Can I make money selling computers?

[xspectrum]

I'm 16 and want to make some extra cash. The idea dawned on me that I could sell computers that I make. I like making computers, so I figure it's worth a shot. Does anyone know the best way to sell a custom computer? Should I make a computer, then sell it, or have someone contact me, then make the computer? What website should I use? Thanks in advance.

 

[shaneOrules]

Please read this entire response. Hey, my name is Shane, I have made a few small circuits in my lifetime but nothing compared to the scale that you are performing at! You are amazing. I live in a city with the largest engineering university in the state of Nevada. It is called U.N.R. Anyway I have come across some people who have built and sold computers before. My brother's friend works on computers for fun and for a living, he makes a lot of money. I have learned many things from many people about the fascinating world of electronics. Though you have obviously learned much more than I have. So back onto the original topic. You have to be aware that there are laws in all 50 states of the United States that strictly prohibit the unlicensed sales of electronic devices capable of harming one-self or others, such as computers. Another thing to worry about is the possibility of a company patenting their electrical components, the businesses that have the money to do these sorts of things are usually well organized, and very powerful. Most likely you will come across a lot of electronic components that belong to Microsoft or Apple. If you plan to mass produce these custom computers, if they contain any components with a patent pending or copyright logo on the name, look up the company name and look for an email address or phone number. If they pick up, you have to ask them if they're okay with your mass production of your products. Another thing to worry about, maybe the second most dangerous thing, is lead, mercury, and other hazardous material that could cause injury, birth defects, insanity, loss of brain cells, mental retardation, and finally death. The more exposure given to hazardous materials, the more serious the consequences can be. The mass production of products you will need a license for only if you are making hundreds of them and/or selling them to other companies. The problem with the use of hazardous material is that selling even a single computer containing very high contents of soft, low quality lead, or any practically any amount of mercury at all, you will definitely need a license for. Lead I wouldn't worry too much about because lead is used in almost all solder, but just to be safe try to use lead-free solder. Also there is one last important thing I have to tell you. Before you make the computer, ask the customer what they would like and what their budget is. Tell them the amount of time it will take to build and that you will use whatever way they feel is comfortable for a way to communicate and get the customer up to date with how you are doing. It is the most professional way to do it in my opinion. Also, just go on Facebook and tell everybody you know to forward your computer sales ad. Make a public ad, as well as your profile itself public, so that anyone can see your custom computer sales. List your email, your average price, and the time it takes to finish your product on your Facebook page. I hope this helped.

 

[VenBaja]

Some sound advice here for the OP. Bottom line, you won't make money at this. Prefab computers, laptops, and tablets are just too cheap these days. Say you could build someone a $400 PC instead of them paying $600; almost anybody would much rather pay the $600 to buy from a reputable retailer; and $600 is reaching, as brick and mortar stores like Target, Walmart, and Best Buy routinely sell laptops and tablets for less than $350. And to be honest, as an adult, I can tell you that virtually no one is going to want to buy a computer built by a 16 year old at his house. You're setting yourself up for a lot of frustration and no business. Computer repair and virus removal is the pretty much the only way you're going to make any money by yourself as a kid with some basic computer knowledge. And there's a slim chance of that as well.

 

[Anthony Su]

I'm 13 and I also love to build computers (I would pay to build if I could) and I would like to get money to build a new computer for myself, and I thought what better way than building more computers! These replies really put that idea down though... What other possible paycheck (not jobs dude I'm 13) opportunities that might interest me? I like pretty much anything to do with hardware (building it, designing it, personalizing it, writing about it, etc.) and I'm a competitive gamer (not the kind that gets paid though). I seem to get the most opportunities to express my knowledge through people who want to build a computer that want me to help them make a list of computer parts for them. I'm ridiculously good at making good part lists (links below!) for my experience (one computer built and upgraded) due to my (obsessive) research.

 

[VenBaja]

I'm 13 and I also love to build computers (I would pay to build if I could) and I would like to get money to build a new computer for myself, and I thought what better way than building more computers! These replies really put that idea down though... What other possible paycheck (not jobs dude I'm 13) opportunities that might interest me? I like pretty much anything to do with hardware (building it, designing it, personalizing it, writing about it, etc.) and I'm a competitive gamer (not the kind that gets paid though). I seem to get the most opportunities to express my knowledge through people who want to build a computer that want me to help them make a list of computer parts for them. I'm ridiculously good at making good part lists (links below!) for my experience (one computer built and upgraded) due to my (obsessive) research.

Your best opportunity to make money is the traditional lawn mowing, snow shoveling, etc... You aren't of legal employment age yet and no one is going to pay a 13 year old for basic computer hardware stuff. There's little to no money to be made even by adults in the computer hardware realm. If you're interested in IT work, you should start studying up on software design, networking, or IT security, as that's where most of the decent paying jobs are right now. Then you'll have a leg up as you enter the work force after high school and/or college. The only jobs you'll ever likely get working on PC's are minimum wage retail positions at Microcenter, Best Buy, or some small mom and pop PC repair shop. Right now, you're just going to have to do something boring for work and keep PC building as a hobby.

 

[Nebby]

Old post but Ill post here anyways. How would one go about getting insured? (18 yr old). I want to do the same, just not for a lot of money, for experience. What if you test the pc and send it out fine, but they say its broke, which it wasnt when you sent it, and they sue you. How do you stop someone from doing that? Is they a 1 time fee type of deal for that?

I run a construction company and I have to pay around 3,000 a month for insurance. I had to use it once, because some concrete started flaking on a driveway. This wasn't my fault because the concrete company had a bad mix ratio. I was still liable for it and insurance saved my butt. Just a thought for people who want to start their own business. I also do computer repair and lessons on the side as a hobby. I charge about 20 bucks for antivirus removal. I used antivirus removal because 90% of problems are this. Some people are idiots and click on every popup that comes up and 20 bucks an hour for lessons. Hope this helps everyone

 

[ColGraves]

I have been building computers for roughly 12 years. I'm not going to say the I'm an expert at building them either and I'm certainly no expert at making this profitable (doing builds only). I have built bare-bone's to performance rigs. The market is actually ripe for "tailored" builds. I didn't get the contract but a local radio station did an announcement for bids on a pc capable of streaming live video feeds to their website. With windows 7 disappearing form store bought pc's and the horrible compatibility windows 8 has with older games that many people love there is a growing demand for custom gaming rigs(try to convince them to also have windows 8 on another hard drive or partition as more game will come out that are tailored for Win-8.)

I normally include services with my builds like routine maintenance, and if you build it right, you will never have a part burn out unless the operator did something wrong. In 12 years of building computers I only have had 1 part burn out on me and it was in my personal build. That was from overclocking my processor to long. The key to making a profit in the DIY market is the service you provide. And if you are mainly just looking for experience then find a job that can support you and your hobby, because some experience is just more valuable than the profit. In all my projects I was more than happy to of bitten a bullet for. This project involved building a Multi OS computer without sacrificing performance. I lost just over 200 in that build but to me it was well worth the experience and satisfaction of building a successful performance "hackintosh".(programmers love these as they can then create software that have full support for both Mac and Windows)

My next extreme build will involve Linux, Windows and Mac all on one build. I know this will work because Linux and Windows are so similar. If you have experience in Linux(as i do not) please tell me which version you recommend as there are hundreds of versions all with their own advantage.

Again the profit is not in the system you build but in the services you provide.