Horrible support

Unfortunately the front facing camera/aka the “TrueDepth” camera is paired specifically with the logic board in the phone and the only way to perform that pairing is through their self service repair store. The store won’t run the pairing software if you don’t have an existing order for the part you are attempting to pair. The camera for this specific repair is $151.24 for your reference.

Based off of the packages label, I have a pretty clear idea to why it wasn't working; It's used! Be careful when purchasing used parts!

just new but need to know more

@princeunicorn Prior to the release of iOS 18, your statement was true, but on phones of the iPhone 12 and later generations, there is a Repair Assistant that runs when the phone detects a part that's been replaced. If it is a genuine Apple used part and the phone it originated from hasn't been reported lost or stolen, then the RA will pair the new part to the phone and of course it will always pair a new genuine Apple part with no issues.

@jaredg82679 How did you go about trying to contact iFixit? Did you go through the FixBot assistant or email them at support@ifixit.com? I found them to be very responsive when I had an issue, so I'm surprised to hear about your experience.

Anyway, if I'm not mistaken most parts outside of batteries have a lifetime warranty, so your camera should be covered under warranty. Obviously that camera was harvested from a phone that was reported lost, and as such the Repair Assistant won't touch it. Wherever iFixit gets their used parts from, it's apparent that company didn't report that the phone was in "lost" status, and without the IMEI there's no way for iFixit to check that status.

So yes, you should still be able to return it for a refund or replacement if available.