the right part, estimate your own skill level, figure out what the thing is actually worth, and then compare all of that against just buying a new one. Most people shortcut this entire process with gut feeling — and gut feeling is systematically wrong.
People over-repair sentimental items and under-repair practical ones. They throw away things worth saving and sink money into things that should have been recycled. The core problem is that humans make repair decisions emotionally, not from expected-value reasoning.
Mend does the math so you don't have to.
About the creator
Built by a PhD economist who believes people deserve better tools for everyday economic decisions. Repair-or-replace is a micro-economic problem that most people solve with vibes. Mend replaces vibes with data.
Mend is part of the Applesauce Labs suite — small, focused tools that help people make better decisions about the stuff they already own.
Sister products
Sell
Photo-to-listing for resellers. Snap a photo of anything you want to sell and get a complete eBay listing with pricing, description, and shipping estimate.
Pickl
Ingredient safety scanner for food and cosmetics. Take a photo of any label and get a safety report with flagged additives, allergen warnings, and a health score.