How many builders running dry

[HAVOC]

IF I do any tech related side work, I charge $100 per hour. Those that have hired me know my value and are glad to pay it. I will not work "cheap, free or discounted".

The only people that get totally free work from me are "My parents, brother, girlfriend / her parents and brother." ~ That's it.

I'm more than willing to offer advice and tips. But, If I need to get my hands dirty and actually use a few brain cells, it's gonna cost ya. Cash or Certified Bank Checks Only.

 

[Harper]

We sell a TON more laptops then desktops. Its like 3:1.

Very true. I might sell 1 Desktop for every 10 laptops.

 

[Dauntae]

How I did it is through newegg, Not big enough for the retailers license and then I would have to pay taxes on it, In this state as long as I make under $5000.00 in profit it is considered a hobby. How I do it so they know what they are paying for is I'll put together a list for the pc for there needs and they can change things if they want more and I order it on a CC I have just for this. They give me a deposit of a third to half the parts price, so if they back out after I paid for it I can sell it for what I have into it and not lose money. When I have it done they pay me the rest and $100 dollars for my service, only downside is I have to deal with the rma if anything shows up DOA and the shipping comes out of my profit but that's what there paying for, me to get a system up and running for them. It's only happened once and I had a extra part lying around to hold them over until the new one came back. As for warranty, They have what the parts come with and if something goes bad and I give them 1 yr that I'll do the replacement for them.

Dauntae

 

[Monkey]

Awesome, thanks you guys. that is very helpful information.
I really enjoy making builds for people and I am hoping that I can help more people learn how to build their own PC. And maybe earn so cash while doing it.

I am thinking that I will just use newegg or which ever online site has the best deal for the parts i need.
Do you guys build each computer to specific needs or do you have a basic foundation for every computer and just swap out certain parts for performance needs?

 

[HAVOC]

I am thinking that I will just use newegg or which ever online site has the best deal for the parts i need.
Do you guys build each computer to specific needs or do you have a basic foundation for every computer and just swap out certain parts for performance needs?

You should first figure out what you are going to offer.
1,) High-end
2,) Middle of the road
3.) Low-end
4.) Media Centers / Etc
5.) All of the above

Then do some research and find out what the best components are for each category.
*** Stick to specific companies.
Hard Drives = Western Digital, Video Cards = ATI - Sapphire Tech, Motherboards - Asus
Those are just examples.

IMO, using the same companies gives you consistency in your builds. It also can open up opportunities for you to get into OEM system builder programs in each company and have access to information and support that others don't have.

 

[Monkey]

HAVOC,

Thanks for the reply. That is very helpful info.
I am hoping to build all of the above. Although I will probably need to do a little more research on Media Centers and high end stuff.
Besides trolling the forums would you recommend any other sources of information for learning more about building media centers and high end stuff? I am looking for information not only hardware, but also software that would work well with media centers, such as media players and all that.

 

[Baez]

At the bottom of every quote and invoice I put is this:

"Payment Terms: A thirty percent down payment of the grand total must be paid within one week of receiving quote (unless otherwise stated) or the order will not be processed. Full payment is required within ten business days of equipment delivery. A finance charge of five percent will be added on any outstanding balance past the ten business days with a two percent charge added monthly thereafter. Baez Computers Inc. retains a lien on all purchased equipment until payment has been received in full.
Warranty: Baez Computers Inc. offers a two year parts and six months labour warranty on all equipment unless otherwise stated. Warranty is void at the discretion of Baez Computers Inc. if equipment is tampered with, misused or abused in any way.
For further details please visit http://www.baezware.com/agreement"

 

[Harper]

It also can open up opportunities for you to get into OEM system builder programs in each company and have access to information and support that others don't have.

Not only information. But support. Some manufacturer's will put you on a higher priority RMA return, support phone number.
DOA product returns. I send in a DOA product, I expect a new back. Not a brown box with a refurbished goods.

Some manufactures also give our dealer rebates for when you have sold X number of units. Rebates could be in the from of Cash (Lenovo). Other rebates might be in the form of marketing capital (Microsoft, AMD)

IF I do any tech related side work, I charge $100 per hour. Those that have hired me know my value and are glad to pay it. I will not work "cheap, free or discounted".

I see myself doing that in the new year after i have my customer based set up.

I'm more than willing to offer advice and tips. But, If I need to get my hands dirty and actually use a few brain cells, it's gonna cost ya.

Advise and tips is one thing. spoon feeding them step by step instructions is not some thing that I will do for free. Like my previous boss paid me $300 last night just for me to troubleshoot a website for him. It was worth it as I was a spending about 3 hours fixing broken links and missing files.

Cash or Certified Bank Checks Only.

One of the reason why I like my new toy that the bank as given me. It's an EFPOS machine that connects directly with the mobile phone networks. So handy that I can pull that out when the customer needs to pay me. No more of getting them to sign a credit card authorisation form and then getting back to the office to find out that they have no money on the credit card (or they have cancelled it)