Computer build advertising help

J

jesusfr3ak4evr

Gawd
Joined
Sep 10, 2005
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Hey guys, I'm interested in making a few bucks during the school year and summer by building high performance pcs for people at my Dad's workplace. I live about 30 miles south of Washington, D.C., and my Dad works at the U.S. Census Bureau with about 10-20,000 -- or even up to 100,000 during the census -- employees. There is a board up where people post miscellaneous stuff, and my Dad suggested that to finance my computer addiction, and to make some cash I could build pcs for people at his workplace. I'd need to post a flier on the bulletin board. (Background: I'm a senior in high school, 17 years old, planning to go into Computer Engineering or Computer Science at the University of Maryland College Park or UMBC. I have built 8 systems for friends and family, some without pay and some with pay. My Dad is a Computer Specialist, so if I ever have any problems(I never have, heh heh), I could get assistance from him.)

So, my question for you guys is how best to do things. What information should I put on the bulletin board(i.e. phone numbers, e-mail address, pricing maybe?) Should people pay me first for the pc before I buy the components? Should I sell only Athlon 64 systems and better, or try to make an even more affordable option with like a Sempron system? Should I build only AMD systems? How much profit after purchase of components should I try to achieve(I'm not going to undersell myself, but I would like to make my customers very happy!)? I know for a fact that I can beat any company computer price for non-special offers(I'm not going to try to compete with a Dell $200 computer, heh heh) by at least 10% lower in price, while still making a profit of a couple hundred bucks for myself. Of course I would use an AMD motherboard/processor and probably a GeForce card, whereas Dell would use Intel. Should I advertise as "Custom built, high performance pcs" or something else? Should I throw up a website for myself, or is that unnecessary? Should I simply drop off the pc to the person at their workplace, or travel to their place and install it? Should I install the operating system before giving them their system(of course I will install one to burn the system in and make sure it's stable)? If they have a problem with the computer later, should I charge per minute or phone call, or charge to go to their place and fix the problem?

Basically what I'm thinking of doing so far is contacting the person who wants the pc, and customizing everything to fit their needs. If the person needs a full system, monitor, pc, mouse, keyboard, sound system, I can put something together that fits their price range and works very nicely. If the person already has an operating system disc they want to use, then they can use that instead of going to the expense of purchasing one. All of the components will have warranties, so if a component goes bad, they can RMA it.

Keeping in mind that I have 5 AP classes and extracurricular activities, I don't want to overload myself, which is part of why I want to make a reasonable amount per pc. I manage to free up around 2 hours of free time each day, more during the weekend. Once I have the components in hand, I can build the system and install the OS in around 2 hours assuming all the components work correctly. Potentially I could build a couple systems a week, but I'd like to keep it to a couple/few per month.

Advice and help are greatly appreciated!!!
 
It is FAR more profitable fixing pcs then to build them. Make up a flyer advertising that you can get rid of viruses or something like that.
 
I might consider that possibility. But remember that transportation is expensive. To travel to someone's place to fix their pc might cost me quite a bit. People live all over, too. Some people commute as far as 2 hours to work. With the added costs, I think that building pcs is more profitable.

Edit: unless I made the customer pay for travel expenses plus time at their place. My car gets 20 mpg. A gallon costs about $2.50, plus car maintenance makes that $3. Plus there is time involved. So $2 per every 5 miles traveled would actually make some profit, counting both the trip down and the trip back. A 50 mile round trip would cost them $20 plus however much I make per hour at the customer's residence, say $25/hour.
 
The building of the computers will not be where all your time is spent. They will assume that since you built the pc, you should come fix it, you should rma the parts for them, etc etc etc. When they load it up with spyware and viruses, you are going to be the one that they call. I would be building pc's for people right now if I didn't know people that had gotten screwed with maintenance.
 
Couldn't that be avoided through clear advertisement? Let's say I am willing to repair the computer if something happens to it(viruses, for example). If I make clear to the buyer that for x amount per hour at their house, and x amount per minute on the phone that I will help them with their computer after purchase, wouldn't that actually benefit me? In addition, people will be more wary of calling or getting service when it costs extra. Or I could just sell them the computer with no customer service afterward, and make that clear to them.
 
If you build systems, be prepared to be their tech support for that systems life. For me it's not worth it anymore, I tell people to buy a Dell and I just build computers for me and possibly immediate family. It seems when someone has a virus and their computer is crawling because of spy ware, people will pay you good money and are ecstatic about the job you did after you get it cleaned up. But if you are building an entire system from scratch, people are cheapskates.

RMAing parts is no fast process either, so if you have a problem with a part, most people aren't going to be happy they don't have their computer for 3-4 weeks while you RMA the motherboard. Of course you can always buy another board and put that one in, and keep the RMA'd board for another new system if you build enough.

Anyways, good luck. It will be good experience for you dealing with all kinds of personalities and things. It's amazing to me how many things are your fault when you build a computer for someone else, maybe it's just me but I got sick of it quick.
 
richcom23 said:
If you build systems, be prepared to be their tech support for that systems life. For me it's not worth it anymore, I tell people to buy a Dell and I just build computers for me and possibly immediate family. It seems when someone has a virus and their computer is crawling because of spy ware, people will pay you good money and are ecstatic about the job you did after you get it cleaned up.
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Amen to that. I will only build a computer for myself or parents and siblings - ok and girlfriend. Everyone else gets a Dell because the majority of PC users know very little about their computer. Plus, most users use a computer to surf the web, email, write documents and maybe store photos from their camera.

Rich isn't kidding when he said it will be your fault when something goes wrong. He is alo right about you becoming their tech support for life. I would have neighbors and family wanting me to fix their computes (even if I didn't build them their PC). Now I simply tell people "I don't know" and they stop bothering you. If somebody really wants my help, then $25-$50 per hour depending on the person.

You're best off selling them Dells and offering them your service to repair and fix them.
 
One thing you could try is building the PC for "x" amount of dollars and then selling your support separetly. Only problem is people get it for cheap (or free) through manufacturers. And I could see people calling even more because now they "paid you for it" lol. Just an idea.

Let me comment on the advertising. Putting something up on a bulliten board is not bad, and it's cheap to do. Your best advertising will be word of mouth, you build a computer for Suzie, and she knows 3 friends who are looking for computers, there you go. But with that said be careful on what you tell people up front, some people could be your worst advertisement possible. I've found it's best to be overly honest with people and tell them realistically what they can expect and not to expect from a computer. Explain to them no matter how fast a computer they have spyware and viruses are out there and will slow down your system. In fact tell them that that if it starts getting slower you remove spyware for a fee. It's amazing how many people complain about how their "computer sucks" and you do a CTRL+ALT+DEL and see 60+ processes runnig, you run spybot or ad-aware and it finds hundreds of malicious objects. Or my personal favorite, Kazaa or <insert or p2p networks here>.
 
richcom23 said:
One thing you could try is building the PC for "x" amount of dollars and then selling your support separetly. Only problem is people get it for cheap (or free) through manufacturers. And I could see people calling even more because now they "paid you for it" lol. Just an idea.

Let me comment on the advertising. Putting something up on a bulliten board is not bad, and it's cheap to do. Your best advertising will be word of mouth, you build a computer for Suzie, and she knows 3 friends who are looking for computers, there you go. But with that said be careful on what you tell people up front, some people could be your worst advertisement possible. I've found it's best to be overly honest with people and tell them realistically what they can expect and not to expect from a computer. Explain to them no matter how fast a computer they have spyware and viruses are out there and will slow down your system. In fact tell them that that if it starts getting slower you remove spyware for a fee. It's amazing how many people complain about how their "computer sucks" and you do a CTRL+ALT+DEL and see 60+ processes runnig, you run spybot or ad-aware and it finds hundreds of malicious objects. Or my personal favorite, Kazaa or <insert or p2p networks here>.
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I was thinking of doing that, selling the pc and tech support separately. How would they call me more if it's sold separately, though?

I already have a couple people at my Dad's office who would like me to build a pc for them. I'm thinking on a larger scale, though.

Something I've been considering is creating a terms of purchase and/or terms of service form that people sign. It would basically guarantee key aspects, like(and this is poor wording right now):

1. PC is sold as is. Anything that happens after purchase is not the responsibility of the seller.
2. Seller shall not be held responsible for illegal or improper use of computer after sale.
3. Additional service to computer may be purchased separately
4. and so on....

The point is I cover my butt no matter what by having the person sign a written contract before purchase. If necessary, my bro is a lawyer and can help me on that.
 
OK I'd definitely need to have some written documentation for the buyer. I think what I'll do is look at other computer builders to see what they've done, and borrow from different sources until I come up with something I think is satisfactory. The worst thing I can do is rush into this.
 
Some things to consider:

1. What about when a component goes bad after X amount of days? Since you chose the part and installed it, do you allow 30 days for free replacement?

2. How do you components under warranty? Don't charge for a new part and wait for the RMA'ed product. Buy a replacement product and charge for it. Do you charge for replacing or not?

If you're worried about customers getting spyware and viruses I would consider selling them some protective tools and installing it. Unless you don't mind the hassel of removing it for them.
 
I'm going to have a contract that shall relieve myself from all of these tasks. If a component goes bad, it's the customer's responsibility to RMA it, not mine. If they are willing to pay, I'd be willing to replace it for them. Again, in order to run an efficient, organized business, I need to keep things as simple for me as possible. My task now is to create the contract. This will probably take me a few weeks of fine tuning until it's good to go. Then I will work on what to put on the bulletin board for advertisement. I may even throw up a website using my dreamweaver skiellz.
 
I wish someone would finance my computer addiction :p

But jesusfreak has a very good idea. You could also make it clear that pcs built by you, withstand a few days of testing to assure 100% working ability. Any issues after the pc is sold, is soley their responsibility and would then have to pay seperate for tech support. Or even better, if you give them say a 7 day warranty after the pc is purchased for free tech support, just incase something went wrong with the build. Yeah, I really like that idea :p
 
I'm in the exact same spot as you. 17, senior, etc. I build computers for people every so often and I always let them know that:
1. I don't provide free tech support.
2. If something dies in the system, I'm fine with handeling the RMA and replacing the part, but it may take 1-4 weeks.

Let them know that up front and they should be fine. If they are really that worried about support, they should be buying a retail system anyway. The biggest problem I had was convincing certain people that someone in high school can actually do skilled labor. :rolleyes:. Apparently, all we're good for is flipping burgers and mowing lawns.
 
jesusfr3ak4evr said:
I was thinking of doing that, selling the pc and tech support separately. How would they call me more if it's sold separately, though?
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Well I think your on the right track, all I was stating is that if someone "buys" tech support they may feel the need to actually use it (more like overuse it), because they want to get "their money's worth". Not everyone is like this of course, but some people always need to overuse something to feel they got what they paid for instead of just calling tech support when there is an actual problem.

Also as far as the warranty goes, you could always do labor and parts separately. If you buy an ASUS motherboard that comes with a 3 year warranty from ASUS you could always handle the RMA for them if something happened but explain up front that you charge for the installation and RMA handling. Auto mechanics use this one all the time. Food for thought.

Good luck I think you thought this idea out more than I would have at your age. :)
 
paintb4707 said:
But jesusfreak has a very good idea. You could also make it clear that pcs built by you, withstand a few days of testing to assure 100% working ability. Any issues after the pc is sold, is soley their responsibility and would then have to pay seperate for tech support. Or even better, if you give them say a 7 day warranty after the pc is purchased for free tech support, just incase something went wrong with the build. Yeah, I really like that idea
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That 7 day warranty, or maybe I'll make it 30 day warranty, sounds good to me.

DeathFromBelow said:
The biggest problem I had was convincing certain people that someone in high school can actually do skilled labor. Apparently, all we're good for is flipping burgers and mowing lawns.
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haha no kidding. I can't stand mindless jobs, which is partly why I want to do stuff on my own.
richcom23 said:
Also as far as the warranty goes, you could always do labor and parts separately. If you buy an ASUS motherboard that comes with a 3 year warranty from ASUS you could always handle the RMA for them if something happened but explain up front that you charge for the installation and RMA handling. Auto mechanics use this one all the time. Food for thought.

Good luck I think you thought this idea out more than I would have at your age. :)
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Separate parts and labor is part of my overall customer support plan. I just need to develop a formula for the cost.

I was looking around on-line to find other successful computer builders who started kinda like me, and found http://www.pugetsystems.com/

It's hard not to be skeptical looking at their amazing 9.83 reseller rating. Their prices are right on, though(meaning they are trying to make a nice profit, heh heh). They have everything laid and documented -- possibly even too much. I made a nice e-mail out to the owner, John Bach, to see if he had any advice for me. Now I'm not trying to go big with this right now; my computer building "business" is just for personal stuff and college savings, but I want to do things to the best of my ability.
 
I started doing IT consulting for small businesses, business professionals, and working for my school district when I was in high school (15). I'm a senior in college now, and I still do it because it's good money. I’ll be working for BearingPoint as a Management an IT consultant when I graduate. I would be more than willing to help you set yourself up and talk to you about how to get new clients. Send me a PM if you’re interested, I'm a major in Management: Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Technology Management.

For reference I charged a minimum of 45.00 per hour up to 112.00per hour. I did custom builds, home networking, training, MODs, etc.. You’ll learn pretty quickly that the money, like others have said, is in fixing computers not building them. But the clients who are the most fun are the gamers; always my favorite builds to do.

*Oh and I can't stress enough an upfront agreement for anyone you work for. My agreement states to the effect of "You understand that I am providing you with the best solutions as to my knowledge on __(date)__. You understand that the warranty on all hardware is restricted to that of the manufactures original terms and conditions and I am in no way obligated to replace or repair hardware in the even of failure or fault, unless at my own discretion." Basically a lot of things to protect myself from users who would, mess around with something I setup and break it, then ask for free repairs or replacements. Depending on your situation I could help you write one up.
 
CrisisVT said:
. But the clients who are the most fun are the gamers; always my favorite builds to do.
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Definetly! :cool: If I could build computers for nothing but gamers I'd do it full time lol. I love high end hardware.
 
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