Advice on starting a PC Building business?

[Sentient68k]

Hey there, LinusTechTips community!  I'm pretty new here and this is my first real post on this forum so forgive me if this isn't quite the right sub-forum to go to.

 

I set a New Years resolution for myself to start a small side business. I have some options I've been considering like opening up a Shapeways shop to sell 3D prints but I've been giving serious consideration to opening a side business building made-to-order rigs through a website. I'm sure I'm not the only one here who feels this way, but I get tremendously excited putting together parts lists and building a new PC - even if it's not for myself. This feeling was only exacerbated by watching videos like those on the LinusTechTips channel because now every day I'm bombarded with cool parts and cases that make me itch for find a reason to toss out my current rig and build a new one.

 

Given that I think I should try to scratch that itch and make a dime or two on the side. I'm not expecting this to really be something highly profitable and I know it can be a hard market to stand out in but I feel like it may just be too much fun to not at least try. I have the skill set needed as far as I can tell to bring up the idea with fairly minimal start up costs - I'm capable of running a server, building a presentable website, and I certainly know how to build PCs. I currently work in a data center where handling hardware is my day-to-day work and the experience lends itself well to putting together a rig (or several) in a timely manner too.

 

My question to you guys is what kind of issues do you think I need to consider before jumping into this? What do I need to fully understand? Obviously there are things like tax laws and probably business licenses and such to consider but what makes the core of a PC building business? How much do I charge for my service? How much variation should I offer in my services? How do you go about properly handling things like warranty claims?

 

There are other questions too like what kind of market do I try to cater to (small PCs, fancy big-rigs, etc) but what I'm getting at is I don't know what I don't know. Is it really as simple as following local business laws, setting up a website, and trying to attract orders? If anyone has any experience either running any kind of similar business or working at one I'd be happy to hear what you have to say.

 

Thanks!

[SteveGrabowski]

What's your recourse when UPS trashes the system you built and the buyer blames you? Because UPS is quite skilled at trashing systems.

[Sentient68k]

What's your recourse when UPS trashes the system you built and the buyer blames you? Because UPS is quite skilled at trashing systems.

Good thing to consider! I don't know that UPS is statistically more skilled at busting boxes than anyone else but I would say the obvious course of action would be to make a claim on UPS' insurance but in the meantime I would want the customer to send it back (the seller, myself, paying for shipping back) while I would go through the unfortunate process of both making and substantiating the insurance claim and building a fresh rig to send to the customer - likely on expedited shipping. Of course no matter how you slice it that build would likely end up as a partial profit loss but realistically that's the risk to be taken when running a business. It wouldn't be fun for me or the customer naturally but as they say "shit happens". In the end you really just have to hope that the problems are rare enough that you make it in the black even if you do have problems. Of course the real solution to that problem would be doing everything possible to prevent it in the first place. Which means paying a little extra for decent and secure packing material. I would say some extra bubble wrap and foam are worth the investment.

 

For context working in a data center means I've had to deal with plenty of sticky hardware failures that sometimes involve customers who have businesses relying on the hardware we maintain. It's all about keeping a cool head, communicating clearly with the customer, and maintaining respect. As long as you show someone you have a genuine interest in solving their problem (and I do because it sucks for me too) I've found people usually stay pretty calm. For the ones that don't...well you can't win them all but you can try your best.

[SteveGrabowski]

Good thing to consider! I don't know that UPS is statistically more skilled at busting boxes than anyone else but I would say the obvious course of action would be to make a claim on UPS' insurance but in the meantime I would want the customer to send it back (the seller, myself, paying for shipping back) while I would go through the unfortunate process of both making and substantiating the insurance claim and building a fresh rig to send to the customer - likely on expedited shipping. Of course no matter how you slice it that build would likely end up as a partial profit loss but realistically that's the risk to be taken when running a business. It wouldn't be fun for me or the customer naturally but as they say "shit happens". In the end you really just have to hope that the problems are rare enough that you make it in the black even if you do have problems. Of course the real solution to that problem would be doing everything possible to prevent it in the first place. Which means paying a little extra for decent and secure packing material. I would say some extra bubble wrap and foam are worth the investment.

 

For context working in a data center means I've had to deal with plenty of sticky hardware failures that sometimes involve customers who have businesses relying on the hardware we maintain. It's all about keeping a cool head, communicating clearly with the customer, and maintaining respect. As long as you show someone you have a genuine interest in solving their problem (and I do because it sucks for me too) I've found people usually stay pretty calm. For the ones that don't...well you can't win them all but you can try your best.

 

I hate their lengthy investigations. One time they practically destroyed my case, packed to more than their specifications, when I was shipping it off to school and they wanted to hold onto my computer for weeks for an internal investigation. It made me mad as hell because it's impossible to do a CS degree with no computer (I'm not going to sit in the computer lab for 6 or 7 hours a day working on my project). So I had to drop the claim that I paid insurance for and just deal with a hard drive cage that rattled like hell in addition to lots of other problems with this expensive case I bought that was now functional but crappy.

[Sentient68k]

I hate their lengthy investigations. One time they practically destroyed my case, packed to more than their specifications, when I was shipping it off to school and they wanted to hold onto my computer for weeks for an internal investigation. It made me mad as hell because it's impossible to do a CS degree with no computer (I'm not going to sit in the computer lab for 6 or 7 hours a day working on my project). So I had to drop the claim that I paid insurance for and just deal with a hard drive cage that rattled like hell in addition to lots of other problems with this expensive case I bought that was now functional but crappy.

 

That's pretty unfortunate, man. I've been lucky really. Everything that's been shipped to me pretty much ever has always ended up getting to me just fine and in good shape. I'm sure I'd notice more problems if I was shipping more often as a business though.

[Shroomster]

I see these threads a lot and I generally just say simple advice. Stay away from it if you want to have free time and money in the future. People just go to the closest store and get the cheapest computer they can get. And there is no way you could compete with for example NCIX, who will build a PC from parts for a fee. You'll be the PC owner's tech support for eternity and like the post before me said, when UPS (universal parcel smashers) break the PC in shipping and refuse payment, then what? Sue them? I don't think so. So the PC will be a sudden 1-2k USD hole in YOUR pocket.

[Sentient68k]

I see these threads a lot and I generally just say simple advice. Stay away from it if you want to have free time and money in the future. People just go to the closest store and get the cheapest computer they can get. And there is no way you could compete with for example NCIX, who will build a PC from parts for a fee. You'll be the PC owner's tech support for eternity and like the post before me said, when UPS (universal parcel smashers) break the PC in shipping and refuse payment, then what? Sue them? I don't think so. So the PC will be a sudden 1-2k USD hole in YOUR pocket.

 

Competing with NCIX would definitely be way to high a goal to hit of course. I should say that part of the plan, at least as I was imagining it, was to specialize in smaller rigs as a start. Machines that are good for playing indie games or using as a Steam streamer in the living room while still having at least a little kick on their own for local play. Or even small boxes just for running Linux. Generally situations or builds where you may not even need a dedicated card. Starting this way would help keep costs down and the cost of potential damages down. That way a rig is relatively cheap to fix and replace.

 

It's really not something I would expect to get orders for all that often so unless it was a business that somehow did get popular enough to live off of on its own I wouldn't anticipate it consuming such a majority of my free time. I wouldn't be surprised if that's ignorant though and maybe you're right. Opening a Shapeways store probably is the better path to try and maybe the time spent designing and engineering will get me into a position where I could dig into case modding rather than building and trying to sell full PCs.

[MeepLikesToBuildPc's]

Hey bro, i have a business in build-to-order systems too, and as happy i am to see others take place in this market, its just not really worth it in my opinion anymore. Its a long time since ive got an order, and as someone else says: yes, they will run to a pc store and get the cheapest pc possible, as an example:

My friend just called me and asked me why his new "gaming pc" was lagging at all games, so i said: well, go to start, and click my computer.

Ok, he said, and then i proceeded to tell him to say me what processor he had. "Is it the thing with intel in front of the name? So yes its a celeron at 2.9 ghz. Nice huh?

I gave up.

[vt3c]

Hey bro, i have a business in build-to-order systems too, and as happy i am to see others take place in this market, its just not really worth it in my opinion anymore. Its a long time since ive got an order, and as someone else says: yes, they will run to a pc store and get the cheapest pc possible, as an example:

My friend just called me and asked me why his new "gaming pc" was lagging at all games, so i said: well, go to start, and click my computer.

Ok, he said, and then i proceeded to tell him to say me what processor he had. "Is it the thing with intel in front of the name? So yes its a celeron at 2.9 ghz. Nice huh?

I gave up.

Your profile pic. I love it.

[MeepLikesToBuildPc's]

Your profile pic. I love it.

Yep it surely is awesome

[amintha1992]

dont do it as a business. do it as a hobby

[ImBleu]

dont do it as a business. do it as a hobby

 I can agree with this. I build PCs for friends / friends-of-friends but not much further than that. Usually we negotiate some sort of payment but honestly it's just something I like doing. 

[ttam]

Hey there, LinusTechTips community!  I'm pretty new here and this is my first real post on this forum so forgive me if this isn't quite the right sub-forum to go to.

 

I set a New Years resolution for myself to start a small side business. I have some options I've been considering like opening up a Shapeways shop to sell 3D prints but I've been giving serious consideration to opening a side business building made-to-order rigs through a website. I'm sure I'm not the only one here who feels this way, but I get tremendously excited putting together parts lists and building a new PC - even if it's not for myself. This feeling was only exacerbated by watching videos like those on the LinusTechTips channel because now every day I'm bombarded with cool parts and cases that make me itch for find a reason to toss out my current rig and build a new one.

 

Given that I think I should try to scratch that itch and make a dime or two on the side. I'm not expecting this to really be something highly profitable and I know it can be a hard market to stand out in but I feel like it may just be too much fun to not at least try. I have the skill set needed as far as I can tell to bring up the idea with fairly minimal start up costs - I'm capable of running a server, building a presentable website, and I certainly know how to build PCs. I currently work in a data center where handling hardware is my day-to-day work and the experience lends itself well to putting together a rig (or several) in a timely manner too.

 

My question to you guys is what kind of issues do you think I need to consider before jumping into this? What do I need to fully understand? Obviously there are things like tax laws and probably business licenses and such to consider but what makes the core of a PC building business? How much do I charge for my service? How much variation should I offer in my services? How do you go about properly handling things like warranty claims?

 

There are other questions too like what kind of market do I try to cater to (small PCs, fancy big-rigs, etc) but what I'm getting at is I don't know what I don't know. Is it really as simple as following local business laws, setting up a website, and trying to attract orders? If anyone has any experience either running any kind of similar business or working at one I'd be happy to hear what you have to say.

 

Thanks!

Hello. I'm your biggest competitor in Seattle.

[parky559]

dont do it as a business. do it as a hobby

 

Great advice, build for friends. If they like your work. But unless people are actually very interested in their computer, they'll just go to a store and buy the cheapest pc. And from my experience, people who are interested in their computer and want a really good one, will just go to the store and find a pc with good specs. Not much real estate for custom pc building in this age.

[hypnodog]

For the past year, I've been having the same urges as well. Fortunately, I found a opportunity to build a PC for someone (which I might actually take sooner or later). I kind of gave up on the idea for it since I don't have many friends that can help me out with it, and the friends I do have are techies as well and have no need for my hardware assistance. If I were you, I would go around and try to find people willing to give you a shot, and build small until you start to grow. Just keep it as a hobby until you get quite a few clients, then you can turn it into a business.

[Sentient68k]

The general advice here seems to be "Don't make it a business if you can't be super dedicated to it."

 

Not too surprised! I think I'll be looking more for opportunities to build custom rigs for friends or something or just building personal projects. I'm really starting to think this building it has more to do with wanting to explore case modding rather than just building things out. Lots of people can buy some nice parts and put it together in a clean case. Modding is a craft. I think I might experiment with this on a new build I plan to try out once my finances recover from the holidays. I want to build a nice little living room Steam box using an APU and since it's going to exist in my living room I want it to be a conversation piece as well as a utility. If that goes well I think I'll look more into modding and maybe instead of building PCs from scratch I'll explore commissioned mods or at least selling items that can be used for modding. Baby steps though of course - I need to do my first real custom job.

 

 

Hello. I'm your biggest competitor in Seattle.

 

Hi there! Do you happened to be hiring? 

[sgtcool]

Hey there, LinusTechTips community!  I'm pretty new here and this is my first real post on this forum so forgive me if this isn't quite the right sub-forum to go to.

 

I set a New Years resolution for myself to start a small side business. I have some options I've been considering like opening up a Shapeways shop to sell 3D prints but I've been giving serious consideration to opening a side business building made-to-order rigs through a website. I'm sure I'm not the only one here who feels this way, but I get tremendously excited putting together parts lists and building a new PC - even if it's not for myself. This feeling was only exacerbated by watching videos like those on the LinusTechTips channel because now every day I'm bombarded with cool parts and cases that make me itch for find a reason to toss out my current rig and build a new one.

 

Given that I think I should try to scratch that itch and make a dime or two on the side. I'm not expecting this to really be something highly profitable and I know it can be a hard market to stand out in but I feel like it may just be too much fun to not at least try. I have the skill set needed as far as I can tell to bring up the idea with fairly minimal start up costs - I'm capable of running a server, building a presentable website, and I certainly know how to build PCs. I currently work in a data center where handling hardware is my day-to-day work and the experience lends itself well to putting together a rig (or several) in a timely manner too.

 

My question to you guys is what kind of issues do you think I need to consider before jumping into this? What do I need to fully understand? Obviously there are things like tax laws and probably business licenses and such to consider but what makes the core of a PC building business? How much do I charge for my service? How much variation should I offer in my services? How do you go about properly handling things like warranty claims?

 

There are other questions too like what kind of market do I try to cater to (small PCs, fancy big-rigs, etc) but what I'm getting at is I don't know what I don't know. Is it really as simple as following local business laws, setting up a website, and trying to attract orders? If anyone has any experience either running any kind of similar business or working at one I'd be happy to hear what you have to say.

 

Thanks!

just dont sell a "gaming" PC with i7 4770k and a GTX750

i5 4690K + GTX 770

so much "gaming" PCs with i7s and weak 750s

[shujin]

you cannot really start a company on that but you can make small money by helping people you know and taking a fee the only thing important if you try that is to show that YOU are more knowledgeable and proove that "classic" shop don't know shit and that they do their crappy job like that to make more money. If you succeed at doing so you should have 1 build to do per month. this is really not worth it unless you don't care about doing money and you're just doing it for the fun (like I do). Also if you build pc be the nicest person to your first client as it's them who will make you free publicity after