How much profit could I make selling homebuilt PCs on ebay?

Question

I was thinking of building computers and selling them on ebay. I would just sell the box not including any peripherals. For the os I could maybe put linux on it so I don't have to buy windows. Do you think I could make a profit doing this?

Answer 1

If you make up your mind that you'll do it...you will.

I read a really cool thing from Gov. Arnold recently. He said when he was in bodybuilding competition for Mr. Universe that even a year before the competition "I already knew that I won, now I just had to go through the motions to get there."

He never had any doubt.

This is a great philosophy to live by.

And by the way, Alienware, Dell, Gateway, Apple, etc...all started somewhere.

Good luck!

Answer 2

That's hard to say if you'll make any money doing this. To start you will need an excellent source for your PC parts at a rocking price. There are so many people that just buy from newegg or another place getting parts for what they think is a good price then reselling, these are over-priced systems if you want to be competetive.

There are price margins in components and parts to allow for retailers and dealers of parts, you need ot find a way to buy at these prices (usually this means large volume or bulk/OEM pack). This is why it's hard to compete with box stores and mart-marts on PC sales. Most consumers who want a PC know nothing about them, they only look at the CPU speed and think the rest of their brand new 6.2JigaWatt Pretendium 6 in a Dell box is the bees-knees, so they are perfectly happy buying from retailers. Folks who are enthusiasts and want the best of the best and fastest newest parts usually build their own.

Another thing to consider is that Ebay is getting very expensive to sell items. Fees stack up and before you know it you've lost money selling your grandmother's antique oven mitts.

If you can purchase in volume and offer competetive prices but keep your margins up, then youll be able to make money. if you buy parts like the rest of the consumers and expect someone to ay for an over-priced PC, good luck to you.

Answer 3

Hmmm.

What if you offered XP? Esp since it's hard to find. A lot of folks will be thrown off by the linux only stance.

I think if you distinguish yourself somehow, you could make a go of it. It's amazing to me what people can do for a business or income.

A thought, check out Craig's list to sell on. I hear they don't charge a fee. And you can list your products within a region for local support.

Answer 4

That depends on many things.

1 : How cheap you ven get parts
2 : How much ytou sell them for
3 : What the maintaining of them costs you. When selling machines as "new" you have legal obligations to ensure they work, so you need to factor in costs for any faults, new ram and shipping machines around, plus those people that ruin an OS and try to blame you.

4 : How many you sell
5 : IF anyone buys them

Answer 5

Probably none. You can't beat the big companies. They buy stuff FAR cheaper than you can. Cause they buy 100,000 at a time. And they get machines and components assembled offshore for peanuts. Compete on your own ground. Buy and sell machines rather than trying to build them.

Answer 6

No you will not. If we build our own and try to sell them out here with ads in thrifty nickle and in the newspaper, and people come to you to steal your puters way below your asking prices, How you going to do it online? Used computers and new computers don't sell like hotcakes, nor like molasses in winter. You may sell one per year maybe, is that kosher with you?

Answer 7

breakeven is good after ebay fees and paypal fees.
Ebay is the one guaranteed to make the profit .
Don't count your chickens before they are hatched.