Can you make money easily from building PC?

[porterjw]

I feel that people won't spend TOO much money on older things or i3's or anything like that...I know for sure that I wouldn't even look @ a pentium, core 2 duo, celeron or anything like that just because I know they are old :/.

Why not? The biggest misconception is that anything that isn't brand-new, just-released-this-afternoon technology is somehow instantly obsolete. Different technologies for different applications. A steam engine and a nuclear reactor both generate energy; just because the reactor is far more efficient doesn't automatically mean the steam engine somehow stops generating energy.

I remember buying Celeron D330's by the 5's and keeping them on-hand well into the late 2000's. For all the C2D's, C2Q's, etc. being released at the time, the D330's were absolute workhorses in probably 90% of the small business work I did. Seriously, those things were bulletproof and when I dealt with a system that could accept one, I strongly urged the owner to upgrade to it. They weren't super quick even by the standards then, but they were rock-solid reliable for their intended purpose.

Granted it's been a few years since I've moved on from doing that stuff full-time, but when I left the majority of people I dealt with (mostly small business, some home units) opted for stability over blazing speed. I've found that if people are informed enough to know what CPUs have unlocked cores or OC ability, or what memory latency is, they're typically the type that builds their own anyway.

 

[xarik]

I suppose that's very true that people who know about all that stuff don't really want to buy what I'd sell anyway, they'd already have it Well in my area there's a lot of people dealing in laptops and PC's (We have a Desktop guy here in town apparently...they're all junk computers but he's selling 'em apparently) and idk how well those old ones would hold up in the market...I'm currently looking at this posting ( http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/syd/3902428119.html ) and the guy deals in laptops out of the milwaukee area :/...That's the out of the box price on that Laptop and it's a refurbished unit w/o the box used -.-...I believe that this laptop should sell for $350 with 8GB ram and a 500GB HDD....is this reasonable?

 

[porterjw]

I suppose that's very true that people who know about all that stuff don't really want to buy what I'd sell anyway, they'd already have it Well in my area there's a lot of people dealing in laptops and PC's (We have a Desktop guy here in town apparently...they're all junk computers but he's selling 'em apparently) and idk how well those old ones would hold up in the market...I'm currently looking at this posting ( http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/syd/3902428119.html ) and the guy deals in laptops out of the milwaukee area :/...That's the out of the box price on that Laptop and it's a refurbished unit w/o the box used -.-...I believe that this laptop should sell for $350 with 8GB ram and a 500GB HDD....is this reasonable?

The thing with desktops/laptops is that you can get a brand new, entry-level Dell for $350/$400 respectively. Even professionally refurbished (stripping the system and cleaning everything, replacing what needs to replaced - which the guy you mentioned may or may not do, though I'm erring on the side of 'probably not') will run that much, and rarely include a warranty (although the person you linked to does, albeit limited) unless it was done at the factory.

What laptop are you talking about - the one you linked to in the above quote or the example referenced in post 6? If the #6 one, provided the case is clean, nothing dinged, inside is properly cleaned, fresh OS install, and all the ports and whatnot is working, I would say in the $275-$325 range. Someone will buy it in that range, but since people's needs for specific applications of the system and their personal tastes are subjective, who's to say when it will sell (but I firmly believe you'll get a solid $300 (if not a bit more) if you hold off long enough - list it at $330 and let them think they talked you down, it's not at all uncommon). It's not clear-cut since it's not brand new. Need to be mindful of that too, some people equate a clean, sleek system with performance; others don't care what it looks like, just so long as it runs. If you're going to do a handful here and there just for a bit of extra cash or for something to do (as I think you are), rock on. Any dreams of earning enough to live off of though need to be re-looked at - it's actually a fairly cut-throat business to get started in unless you're already established either in the community (mom and pop shop), or a serious on-line player (Newegg/Amazon).

(Edit for above paragraph's end: Or have a serious marketing plan and a ton of time to devote to it, as well as enough cash on-hand to warrant buying entire lots from a business that went under or a town/city used office equipment auction, both of which are crap-shoots on what you actually get, and if it's from any type of gov't. auction, the HDDs are most-likely removed, so that's an added expense. Have to factor in a sizable storage area too with bulk purchases like that - closet won't cut it, garage might not either depending on much other stuff you have in there.)

Whatever you end up doing, remember that the end product you sell is a direct link to you. Give crap, earn crap; give good, earn good.

 

[jamesd1981]

I hardly think selling a pc with an unactivated copy of windows is a scam, selling a pc with a false activated copy of windows pretending it is genuine is a scam.

Selling a pc with an unactivated copy means you are making clear to the buyer they are paying for the hardware only and that windows is only installed to show the computer is fully working and that they will need to buy a product key for that version of windows or buy windows version of there choice.

 

[xarik]

THANKS That was a very well worded answer I am doing as you're saying, just for fun and some extra dough. I decided that I will scour the web for cheap pick-ups off of craigslist and maybe ebay and try to resell them at a higher cost (heading your suggestion of $330-$300) and just try my luck there! I'm not sure how confident I am at Desktops because those are the ultimate guess of what someone wants and what I can get for it! I believe that I will have more luck in the fall/spring when people are selling their old ones cuz of x-mas or graduation gifts and I hope to be able to sell them quite easily. I am kind of testing the waters here on what I can all do, as I won't have much spare time to do it till school picks up again . I have capitol and it doesn't hurt to sit on it for a long timer, but I feel the longer I sit on it, the more likely I am to either drop off price or become severely attached to it ;D as i have with my current spare laptop...it's become a joy to have a spare to through around and test programs on...so With all that being said, I will keep in touch on the forums over this subject and continue to ask questions and try to keep myself afloat in this cruddy economy and my quaint little fantasies ;D

 

[porterjw]

Most welcome. Just one more quick bit of advice... Money tied up in inventory you're sitting on is money you don't have to grow/market/purchase/eat. Believe it or not, the most expensive thing for a business isn't advertising or payroll, it's a shelf full of stuff they can't move

 

[spynoodle]

I do like your idea here; I was actually thinking of doing essentially the same thing. People on eBay oftentimes sell laptops missing parts for well under what they're actually worth. As a small operation, it could be an easy way to make a few hundred dollars in a couple months. If you decide to buy some used laptops, I suggest looking at some D-series Dell latitudes on eBay; business are always selling them off through wholesale eBay sellers for cheap.