Home business building and selling PCs

It's also the Vista and the Works / Office and the other "take it for granted" stuff that you might have already in your possession, but when you build a new system the people are due a new copy of the software.

If you don't include that with the system, and just copy off what you already own, you are a crook. Not calling you a crook, but Bill Gates does prosecute.

[kdprulez]

Originally Posted by pete

It's also the Vista and the Works / Office and the other "take it for granted" stuff that you might have already in your possession, but when you build a new system the people are due a new copy of the software.

If you don't include that with the system, and just copy off what you already own, you are a crook. Not calling you a crook, but Bill Gates does prosecute.

Well I would of course get them an OS and whatever else I could get for cost or OEM pricing. It still wouldn't compare to the prices that Dell would get for a single copy of XP or vista or whatever, but at least I wouldn't clutter their pc with crap they don't want.

[teteterose]

I tried way back too (to build and sell PC's). The thing is PC's are very cheap now, plus come with tons of goodies. Considering Dell's business model (how they keep inventory for a few hours I believe) it would be very difficult to bring in something unique in order to build profits, not to mention ordering in bulk (and distributors don't give a lot of discounts to smaller sellers).

My advice is be creative and find a particular niche. I remember this guy who used to disassemble used computers and sell the parts individually. He built a pretty good business around it. I also see quite a few stores around which offer computer repairs, parts, peripherals etc, and also build and sell computers on demand.

Originally Posted by ChuckTs

Well I would of course get them an OS and whatever else I could get for cost or OEM pricing.

If you are selling at cost, it's a hobby.

And I doubt you've realy checked OEM or any other prices on stuff people want and expect. You may be happy with a barebones harddrive, but most people want all sorts of stuff on there. You may think it's crap, but it is the stuff people expect.

Not the demo Norton, but the Works / Office, Photo something, etc. Even at OEM thses are not cheap, certainly when you're buying onesies and twosies.

And a 5 or 10 pack of Vista is some nice pocket change.....

I agree with all of the critics comments if ChuckT is going to compete with, e.g., Dell using the same strategy that Dell does... a customizable PC at a low cost.

And I too remember the strip mall shops that used to assemble good PCs for you for a decent price.

But just for sake of argument, I think ChuckT could get this idea to work... as long as he was offering something else that Dell can't offer and that he can offer and that people are willing to pay money for.

Just to toy with the example of Dell some more, hasn't HP now caught up with Dell using another strategy, which is to sell pretty tricked out PCs in retail locations, so you don't get what you want exactly, but you can pick it up right now?

Obviously, ChuckT can't use that strategy... But there might be others he cound use.

[ntarifi dubai]

ChuckT -

There is a certain group of people in this world who are completely unemployable - they are called entrepreneurs.

If you can address the issues we raised and still get it to work you may be on to something. Now, I can't imagine who would spend $4000 on a computer system nowdays. But then again maybe you have something like www.steampunkworkshop.com going on that really is unique. If that's the case - good luck!.

[tcimpex]

Hm... One of our clients ( www.widowpc.com ) does this exact thing and they seem to be doing pretty well. I don't know much about their business model, besides the fact that they market to the high end gamer. Anyway, you might want to take a look at their website to give you some ideas on how they manage inventory and offer support to their market.

[allautoengines]

Check out this company. This is a great start for buying your inventory. We have been using them for a couple of years now. You will need to pickup a Tax ID number from your state and it would be a good idea to file a DBA(doing business as). Both are very inexpensive and will be asked for by any true wholesale supplier.

Also look at newegg.com. Their prices are hard to beat. Even from the wholesalers point of view. (We think they highjack trucks off of the highway!). Kidding.

www.asipartner.com

[Povarenok]

ChuckTs,

If you have the passion for it and you are willing to spend the time to work on it then you should do it. You can make money with anything you put your mind on as long as it's at price that people are willing to buy it at.

You can build systems and go sell them at trade shows in your area in the weekends or sell them online at ebay alot of people are doing it and making good money. Good Luck

[alexander0193]

You don't actually need any capitol. I have been doing this as a side job for over 10 years. The thing is that you probably won't be able to depend on it as a primary income for a while. What I do is mainly repair the PC's for customers, they call me and I have them drop the machine off at my home, then I repair it and call them. If I need a part thats not very expensive I buy it, if it costs more then $100 I call the customer and have them give me the money for the part then I order it. That way you wont get stuck with a $100 part they don't want. If a person wants a machine built, I spec it out and then show them the specs and total price, they pay me the money for the parts only. I buy, build, and then they pay the labor. I have been doing this for about 10 years, I have never once advertised a single bit and still get 2-3 machines a week by only word of mouth. Recently I have been getting more calls and have turned a few people with really old machines away.

You can do it this way and make a little profit to start and get your name out there, word of mouth will work the best for you to start. Main thing is to be cheaper than the local shops charge and have the machine back to them fixed asap! Customers love to hear it's finished the next day and that the bill isn't astronomical. I charge an hourly fee for labor ($30/hr), billed in 15 minute increments, and if I have to go to their home it's a minimum of 1/2 hour labor, even if I get there and fix it in 5 minutes. This has worked well for me and my customers are happy. Hope this helps.