Replacement SATA Cable for 13" Unibody

I'm in a country/city with no Apple Store to speak of, and plan on being here for quite some time. Having experienced a combination of the "Flashing Question-Mark Folder" and "No Entry Sign" utterly out of the blue yesterday, I proceeded to run the litany of boots and start-ups recommended throughout the net with nothing to show for it. The hard disc was completely unreadable, disc utility etc. would not work at all. Having given up hope I proceeded to take the computer in to the only known official reseller (www.istore.am), and they determined that the the unreadability of the hard drive stemmed from a faulty internal connecting cable. They have offered to replace it for $86. I've checked this piece of hardware out online, and have found that it costs about $50 on ifixit -- presumably prior to shipping. Am hoping/would appreciate it if someone can advise me on whether this seemingly inflated cost is utterly unreasonable or, more or less, my best bet.

vskn_t said:

They have offered to replace it for $86. I've checked this piece of hardware out online, and have found that it costs about $50 on ifixit -- presumably prior to shipping. Am hoping/would appreciate it if someone can advise me on whether this seemingly inflated cost is utterly unreasonable or, more or less, my best bet.

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Look at it this way. If the part costs $50 (ifixit)…paying someone $36 ($86 total) to install it is really not that bad (labor is not cheap). If you want to minimize costs…install the cable yourself.

Of course you may be able to find the cable cheaper if you shop around.

- Nick