Want to build+sell computers this summer as a hobby (not as a job)

[DeviledMonkey]

I'm 14 and really like computers, this summer I am going to have a lot of free time on my hands and I want to try and sell computers that I build for cheap. I'm not expecting to make more than $10-20 profit per pc. It's more of a hobby than a job, so I'm wondering what any of you with experience think about this. Is it a good idea or will I just lose tons of money. BTW I am a very patient seller and will wait for someone to offer a good price. Thanks in advance for any input

 

[ssddx]

if you bought the parts yourself that is alot of money to put up front with little return. its a huge risk. why would they buy from you instead of a business? big corporations also get discounts on parts while you do not.

if you want them to supply the parts then why would they trust you? its a huge risk to them in their eyes. also what benefit do they have over buying a prebuilt? how will you meet the people and deal with them?

making $10-20 profit on something $400-500 (which is where most budget gaming builds are priced) is not good money. you can make far more money mowing grass or doing odd jobs which is a better use of your time if money is an issue.

if you just want to be around computers then you can build for friends, family, relatives or perhaps your parents coworkers. assuming of course you know how and can do it competently.

 

[USAFRet]

Shelling out $500 of YOUR money, in hopes of selling it, will result in an empty pocket.

Rather than putting up your own money trying to build and then sell, consider asking one of your local mom and pop PC shops for an internship.
You'd learn far more than just putting parts together.

 

[RegularPCUser]

You can make a profit if you pick the right parts. Also depends on what others are selling and if you can compete with their prices.

I've done this type of thing and have successfully sold many computers and have made a profit ranging between a few dollars to a few hundred. Didn't expect much at first but my first sale went great I decided to continue.

1st. G3258 4.3Ghz Stock Cooler/ MSI Z97 PC Mate/Galaxy White PCB GTX 560Ti /4GB Kingston HyperX Fury/ 2X 320GB HD/EVGA 500B/Antec Nine-Hundred

2ND.FX 6300 Stock Cooler /Asrock 970m Pro3/Reference GTX 760/ 4GB AMD Ram /1 TB HD/Evga 500B/ Zalman Z11 Plus

3rd. FX 6300 4Ghz/Stock Cooler /Asrock 970m Pro3/Reference GTX 770 /8GB AMD Ram/ 1TB/Thermaltake TR2-600/Corsair Spec 02

4th. FX 8320 4.3Ghz/Corsair H60 Liquid Cooler /Asrock 970 Extreme3/EVGA GTX 770 SC/8GB AMD Ram /1TB HD/Corsair CX750/Corsair Spec 02

5th. FX 8320 4.3Ghz/ Corsair H60 Liquid Cooler /Asrock 970 Extreme3/Reference GTX 770 /8GB Amd Ram / SanDisk 120GB SSD/ 2TB HD/ Corsair CX750M/Corsair Spec 02

6th. i7 965 Extreme @4GHz/Sawyer Liquid Cooler / EVGA X58 SLi/Evga Reference GTX 780 /12GB Corsair Dominator /Intel 535 240GB SSD /1 TB HD/Zion AXP 1000w/NZXT Khaos

Current : Xeon X5650 @4.5GHz/ Hyper 212 Evo/EVGA X58 SLi FTW3/Evga GTX 980 SC/ 12 GB Crucial ram /240 GB SSD /2x1TB HD/Corsair GS 700/ Corsair 100R

* Replacing Cooler and Case Soon.

It's fun putting systems together and gaining lots of knowledge, but it would suck to lose money.I recommend researching thoroughly before putting systems together.