Want to start selling PCs

[JAY-CPU-GPU-PSU-RAM-SSD_X]

So, I would like to get into pc building, the thing is I'm not a huge fan of gaming. although I would like my own Gaming Pc I really think I would enjoy pc building. so on to the question:

 

How can I build pcs for fun, but put them to no use?

 

in other words maybe Pc Selling, but i only have $200

[Unedited_Mind]

Either you are too young or are heading into something you have zero clue about.

I say too young because anyone with knowledge of how markets work will know if selling PC's would be a viable strategy as the end goal is likely to profit from it.

[bmx6454]

try the game "pc building simulator". its not the best, but no offense, for 200$ you really cant build anything, let alone moire than one.

[JAY-CPU-GPU-PSU-RAM-SSD_X]

to clarify this, i only want to build one computer for now, sell it for a profit, save up, and build more.

[bmx6454]

4 minutes ago, JAY-CPU-GPU-PSU-RAM-SSD_X said:

to clarify this, i only want to build one computer for now, sell it for a profit, save up, and build more.

 

5 minutes ago, bmx6454 said:

for 200$ you really cant build anything,

there is already tons of prebuilt companies, with more starting every day. for 200$, you can't really build anything of value, maybe you can find some used hardware on the cheap locally, and sell it for more online, make some profit. but building a whole pc from scratch for 200$ isn't really possible.

also worth mentioning, afaik, those prebuilt companies aren't paying retail for the parts, but getting bulk/commercial discounts so they have a better profit margin, you as a consumer won't get those same discounts.

[emosun]

3 minutes ago, JAY-CPU-GPU-PSU-RAM-SSD_X said:

to clarify this, i only want to build one computer for now, sell it for a profit, save up, and build more.

well you arent building one for 200$ that you'll make a profit on so again you should probably wait till you are older or have more knowledge on how money or basic economics work.

[ToboRobot]

Find someone who is willing to give you the money upfront to do so.  Or get some sort of loan.  Or, save money until you have the required funds.

 

[OhioYJ]

21 minutes ago, JAY-CPU-GPU-PSU-RAM-SSD_X said:

in other words maybe Pc Selling, but i only have $200

There is very little money to be made in building PCs. Not to mention most people will want support and a warranty. From the sounds of it, you don't have the capital to support any kind of possible warranty issue either.

 

As with most things, it's the labor that makes money (profit). Which means it's repairs, support, etc, that you can actually make some money on. It would likely be better for you to start trying to do these sort of things first.

[JAY-CPU-GPU-PSU-RAM-SSD_X]

Closing topic because nobody can understand it, to be fair it is possible i did not explain it well,

[IkeaGnome]

4 minutes ago, JAY-CPU-GPU-PSU-RAM-SSD_X said:

Closing topic because nobody can understand it, to be fair it is possible i did not explain it well,

It seems like you want to start a prebuilt company. Start with one computer, use the profits to grow the company and start making and selling more computers. 

What warranty will you offer? What sets your computers apart from the many companies that are already doing that?

People here aren't trying to shoot your idea down. That market is highly competitive and works on slim margins for the time involved. 

[da na]

6 minutes ago, JAY-CPU-GPU-PSU-RAM-SSD_X said:

Closing topic because nobody can understand it, to be fair it is possible i did not explain it well,

People understand it fine, it's just not a good idea unfortunately

[emosun]

1 hour ago, JAY-CPU-GPU-PSU-RAM-SSD_X said:

Closing topic because nobody can understand it, to be fair it is possible i did not explain it well,

the problem is what you're trying to do is extremely difficult with desktop computers

you quite literally might be able to still do this with a lot of other things (buying a broken or poor condition thing and fixing it and selling it at a higher price)

but those days for desktop computers are long since over. It's very difficult to ADD value to a computer when the value is dictated by factors outside of your control.

my advice , mow lawns , you'll make more mowing a single lawn in one day than you will trying to refurbish a 200$ computer

[Arika]

2 hours ago, JAY-CPU-GPU-PSU-RAM-SSD_X said:

Closing topic because nobody can understand it,

oh, no, we understand it quite well, we have countless people coming to the forum wanting to do exactly the same thing you want to do, and all of them also didn't put an consideration into it beyond "i want to build and sell computers" exactly like everyone else.

 

These are some of the considerations that no one thinks about when they just want to "build and sell PCs"

 

• Will you offer a warranty and if so what are the terms?
• If you sell a PC and the buyer takes it home and it does work, what troubleshooting will you offer?
• Similar to the above, will you have replacement parts for troubleshooting?
• How will you eat the cost of replacement components if something turns out to now not be working?
• Will you offer any post-sales support for people who may not know to much about computers?

and while there are many more, you're well within your right to ignore all of the above and sell "as is", but then if that is the case you need to ask yourself; why would someone buy from you compared to a business that they can get all of the above from? what about the thousands of other people who are trying to do the exact same thing as you?

 

In today's world it's an extremely competitive area and you need to do everything you can to stand out, and unfortunately buying a PC from some kid on FB marketplace or a local classified is going to be the last option someone chooses if they want to buy something, but with that comes an expectation that it is much cheaper than every other option. Which means you're selling with zero margin (and would be highly unlikely to sell) or you're selling at a loss, because at that point you're competing against people just wanting to sell their old computers for a bit of extra money, not to recoup 100% of the cost that they bought it for.

[LogicalDrm]

19 hours ago, JAY-CPU-GPU-PSU-RAM-SSD_X said:

Closing topic because nobody can understand it, to be fair it is possible i did not explain it well,

Moved to General Discussion. Can also lock if you want that.

 

Also, you seem to have something what Linus had when he was younger. Flipping parts and PCs. What you don't understand that he didn't profit from that. You don't get easy money like that. Linus did buy expensive parts, and then sold them to afford better newer parts. Not really making profit.

 

Only way to grow money is to start with cheap ingredients and add your own work and effort to make them worth more as combination. Let's say painting houses. You buy paint and equipment, then offer work as addon. If you don't need to pay for living (at school and covered by parents income), you can gain more than what you paid for equipment.

[CONJOGAMINCODEX]

The best advice I could give is starting a business in PC building is by selling a service you know like buy just basiçlly cable modding cleaning update\upgrading drivers \ software or repairing but use only the the abilities you've got till you learn more and practice dealing with people with professional standard ( currently fixing my mono was booting but now won't even power on

[whm1974]

The others said it quite well. For one you can't build anything with usable Specs for ~$200. It is much easier to buy decent Refurbish Business Class Notebooks in good shape for the same or lower price. Paid only ~$160 for my Thinkpad T430. In Grade A shape too.

 

How old are you and how much Time do you on your hands?

[The Linux Tweaker]

   The way I did it was by selling on FB marketplace at first and then later new builds on eBay and now Amazon. Join any local Gaming PC selling groups in your area on FB, as this is a free advertisement, and take lots of photos and videos of your builds and benchmarking videos. I sold used PCs at first, even though they are not actually all the way used and I always have some new parts in those builds. I did this to eliminate having to warranty, not that they are poor or bad quality, I will let people test used and have a potable monitor and peripherals for local meet-ups, so I can carry those around to each meeting location, and I try to meet in locations that have power so they can test. I just personally, don't want to have the hassle of warrantying them myself, but I do pass along any and all original boxes or manufacturer's warranties and receipts for new builds or any new parts used in budget builds, that way the person can RMA as if they built it themselves if trouble arises. I don't try to make a mint off of people, maybe $75 to $100 after shipping depending on build difficulty and I don't cut corners, gold rated or better PSU and good storage NVMe or SSD with 3D NAND flash, just don't cheap it on the parts, I mean my main goal was to get my name out there locally as a local builder and also to get and maintain a great seller rating on eBay and Amazon as a trusted seller. The best thing you can do to help yourself is not to rip people off and build them something you would use yourself, even when it comes to used builds and budget builds. Just think of every transaction as you are building your brand name and reputation and never use any used PSUs or storage, as I look at the PSU as the heart of any build, attention to detail and good packaging are a must and many big named Youtubers have great videos on proper packaging and shipping methods, LTT has been a great resource for this for me for that and many other things, as they show what they expect, so it gives me goals to match in my own small business!

[Coaxialgamer]

I'm assuming you'd be buying the parts new at retail price, building a PC and then selling the whole rig right?

 

Let me ask you this: why exactly would I buy a PC from a random person on the internet for what amounts to more-than-new price (assuming you want to make a profit)? What exactly is your value add here?

 

As far as I'm concerned these parts are effectively used parts, so I'm definitely not spending anywhere new pricing on them.

 

If I'm not too comfortable with assembling something myself, a professor system builder at least offers warranties and peace of mind here. Build costs are generally only 50-100 USD too, so not a huge added cost.

 

This is not the free money making machine you think it is. Do not get involved.