computer liquidation from businesses

[chipy]

i've mentioned before i'm trying to start a business. one thing would be to provide web design services. i'd also like to entertain the idea of being able to buy used computers off of local businesses (or maybe even those that are not local) and turning around and selling them to individuals.

the question is, do i just cold call companies and ask them to let me know when they are planning on upgrading their computers? do they already have a single established liquidator that they use? or do you think it's done auction-style? maybe the right answer is "it depends on the company". i see people on Ebay selling bulk computers that they must have gotten from business and i'm wondering how they went about it.

any insight from our expert ATOT group is appreciated!

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Your second idea is poor in my opinion because by the time a company is willing to upgrade, their computers will be hopelessly out of date.

 

[GodlessAstronomer]

I don't think 'liquidation' means what you think it means.

 

[drebo]

Most small businesses don't bother replacing computers that still work and the ones they discard are generally not worth trying to fix.

Most medium and large businesses who do run upgrade plans either lease the computers (meaning they have to give them back) or donate the old ones to schools or non-profits for the tax writeoff.

This idea is not worth it.

 

[xanis]

Not worth it. You might as well just sell some cheap-o custom hand-built PCs.

 

[drebo]

Not worth it. You might as well just sell some cheap-o custom hand-built PCs.

Like the guys on craigslist who will come install Windows 7 Ultimate or XP Pro and Office Ultimate on your system for a flat $35?

 

[chipy]

OK GA, you've got a point but you know what i'm talking about so work with me here.

MTB, drebo, now that you mention it, the one i remember from Ebay said "off lease"... so maybe i shouldn't be looking at local small companies. but where did those guys get the off lease computers from? do they buy them directly from Dell?

btw, those computers i saw on Ebay were maybe a few years old. not bleeding edge stuff but had 1.x or 2 Ghz CPUs and 2 Gb mem... not bad, still usable... and sellable if the price is right. i just need to know where i can get them.

any other business ideas? while i'm not opposed to venturing into an industry/sector i'm not familiar with, i would rather stay in an area that i'm at least somewhat familiar with (computers)... that way i have some background knowledge. ideally, it would be something where the startup costs aren't too much, and barriers to entry are moderate to high - this should make for less competition and possibly higher success rate for my business.

 

[TruePaige]

any other business ideas? while i'm not opposed to venturing into an industry/sector i'm not familiar with, i would rather stay in an area that i'm at least somewhat familiar with (computers)... that way i have some background knowledge. ideally, it would be something where the startup costs aren't too much, and barriers to entry are moderate to high - this should make for less competition and possibly higher success rate for my business.

Wait, what?

You want something super cheap that has "magical barriers" to keep people out. At the same time this business venture is also low-skill enough that even if you are unfamiliar with the industry you can pick it up and run with it?

You need to sit down and run down your skills, all of them.
Run down your financial abilities.
Find your comfort levels.
Find your time availability.

THEN look for untapped market opportunities.

I am NOT trying to be harsh, but this kind of rash, easy money thinking does not lead to success. You need passion, focus, and skill (money doesn't hurt either).

 

[0roo0roo]

nettop/netbook = 200 dollars
is more powerful than many old computers from offices which have been raped by employees, junked with company software and garbage, probably missing discs etc.
labor+sales/time/trouble/shipping kill the idea of selling old computer parts for much at all.

idea was almost semi viable a while back when computers were really expensive, but now, its a bit hard to see how it would work.

 

[Mike Gayner]

There is no way you could possibly make any money from buying a company's old P4 computers and reselling them. No way at all.