Starting a PC company

[Lonehelljumper]

I really need advise. I've sold a few builds not on things like craigslist or Facebook, but I'm not really making any money. And ideas? 

[LukeSavenije]

look around on the second hand market and get a good pc out of it

 

sell

 

???
 

profit

[Lonehelljumper]

1 minute ago, LukeSavenije said:

look around on the second hand market and get a good pc out of it

 

sell

 

???
 

profit

Yeah, that's what I'm trying. Still hard to make a gtx 1050 to system for less than $550. And in my area it's hard to sell anything more than that. Strange thing, everyone that has bought a system off of me is using it for fortnite.. like every single person.

[LukeSavenije]

1 minute ago, Lonehelljumper said:

Yeah, that's what I'm trying. Still hard to make a gtx 1050 to system for less than $550. And in my area it's hard to sell anything more than that. Strange thing, everyone that has bought a system off of me is using it for fortnite.. like every single person.

1050? why not look around for a 290(x), 390(x), 780 ti or 970? those can be had cheaper and are actually stronger than a 1050

 

and if you do want something new, look around for a rx570

[dgsddfgdfhgs]

sell bulk to internet cafe?

pc hardwares are hardly profitable, but after service & maintenance is 

[Lonehelljumper]

5 minutes ago, LukeSavenije said:

1050? why not look around for a 290(x), 390(x), 780 ti or 970? those can be had cheaper and are actually stronger than a 1050

 

and if you do want something new, look around for a rx570

Sorry I tried to day 1050 ti. Right now I have 2 gtx 1050 tis that I picked for 100 each so I'm trying to sell them off. I just figured out that I can get a rx 570 at the same price so i got one of thos for $80. It's still very difficult to sell.

[Lonehelljumper]

5 minutes ago, dgsddfgdfhgs said:

sell bulk to internet cafe?

pc hardwares are hardly profitable, but after service & maintenance is 

That's a good idea, so say I sell a PC, what should I charge for maintenance? 

[Lonehelljumper]

1 minute ago, PacketMan said:

take a look at used componentes, like used GTX 660 Ti or higher, GTX 760 or higher, GTX 960 or higher... (and the AMD ones) for really cheap, then take a look at used CPUs for really cheap, used RAM sticks, etc

And then put it together with brand new SSDs and PSUs, you could get a "1080p Ultra settings 60 fps rig for Fortnite" for a few hundreds, and sell it for double

 

Yeah I'm big on Ebay already. My plan is to make $50 to 100 a system, just having a hard time building one for less than $500 even with used parts.

[myselfolli]

In all honesty - many people have tried what you're currently doing and they usually all give up at one point or another. It's hard to make a profit on building PCs alone and getting people to sign up for your maintenance isn't going to be easy either, especially if you're just one dude working out of your basement...

[Lonehelljumper]

22 minutes ago, PacketMan said:

No luck? Maybe you need a better marketing strategy?

Why would people trust you if they don't know you? First of all you need to build up your reputation (eBay opinions, for example) or have your own cool PC stickers for the PCs you build, like the Asus ROG logo

Didnt think of stickers and such. That's a great idea, I even have the equipment to make stickers and stuff here.

[Lonehelljumper]

1 minute ago, myselfolli said:

In all honesty - many people have tried what you're currently doing and they usually all give up at one point or another. It's hard to make a profit on building PCs alone and getting people to sign up for your maintenance isn't going to be easy either, especially if you're just one dude working out of your basement...

Well I'm not working out of my basement.. im workingout of my kitchen. And this is not for full time, it's just a part time gig. 

[myselfolli]

Just now, Lonehelljumper said:

Well I'm not working out of my basement.. im workingout of my kitchen. And this is not for full time, it's just a part time gig. 

Tomatoes tomatoes...

 

Best of luck to you I guess, but it's going to be difficult, at least until you build up some kind of reputation

[Lonehelljumper]

6 minutes ago, myselfolli said:

Tomatoes tomatoes...

 

Best of luck to you I guess, but it's going to be difficult, at least until you build up some kind of reputation

Yeah I know, I've built 18 in the last year or so, I've just now started buying parts, putting it together and then selling, which I'm having the most trouble with. 

[ELSknutson]

It doesn't work I have gone the eBay route and got burned.  The only way to make money selling computers is to do it properly with a website, advertising and word of mouth by doing quality work. The only way to make money on the used market is to buy dirt cheap or free and sell for used prices.  If you have a computer recycling place near you were you can pick up parts that would be the best place to go. 

 

Also eBay is a scam all your profits will go to them unless you get the parts for next to nothing also there is allot of scammers and people that bid your items up then dont pay.  If you plan on selling through eBay do your homework because people will rip you off any chance they get. 

[ELSknutson]

The best way to sell computer is to not.  You will make more profit if you just sell your services thats what I do and have made much more then when I tried to build a computer and sell it.   I charge flat $100.00 to build a computer plus $20.00 an hr that it takes me to build.  How I do it is I ask the customer what there wants are ie Looks, Budget, Use, Color, etc. Then I take a $30.00 deposit and pick out 3 options that will fit there budget and have them buy the parts from either Newegg or Amazon that way if they have an issue in the future there name is the one on the sales receipt and it doesn't cause issues for RMA's.  Then I have the parts either delivered to my address or have the buyer deliver them once they all have came in.  It usually takes me about 30min to put a basic system together with out windows and I usually make $120.00 for about an hrs worth of my time.  Also I make the buyer sign an agreement stating that the computer is running and in working condition when they received it and any issues, damage, or faults that the system may cause is not my responsibility.  Also I ask them to leave me reviews on there experience and to spread the word. 

 

This option removes you from having to deal with broken or damaged parts, Unhappy customers (unless you do a bad job) and no overhead. 

 

The only issue is Shipping once you get that sorted you should be fine to scale this into a full time gig. 

 

[JB780]

Probably should have done a lot of this research BEFORE you decided to start a PC company.

[Lonehelljumper]

23 hours ago, ELSknutson said:

It doesn't work I have gone the eBay route and got burned.  The only way to make money selling computers is to do it properly with a website, advertising and word of mouth by doing quality work. The only way to make money on the used market is to buy dirt cheap or free and sell for used prices.  If you have a computer recycling place near you were you can pick up parts that would be the best place to go. 

 

Also eBay is a scam all your profits will go to them unless you get the parts for next to nothing also there is allot of scammers and people that bid your items up then dont pay.  If you plan on selling through eBay do your homework because people will rip you off any chance they get. 

Yeah right now Facebook seems to help alot. Word to mouth is working aswell 

[Slayerking92]

There is very little money in selling hardware. The only way to make money will be on services.  What do you offer in services compared to any other established local shop?

[Fasauceome]

I made a PC company, here's my model:

We are a boutique that charges an 8% parts cost for building, that way the cost scales with the preexisting price. Your goal of making $50 or $100 off a $500 system is too lofty, people already sort of know what they're paying for so they might not be inclined to pay such a premium. Instead, our model relies on addressing the needs of a specific customer. That's how you find the $1000 or in our case $6000 clients. You could find an combination of the two though, boutique skills with various "on hand" systems on the side.

[Pixel5]

On 4/8/2019 at 10:32 AM, Lonehelljumper said:

I really need advise. I've sold a few builds not on things like craigslist or Facebook, but I'm not really making any money. And ideas? 

the PC business is not profitable unless you are a big player, you are buying for retail prices which anyone else can get so your profit will always be minimal and people will question if its even worth it to spend more just so you put together a PC for them.

[solarflare]

Been in the IT industry for 15 years and you missed the bubble friend. 

 

If your still young i can recommend you do something else or educate for something else as a life choice.

If i could go back id probably switch for computer engineering, or go 180 and do something like power engineering etc. 

 

IT in the traditional sense is dieing a slow death atm, almost everything is considered disposable now a days.  

Its probably not what you wanted to hear but relying on Builds and break/fix for any kind of income is not sustainable anymore. 

 

The only guys who are still in the buisness and doing well are IT for a specific company that pays them to just be there and maintain status quo.

Or contract based IT services which often require a team to keep the client happy. 

Unfortunately most of those contractual services are hoovered up by who ever was around first and they dont just let those go. 

[Chrionz]

While I admire the enthusiasm, not enough money in it bro. Most system builders like Origin or NZXT only make around $100 and that's because they're able to get deals from suppliers due to bulk buying. Mom and pop stores are just able to due it due to either people not knowing what they have or, like others said, maintenance. However, if there I'd already a bunch of system builders around you, you are going to have to compete by price gouging so expect like a $30 profit.

[chiller15]

Do you have the ability to support these systems, should something go wrong with them in say? Usually when someone buys a PC and it goes wrong - their first call is to the place where they bought it from.

[dizmo]

Honestly, if you're only making $50 to $100 a system, I'd question if it's really worth it. Especially with the volume you said you're doing. I mean, $1,800 isn't a lot of money over the course of a year, especially if you factor in the time you've invested. If you really want to make money, you're probably better off doing the opposite of what you're doing now (provided you live in a larger metropolis); buying computers you find for good deals, and parting them out piece by piece. You could stand to make considerably more money this way, and the parts you have trouble selling you can put together in a system to profit that way. Still doing something you enjoy with hardware, slightly different take, better chance at success.

 

Are you actually making it a business? Or are you just doing it under the table on the side?

If it's an actual business, you need to consider the costs of registering with the government, state/province, business name searches, the legal structure of the business, setting up tax accounts, etc etc.

 

On 4/8/2019 at 3:27 AM, Lonehelljumper said:

Yeah I know, I've built 18 in the last year or so, I've just now started buying parts, putting it together and then selling, which I'm having the most trouble with. 

I wouldn't go buying parts without buyers. You're going to get stuck with inventory (unless you're getting it super cheap) that is going to depreciate rapidly.

On 4/8/2019 at 9:43 AM, ELSknutson said:

It doesn't work I have gone the eBay route and got burned.  The only way to make money selling computers is to do it properly with a website, advertising and word of mouth by doing quality work. The only way to make money on the used market is to buy dirt cheap or free and sell for used prices.  If you have a computer recycling place near you were you can pick up parts that would be the best place to go. 

 

Also eBay is a scam all your profits will go to them unless you get the parts for next to nothing also there is allot of scammers and people that bid your items up then dont pay.  If you plan on selling through eBay do your homework because people will rip you off any chance they get. 

eBay isn't really a scam at all. They provide a service, connecting you with millions of shoppers, and that comes at a cost. Yes, they take a percentage, but you can write off that amount towards your taxes. Given the exposure it can get you, eBay can make a lot of sense. If someone doesn't pay, you can also file with eBay and your filing fees and charges are void. So you're only out a little time. No business runs flawlessly, and this is simply one of the hurdles of that particular business model.

On 4/8/2019 at 1:02 PM, JB780 said:

Probably should have done a lot of this research BEFORE you decided to start a PC company.

I don't think it's an actual company...

[Bouzoo]

The general rule of thumb is that if you have to ask on the forums (especially here where mostly teenagers lurk), you are not ready for owning a company. It may sound harsh but it is the cold truth.