Anyone here sell computers they build?

[flight23]

I was wondering how one goes about contacting a reseller to get special rates if you plan on building systems to sell them...
If anyone here does this could you please PM me to tell me what kind of discounts resellers give to fledgling computer businesses and/or what reseller people tend to use? Thanks

 

[SocrPlyr]

well in ohio you go to your county auditor's office and apply for a vendor's license... they will give you all the necessary tax info... and then you have to apply at whatever places you know give discounts to resellers... (they will most the time give u better prices and not charge tax, but when u resell you are responsible to charging tax and then turning it in to the state etc...)
hope this helped

Josh

 

[FordLorider]

.

 

[Dan]

I build and sell two or three systems a month. (Along with upgrades, repairs, etc.) I don't have any special relationships with resellers though. One thing I do is watch for "loss-leaders" at Fry's and other places. Be it CD-ROM's, DVD-ROM's, HDD's, FDD's, etc., I always try to pick up a few at the discounted prices and have them on hand. You never stock the volatile stuff like CPU's and RAM: that'a a guaranteed way to lose money. Allow yourself a good amount of lead time when you get an order. Then you have time to searh PriceWatch, etc. and order parts online.

 

[DDad]

Can't say about anyone else, but I don't worry much about the "resellers" discount. Why, you ask- If you shop around, you will often find a special with lower prices- a good example was the recent 16X10X40 TEAC CD-RW. Most of the places I've checked out are selling bulk drives to resellers at $110-120, with a list of $135.
Compusa had a special for these a month ago- $139 (retail kit with software and cable& screws)with a $40 rebate. Which is the better deal? (I guess it also depends on getting the rebate back)

Yes, it can be rather a pain, but for the "small time guy" it's less of a hassle with the paperwork, can put more money in your wallet (which is more important, especially when starting out), and limits the amount of stock you need to keep on hand (less overhead)

Edit note- In short- Yeah, what Dan Said!!!!

 

[oblivion2888]

selling PCs to random people is a tough business these days

 

[junthin]

I sell computers that I build.

I also work in a computer store that custom builds computers with a vendors license and all.

As Dan and [/b]Ddad[/b] said, it is usually cheaper finding parts on specials or sales nowadays then ordering from wholesalers that sell to vendors. Half the time I can beat prices that the wholesalers offer.

Enjoy your business in the computer field.

 

[DDad]

One point- right now I do it mainly as a hobby- lets me "play" with the latest equipment. I plan on making it a full time job in the future- right now it pays for my hardware habit and maybe a little more (ae: enough to keep my wife off my back).
When your building 1-2 systems, it's easier to search for the specials- if your looking to build 10-15, it may pay to look for some bulk buys

 

[billx]

shop around.Resellers are no cheaper.Unless you buy alot.I have account with ingram micro.I could buy stuff at staples thats on sale and its cheaper than ingrem

 

[Mikendi]

I sell systems I build usually higher end stuff for graphics, audio & such. I get a lot of parts off the boards, or at auction, or specials from vendors I subscribe to. There is not a lot of money in it, repair work pays, but building is tough. Margins and markups can be slim and like Dan said don't stock up on Memory, CPU's etc as the market fluctuates wildly (usually downward). Try it what have you got to lose? Just make sure your customers get service if & when they need it. If there is a problem you have to make it right just like here. Good luck

 

[jkings]

I build systems just for family and friends and other associates. I follow exactly what others have said, I buy when their are specials. I have purchased things through the hot deals forum that I know are well below wholesale. I don't stock items which are price/time sensitive and I am always looking for good deals on the basics (i.e. fast cdroms/dvdroms, case fans, hsf units, NICs, Cables, etc.).

Best of luck,

Jk

 

[ksallen]

For those that sell computers, what are your "customer" typically willing to pay above and beyond the cost of parts. I want to start building/selling computers, but have no real feel for what labor costs are reasonable.

 

[SocrPlyr]

most of my customers are more than willing to pay at least 10%

 

[GameQuoter]

My friend builds budget PC's and sells them on ebay. He uses motherboards with onboard sound and video, duron processors, 128mb of ram, cheap HD, etc. It usually costs 300-325 to build and he'll get 450-500, sometimes more on ebay.

 

[DDad]

General rule of thumb- I try to clear $100 on all systems. I usually assist the buyers with setting them up, and (if applicable) transferring any files they need transferring.
I also try to make a "extra" effort to find out what they want to use the computer for, and tailoring the software for that use- one of the "best sellers" (as far as I'm concerned-12 computers) is for doing geneaology research- I load the computer with Family tree maker, Microsoft Works (echh, but most folks around here like it), Bookmark 20 geneaology sites on the Web, etc. In a lot of cases they are willing to go extra to get it "tailored" to fit their use- which is a BIG plus for most of these folks.
It used to be time consuming , but have done enough of them now I could do it in my sleep