Selling computers

LH-Danny

Baseband Member
Messages
32
Hi,

I'm a 16 year old male who has a massive interest in computers, Ive been using them for around 6 years now and know just about or had experience in all computer aspects. Then to top it all off I'm starting college next month doing a technical IT course which I'm looking forward to.

I've been thinking of building computers and selling them onto people who need them and to take it up as a hobby, the nearest computer shop is around 10 miles away in a busy city and they are the closest to me who will be doing the same kind of thing.

I have a few questions to ask:
would there be any disadvantages in doing this?
Will there be anything extra I should do? Eg do I have to register as a business?
What % should I put on top of the price to make abit of a profit?

Ps... Sorry for any bad grammer or spelling as I'm typing on a iPod touch

thank you for any help,
Danny.
 
I just wanna give you a little tip.
SEPARATE yourself from others, like Gateway, HP etc.
Don't do what they do.
What I mean is don't claim you can do a computer in one day, you can but quality over quantity.
Do a good job, clean the case when done, make it shiny.
If the case has a window, add an extra touch, throw in cathodes, free of charge.
Only $7 for them, but they can make a difference.
Try to make the inside tidy for them, hide their wires etc.
 
You won't be able to compete with the the big compaanies, they can sell pc's cheaper than you can build them for....trust me.

Instead of building and selling pc's, you should get into fixing them. People are always having problems with their pc's and they want someplace close where they can take their pc and get it fixed. You can make house calls too. That's where the money is.....fixing them.
 
I agree. Most people would rather buy from a larger company, and have piece of mind in terms of warranty, support and the like. I'm not saying that you shouldn't build ANY computers - But it support should be your primary focus IMO.
 
Hi,

I have a few questions to ask:
would there be any disadvantages in doing this?
Will there be anything extra I should do? Eg do I have to register as a business?
What % should I put on top of the price to make abit of a profit?

I think I can help ya here. I'm an Information Systems major at the University of Idaho so I get a mix of business, accounting, economics, computer science, and computer networking. (unfortunately I'm working on the business side first cause I'm a sophomore, once I get into upperclassman ranks I'll be taking more computer networking classes... until then its self study.)

I agree with what has been said... I would go with fixing them. Starting up your own business of either making them or fixing them is going to be hard. Competition is going to drive you into the ground with these established companies. What you're going to have to do with this is get more on a personal level with your (potential) employees and consumers and offer them something that the bigger companies do not have. Also consumer confidence is going to be big so try to get your name out there in a good way. People will start talking and hopefully you can get referred. After all that its really just a snowball effect, takes time. You might even just do it as a side job at first while you make money with another job to invest in this "computer fixing/building company."

As for your prices that is really going to be variable and you won't know until the business gets up and running. Variables include costs of rent/infrastructure, tools, products, wages, and time just to name a few. Certain products are going to be more expensive than others obviously. But its a mix of supply and demand for your "stuff."

Building computers is going to cost the consumer the cost of the parts of the computer and your labor for making it (if its just you. If you have employees you're going to have to charge more for your company to make profit and pay the wages for your employees).

Fixing computers is going to be a little easier but may include many of the things included in building. If parts and pieces are broke then you're going to have to order parts and pieces to replace them etc...

I think you get the point now ;) Business is a pretty complex world. I highly recommend majoring in a business degree if you're really going to go for starting a business in this field. If not... then I would probably just stick to it being a side job...

EDIT: Looking back I think I made it way more complex than it should have been...
 
You won't be able to compete with the the big compaanies, they can sell pc's cheaper than you can build them for....trust me.

Instead of building and selling pc's, you should get into fixing them. People are always having problems with their pc's and they want someplace close where they can take their pc and get it fixed. You can make house calls too. That's where the money is.....fixing them.

Yeah thats a good plan. PC repair or setting up wireless networks are what people need.

If you start selling PCs to people, every single time a piece of software doesn't install they will call you up and tell you theres a problem
 
I started fixing computers a few years ago for friends and family. Now they have told people who have told other people. This is how I recommend starting because eventually you get a client base and that will grow. Some even ask me now if I build computers so I might get into that.
 
I'm a computer technician here in Topeka at EZ-PC. I used to have a side business with another fella on this forum, Ron. Aside from both of us simply running out of time, EZ-PC opened my eyes to the stupidity of some folks, and the shear complexity of running that sort of business.

People will call you back asking why something of minoot detail is not working, trust me, it'll happen.

Ron and I decided to wait until we both have more time to dedicate to building a business such as this, it really overwhelmed us both with different tasks. Shipping computers abroad out of your home is a potential legal atom bomb. If somebody felt they had been screwed they'd come right for you, even if it were just a hobby.

For now, I'd stick with repair until you become a bit more established and VERY VERY comfortable with computer hardware. Just my $.02

Good luck to ya my friend! The IT Business is something that quite literally evolves each and every day as I'm sure you're well aware of. It's VERY competitive, so make sure you have something that sets you apart from the rest.
 
Thank you for all the help and advice everyone has gave me! I didn't actually think so many people would reply.

I discussed PC building with my father a few month ago and he stated the same as most people are have - You will get people phoning up about the most simple of problems, you will have to offer them guarantees, and PC manufacturers can offer real competitive prices now; it's not like what the prices used to be like.

There certainly a lot to consider starting a PC repair business, for starters I will be going into full time education next month (once again) which will limit my time with clients at evenings and days off. I also have to consider getting to the clients house or business as since I'm only 16, I can't drive until December but even then the chances are slim due to the cost of insurance - That is really going to effect how much business I can make - Even though I live in a small(ish) town, it's still quite a hike to get from one end to the other, especially if I have to carry a PC all that way :p

I'm not too sure how many of you are familiar with the UK law, but will I have to register as a business, or take out insurance? As someone might blame me for loosing some of their data and take me to court over it.

Thanks.
 
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