building pcs for extra cash?

T

The_Bob

Weaksauce
Joined
Feb 5, 2005
Messages
122
I'm thinking of putting out flyers around town for custom build PCs. I would like to make a little extra money doing something I like. I just don't really know what I should put on the flyers to attract people to actually want me to build them one rather then go to dell or something.

I was wondering what you guys thought of the idea.
 
this has been brought up in many threads my friend, try doing a search to get maximum information about this idea. :)
 
I think you should talk to others who have actually tried this before, then form your own opinion.

You could listen to others rattle on about "i dont think its a good idea because " or " go for it dude". Take advice from someone who has done it.
 
Run a small ad in the local rag adressing repair and spyware clean up and build a customer base up that will turn to you as a trusted tech to do thier next build versus an off the shelf system with sanctioned spyware . :D
 
I wouldn't do it, it's a waste of time anymore. I tried it awhile back and the problem is you can't stay legit while matching eMachine or HP's prices. When many of the "technology impaired" look for computers the only thing they look at is price. I can't tell you how many times I got "Why should I pay you $500 for a computer when I can get one at Best Buy for $299" (or something like that). So unless you want to enter a specific market it's really not worth it. You might have a better bet doing PC Repair work or maybe offering to setup and configure home networks for people. But "Custom PC Building" just doesn't have it's place anymore with the flooding of cheap technology.

You may have better luck than I did, but I am just giving you a warning.
 
Exactly...you'll make more money and get more customers by cleaning their spyware f-ed PCs. Explain to them why the computer reached the current state and they will refer you to everyone that tells them they have a PC problem.

I used to be worried about losing customers by giving too much knowledge, but their PCs always need work in 6-9 months anyways from installing shit software or going back to IE.
 
Yep, selling custom PCs is a waste of time. 99% of the people out there have no clue what's inside their computer or think they know everything. They could care less about gaming, except to play some dumb Java or flash game on the internet. They're cheap as hell. Will expect you to provide FREE tech support for a bizillion years. Will call you every other day with some idiotic, mindless question because you're easy to contact unlike tech support at a major company. And a bunch of other reasons you'll soon wish you had never had the idea of "helping" someone get a better computer.

Take my advise and forget building computers. You want to do tech support and upgrades. Learn everything you can about removing viruses and spyware, and upgrading and updating Windows. Acquire all the latest software tools and know how to use them quickly and efficiently (there's tons of free stuff out there). You can make a bundle cleaning spyware, viruses, and junk off people's computers. Yes, it's not real fun usually, but if you think of it as a challenge to get their computer running as fast and cleanly as possible, it can be rewarding.

I do this on the side for some people, when I feel like it. I only charge $30 an hour + $20 to come to their house. If you figure it out, that's a minimum of $50 for a service call, with a 1h minimum. And I'll tell you, $30 is CHEAP. I have never had a person complain about paying 30 an hour. I could easily get more, but like I said, I just do it in my spare time, so I'm not trying to make a killing. My average time to clean up a computer is 3-4 hours, sometimes longer if it's an old junker. $100-150 total for a service call is pretty normal. I think CompUSA wants $150 just to install and run a spyware removal program on your computer (whether or not they actually fix it).

The goal is to undercut the places like Best Buy and CompUSA and even the smaller shops. If you do good work and get their comptuers back up and running, you'll get new word of mouth customers. Trust me, you will. Give out business cards (they're cheap to make) when you visit people. Just put your name, job title (computer technician is fine), any certs you have, phone number and email. Install free apps for them that will keep their computers clean of viruses/spyware and explain how to use them. That's all it takes.

But take it from me, selling computers is a HEADACHE. If you decide to anyway, spell out your tech support contract in black-and-white beforehand, and list your prices if they need support outside the initial free period, if you even want to have a free period (you'll have to if you want to sell anything)

Good luck and have fun.
 
Astral Abyss said:
Yep, selling custom PCs is a waste of time. 99% of the people out there have no clue what's inside their computer or think they know everything. They could care less about gaming, except to play some dumb Java or flash game on the internet. They're cheap as hell. Will expect you to provide FREE tech support for a bizillion years. Will call you every other day with some idiotic, mindless question because you're easy to contact unlike tech support at a major company. And a bunch of other reasons you'll soon wish you had never had the idea of "helping" someone get a better computer.

Take my advise and forget building computers. You want to do tech support and upgrades. Learn everything you can about removing viruses and spyware, and upgrading and updating Windows. Acquire all the latest software tools and know how to use them quickly and efficiently (there's tons of free stuff out there). You can make a bundle cleaning spyware, viruses, and junk off people's computers. Yes, it's not real fun usually, but if you think of it as a challenge to get their computer running as fast and cleanly as possible, it can be rewarding.

I do this on the side for some people, when I feel like it. I only charge $30 an hour + $20 to come to their house. If you figure it out, that's a minimum of $50 for a service call, with a 1h minimum. And I'll tell you, $30 is CHEAP. I have never had a person complain about paying 30 an hour. I could easily get more, but like I said, I just do it in my spare time, so I'm not trying to make a killing. My average time to clean up a computer is 3-4 hours, sometimes longer if it's an old junker. $100-150 total for a service call is pretty normal. I think CompUSA wants $150 just to install and run a spyware removal program on your computer (whether or not they actually fix it).

The goal is to undercut the places like Best Buy and CompUSA and even the smaller shops. If you do good work and get their comptuers back up and running, you'll get new word of mouth customers. Trust me, you will. Give out business cards (they're cheap to make) when you visit people. Just put your name, job title (computer technician is fine), any certs you have, phone number and email. Install free apps for them that will keep their computers clean of viruses/spyware and explain how to use them. That's all it takes.

But take it from me, selling computers is a HEADACHE. If you decide to anyway, spell out your tech support contract in black-and-white beforehand, and list your prices if they need support outside the initial free period, if you even want to have a free period (you'll have to if you want to sell anything)

Good luck and have fun.
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This man speaks the truth. The company I started years ago even made it into Maximum PC and Computer Gaming World and even then I couldn't stand up to Alienware and Dell...
 
I hear ya...$40-60 for a clean, 40 more if I diagnose it as a reformat, which is in most cases.

And at those prices, people will ask you a few times if you're sure you don't want more. Especially if you're going to their house, or even picking up their computer and taking it back to their house to reconnect it.

A couple years ago I was working on a computer of a girl from school and during a spyware scan I told her it would be about $40. 10 hours of scans later, I decided to reformat. Never again...

Never quote a price until you're sure of what you'll be doing...
 
30 bucks an hour just for a spyware/adware/virus clean? I have a few programs in mind, once you download them you only need to do the occasional scan. Why would someone pay 30 bucks to run a shortcut from the desktop and scan the pc? Unless theres something else youre doing, like digging deep in the registry I cant see why.

And people usually say, its not building what hurts, its the tech support. And it seems people in this thread are suggesting to do just tech support. Honestly, theres no way around tech support, so I believe if you know a few things in advertising, I think pc building can still get you somewhere. And then you have the tech support after, which adds up also. (if you can deal with it)
 
30 bucks an hour just for a spyware/adware/virus clean? I have a few programs in mind, once you download them you only need to do the occasional scan. Why would someone pay 30 bucks to run a shortcut from the desktop and scan the pc? Unless theres something else youre doing, like digging deep in the registry I cant see why.
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Yep, that's right. Here is a lesson learned... ignorance costs money. Like I said, 30 bucks an hour is cheap. And that's to come out to their house and work. Not too many places will do that.

I don't just run programs either. I dig into the registry, manually if I have to, although HiJackThis helps minimize that often times.

Think of it this way... costs more than 30 an hour for in house maid service if you're too lazy to clean up after yourself OR if you can afford to have someone else do it for you. It's like paying someone else to work on your car. Yeah we could all do it given enough time and inclination and possibly make some horrible errors and cost ourselves even more in the long run.

Also, I'm confident enough in my skills to know I can fix most problems and I don't charge unless I can. You can take your computer to Best Buy or CompUSA and if you're real lucky your computer will not be in worse condition when you get it back. I had a lady say she took her computer to a local shop and the guy kept it 2 weeks before he even got around to looking at it, charged her $200, and didn't even fix the problem (she couldn't get online... because her computer was so full of spyware and viruses) I fixed it 100% in 4 hours, (that included upgrading to SP2 and running all the 2 dozen updates she never installed) installed some free software for her, and give her a quick rundown on how to keep it working correctly. Will she? Who knows, who cares? What matters is I looked like a genius to her and she'll tell her friends about my service and abilities.

If I'm going to someones house to clean up a mess they made on the computer, I'm damn well going to charge them for it. I'm not talking about family and friends either. I'm talking about a business arrangement.
 
I used to custom build for anyone, but now it's only for close friends/family. One problem is the low prices now of the OEM's. People know Dell or whoever else from commercials and then wants to know why your equivelent PC costs a little more, these are the same people who you cant make understand your using a solid so-and-so motherboard, high quality blah-blah RAM, and so on. 99% of people just want a PC that turns on and plays solitaire and checks email, they are clueless that there is better quality or more features to had by spending more.

Another issue will be support. They WILL call you whenever they want, for any issue even if not related to hardware/OS. If they can't get Napster or their porno dialer to run, you'll hear about it. When they get a virus that blows Windows away, they'll expect you to come fix it for free. I got so frustrated with people calling all the time, and filling up my voicemail box about the stupidist things that were unrelated to the physical machine, which I stated in my warranty as the only thing I support. Being the nice guy I am, and wanting to keep customers happy, I did everything I could to support and help them, and at the end of the day, little things like this ate into the profit.

So really this goes either way, it's fun to design and build the machines, but it can be equally frustrating and really when it's all said and done, you may not make as much money as you think you could. A big peice of advice. if you do decide to do this, you should consult a laywer to write up a liability releasing form so say if somebody's HD fails and they lose their work, etc. they don't come seeking compensation from you because "you built it, it's your fault" BS that some people will always try to pull.
 
Astral Abyss said:
Yep, that's right. Here is a lesson learned... ignorance costs money. Like I said, 30 bucks an hour is cheap. And that's to come out to their house and work. Not too many places will do that.

I don't just run programs either. I dig into the registry, manually if I have to, although HiJackThis helps minimize that often times.

Think of it this way... costs more than 30 an hour for in house maid service if you're too lazy to clean up after yourself OR if you can afford to have someone else do it for you. It's like paying someone else to work on your car. Yeah we could all do it given enough time and inclination and possibly make some horrible errors and cost ourselves even more in the long run.

Also, I'm confident enough in my skills to know I can fix most problems and I don't charge unless I can. You can take your computer to Best Buy or CompUSA and if you're real lucky your computer will not be in worse condition when you get it back. I had a lady say she took her computer to a local shop and the guy kept it 2 weeks before he even got around to looking at it, charged her $200, and didn't even fix the problem (she couldn't get online... because her computer was so full of spyware and viruses) I fixed it 100% in 4 hours, (that included upgrading to SP2 and running all the 2 dozen updates she never installed) installed some free software for her, and give her a quick rundown on how to keep it working correctly. Will she? Who knows, who cares? What matters is I looked like a genius to her and she'll tell her friends about my service and abilities.

If I'm going to someones house to clean up a mess they made on the computer, I'm damn well going to charge them for it. I'm not talking about family and friends either. I'm talking about a business arrangement.
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That sounds very interesting. Was there any sources that that taught you some of the registry digging and extra specials? Id love to learn.
 
Better get a cell phone, because you'll become alot of peoples 24/7/365 tech support. I've gotten calls at like 5 in the morning from people complaining about popups or viruses.
 
Sorry for the bump, but I just realized you could probably make money off just upgrading or modding (ccfls/cable management) pcs. If you set some tech support "guidelines" beforehand, it shouldnt be too difficult.

PC modding I bet could go a long way. Give an old fashioned dell pc a window and some CCFL and youre guarenteed to have a satisfied customer computer-illiterate or not. Hell, I wouldnt mind paying someone just to sleeve my psu for me.
 
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