Building computers for people- what are the odds?

[goalguy876]

I couldnt find a good forum category to put this in, so i put it here.

Anyways, I'm trying to make some money this summer. I thought since i can put together a computer, and some people cant or are too lazy to, I could build it for them for a small fee. What im asking is, is there a good chance that anybody will be interested in this? Does anybody else here do that for people and if so how much do you charge? I was thinking $40 to build a computer and then the cost of parts. Any input is appreciated Thanks! Oh, im 15 btw (dont hate) so that might be a negative factor in this. I hope the people wanting a computer wont mind but you never know.

 

[ares1214]

what you should do is look at the specs of your computer, look at dell and hp. obviously make sure yours has better specs, and if you did things right, it should be about 10-20% cheaper. depending on how much cheaper it is (if its about 17% cheaper) subtract 10%, and charge that. so heres an example. you make a computer that costs 1000$, and u check dell, the same computer (more or less, dell has crap mobos, psus, ram, and other less seen parts) costs 1200$. you beat their price by 20%. now subtract 10% (so its still a better deal) and you have a 10% margin, and make 100$. if the dell computer costs 1170, you have it beat by 17%, subtract 10%, and you have a 7% margin, so you make 70$. try to increase your profit by buying less enthusiast parts (ram doesnt have to be 7-7-7 1600 MHz and so on) so its cheaper, and make use of combo deals and mail in rebates to maximize your profits. hope this helps! (and wasnt too confusing )

 

[goalguy876]

what you should do is look at the specs of your computer, look at dell and hp. obviously make sure yours has better specs, and if you did things right, it should be about 10-20% cheaper. depending on how much cheaper it is (if its about 17% cheaper) subtract 10%, and charge that. so heres an example. you make a computer that costs 1000$, and u check dell, the same computer (more or less, dell has crap mobos, psus, ram, and other less seen parts) costs 1200$. you beat their price by 20%. now subtract 10% (so its still a better deal) and you have a 10% margin, and make 100$. if the dell computer costs 1170, you have it beat by 17%, subtract 10%, and you have a 7% margin, so you make 70$. try to increase your profit by buying less enthusiast parts (ram doesnt have to be 7-7-7 1600 MHz and so on) so its cheaper, and make use of combo deals and mail in rebates to maximize your profits. hope this helps! (and wasnt too confusing )

Ok, thanks! Thats a great idea on the way to calculate the charge. And it wasnt too confusing, just had to reread it a couple times

 

[goalguy876]

Best answer selected by goalguy876.

 

[ares1214]

hahaha, and dont let your age discourage you, i sure didnt let it discourage me! :lol: btw, i recommend newegg for parts, and depending on how you do it, the mail in rebates almost always come back later for a nice little boost, and cover shipping. and depending on if you plan on selling pre-built or custom built, if u cant beat dell/gateway/hp by more than 10%, it either isnt a good build, or they just have u beat in that budget sector, like dell beats everybody pretty much under 500$.

 

[coldsleep]

Just make sure that you let people know that you're not providing support for all time. Well, or do and charge for it.

 

[ares1214]

right, make sure u have all your bases covered as far as liability.