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Accessories: 50-100% |
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PC Hardware: 30% |
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Peripherals: 25% |
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Software: 10% |
There are also other Computer Technicians who will sell their computer parts at cost price citing that they make money on the service. After doing some research on these technicians, it seems that their general viewpoint is that they feel that it is taking advantage of the client. I believe that those Computer Technicians should do whatever makes them feel comfortable since it is their business, but I personally disagree with them. I think one of our forum members “Appleby” said it best in a forum post:
Look you are in business and so is every other store you walk into. Do you think the grocery, hardware, clothes or car part store sell their inventory at cost? Nope, they all mark their products up and some of them over 100%. Do you think your mechanic buys parts for you car and sells them to you at his cost? The lawn mower repair shop, A/C guy, plumber? None of them. And if they do, why? You don’t know what a muffler costs him.
What I do stress out over is selling my parts at fair retail prices. For common stuff like routers, switches, etc. I sell at Staples prices since they are my only local retailer. So I try to match or beat their price. And do you know what? No one knows or cares. I tell people all the time that I’ve got XX here and Staples sells it for $5. They look at me like, “$5? Who cares?”.
If you do your homework and shop around, you’ll start finding ways to make ALOT of money on parts, all the while, still giving the customer a good fair price. Remember this: Sure your customer can go on eBay and buy the part they need, but they don’t KNOW what part they need. Plus, they will end up buying some off brand knock off in Hong Kong and it will take 5 weeks to arrive and then won’t be the right thing. You are making sure you are buying quality parts and getting fast shipping. Plus, as others have said, you are taking a risk….you take money out of your pocket to buy that part and set it on your shelf in the hopes that someone will come in and need it. You can’t do that for free. And if you are buying the parts on a “as-needed” basis, you still need to make money. It takes time and energy.
Heck I could go on and on about this and the reason is, once I figured it out, I started seeing how much money I was loosing by not marking parts up. Plus the customers had NO idea nor showed NO gratitude for the money I saved them. They were expecting me to make money, so I should be.
By the way, my goal is to make 50% mark up. That’s alot. Most items I can’t do that, but some smaller items like ethernet and USB cables, I might make 600% or more. Also, items like modems, RAM, hard drives etc can be bought for 30-60% less than Staples sells them for, so there is room for a nice mark up there sometimes.
How Long Should I Warranty A
Part? Should I Provide A Warranty At All?
Most Computer Technicians will warranty the part for as long as their supplier
provides a warranty to them. I have seen some Computer Repair stores keep
themselves out of the warranty process by making the client deal with the
warranty directly with the supplier. The problem with this is that the client
will most likely find out how much you bought the part for because they will
either need your receipt to do it, or the supplier may include it in a packaging
slip. It doesn’t matter how much or how little you mark it up, it will probably
annoy the client.
The best thing to do is to do the warranty yourself on behalf of the customer.
You can make sure they are looked after and there isn’t a bunch of back and
forth phone calls when the supplier asks them for details about you.
You can also turn the annoyance of the warranty process into an opportunity. A
clients hard drive may have failed and you will have go through the warranty
process for them for free, but the hard drive still needs to be installed into
the computer and an operating system will need to be reloaded. You can charge
them for this time since most hardware warranties will only cover the hardware
itself.
What Parts Should I Carry?
I have two sets of stock, one set I take onsite and the other set stays in my
workshop. In both cases I generally dont carry parts that lose value too
quickly. For example, a DVD Burner, Computer Case or Power Supply wont loose
value very quickly, but a Hard Drive or Video Card would lose value since the
speed and storage of these devices are greatly improving each day. I have found
that RAM is excluded from this category because even though it is part of the
“latest and greatest” race, it can actually become worth more than its original
selling price when it is no longer made anymore but computers still need it.
Actually, I find that I sell more RAM when gets old because the older machines
that were made at the same time as this RAM are starting to feel the “software
bloat” and need more RAM. Actually, DDR400 RAM (which is pretty old now) is
still one of my best onsite sellers.
Anyway, my onsite parts that I sell generally consists of:
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Network cable of various length – I sell many of these |
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USB Cables – Standard A to B. I sell many of these as well |
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Power Supplies |
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DVD Burner |
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Lots of RAM of various types, both old RAM and new RAM for both laptops and desktops |
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Low priced PCI-E video card – For office machines. I dont carry gaming cards as they lose value too quicky |
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AGP video card – Again, for office machines |
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Wireless Ethernet Router |
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Wireless ADSL Router + a few ADSL filters |
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2 or 3 Wireless USB dongles |
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Mouse |
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Various cables – USB extension, SATA, PATA, RJ-12 etc. |
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Front mounted Card Reader |
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Various cooling fans |
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Various software that frequently sells such as Microsoft Office, Antivirus software etc. |
I also carry other stock for testing and completing various jobs such as spare video cards, hard drives, compressed air, batteries etc.. You can see a complete list of my onsite technician gear in this article. It was written 2 years ago but the majority of it is the same with the exception of the part specifications and new connectors.
My workshop parts that I sell generally consists of:
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Older motherboards and CPUs – For replacing older hardware that is worth repairing |
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Operating System CDs – I dont carry these onsite since I rarely do an OS install onsite |
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A few older machines to sell |
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Wireless Keyboard and Mice sets – To sell with new machines |
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A power supply or two |
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CPU fans and heatsinks of various types |
Everything else is either testing stock or I purchase it on an as needed basis since they can lose value so quickly. If needed, I may take something from my onsite stock as well.
How Do I Get That Promotional Material That Stores Have?
You can generally get this from either proper “Business Only” only suppliers or
you can sign up as a reseller with the manufacturer. They will usually give you
posters, brochures and sometimes even full blown displays.
If you have a store front, you can also put the boxes of your “in-house stock” on the shelves at the front of your store. This has two benefits:
1. It makes your store look more “full” without you holding onto lots of stock.
2. It doubles as an anti-theft system since there is nothing in the boxes.
Hopefully that answers a few of your questions in regards to parts. If you are selling a lot of hardware there you can afford to hold onto the parts that rapidly lose value. If you are an onsite technician who does mainly repair work, I recommend you hold onto the parts that either dont lose value quickly or parts that frequently like RAM.
About the Author:
is a Professional Computer Technician who started his business when he was 17
year old. Bryce writes
Technibble articles about Business How-to's and stories from "the trenches".
Essentially, though, there
are three major sources of discount computer parts: mail order catalogs, brick
and mortar stores and online merchants. The online merchant’s category has the
subcategories of actual online businesses and person to person transactions,
like eBay auctions.
The best place to go to get discount computer parts depends entirely on which types of discount computer parts you need. If you consider a printer or scanner a computer part, the chances of you finding the discount computer parts that you are looking for. On the other hand, if you are looking for a part that actually is a piece of the computer, like a motherboard, modem, laptop shell or hard drive, it will be harder to find them on sale and get a good discount on them.
In situations like these, where you are looking for an actual piece of a computer, a good place to start your search for discount computer parts are mail order catalogs. There are dozens of them that are devoted exclusively to discount computer parts, and you can usually get a good deal. Moreover, a lot of them offer bulk discounts, so if you buy 10 or more of the same part, you will get a further price break. However, make sure that you factor in the cost of shipping to the overall price of the discount computer parts that you are looking at.
Sometimes, when the shipping is included, you end up paying a total price that is higher than retail. To circumvent this issue, when you call to order the discount computer parts from a catalog, ask if they have any free shipping offers or current coupons out that you can use to lower the overall price of your order. If they do not, and the price point is too high with the shipping included, try finding the same discount computer parts for cheaper online.
Whether you look at discount
computer parts in an online store or an eBay auction, make sure you ask plenty
of questions. Usually, online sellers will not accept returns, so if you end up
with the wrong part or something goes wrong, you will be stuck with the item.
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Article Source: ArticleRich.com
Electronic Components Sourcing Tips
By Justin Boyce
Sourcing obsolete electronic components can be difficult because of the huge range of products available as technology advances so does the type of circuitry. In this article we aim to provide the key points to aid you in tracking down hard to find components.
The most important consideration in deciding upon a supplier is to know there is thousands of fake or copied components this is particularly relevant when looking at computer components. These components may cost a lot less than the originals but can cause serious malfunctions and damage to the entire system they are used in.
An electronic component basically is an electronic element composing of a circuit board with two or more connecting leads or metallic pads. Components are designed so they can be connected together; this is usually achieved by soldering to a printed circuit board, to create an electronic circuit with a particular function (for example an amplifier, radio receiver, or oscillator).
Materials used in the manufacturing of electronic components range from aluminum-based alloys (integrated circuits conductors) to copper contacts electroplated with nickel or gold for improved resistance. Switches and relays are types of devices that work by opening and closing electronic and electrical circuits. The most common type of switches are manually operated, these include the push-button variety, slide, and toggle mechanisms as well as rotary.
There are many types of relays, some of which are triggered electronically, are timing, electromechanical, and reed. Relays often are activated by a solenoid, which is a uniformly wound coil of wire in the form of a cylinder. Solenoids are subject to wear and tear and long periods of use can lead to replacements being needed.
Optical communications devices include relays and switches these support the construction of highly reliable and efficient networks which help to downsize LAN devices with large-scale capacity in the Fiber-to-the-Home (FTTH) commonly used presently. Advanced sensors built into machines such as in those found in game arcades greatly improve the entertainment value of the machines. As technology develops and evolves the circuitry used in these systems often ceases to be a stock product and replacements become hard to source.
A standard electronic apparatus has a real time clock installed in the circuit board for recording system time. A number of data processing circuits utilize real-time clocks to provide a real-time clock value indicating the current day, date and time. The real time clock provides a precise representation of time that can be compared to stored values in registers to provide automated functions.
Clock circuits are an essential component of modern computer systems. Computer systems commonly have a real time clock coupled to a CPU of the system via a peripheral bus. The RTC is used to update the current time and date within the computer system without any intervention from the system processor. The real time clock usually includes a battery backup incase of failed supply of electrical power.
The importance of replacing damaged or worn circuitry with standards compliant recognized is paramount to the integrity of the system taking shortcuts or buying low grade or copied components can lead to serious system failures.
About the Author:
Ckelvin can advise you on how to find legitimate Integrated Circuits and Hard to Find Semiconductors ,don't end up buying cheap imitations get quality gear at unbelievable prices.
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com
The IT Consultant: Keeping Spare Parts On
Hand
As an IT consultant, you should know most PC vendors would be happy to cover inexpensive items like a mouse under the standard warranty.
However, given that your client could purchase a spare replacement mouse for about $10 to $30, is it really worth one of their employees being without a mouse, or worse yet without a PC, for a day or two while they await the replacement part under standard PC warranty coverage?
Clients Should Have Spare Parts on Hand
If your clients have spare mice on hand, warranty claims can be deferred a few days, or a few weeks, until time permits. In the interim, as their IT consultant, you’ve helped your clients mitigate the downtime for a very nominal advanced planning expense.
As your clients’ IT consultant, keeping a spare keyboard and monitor at their site also makes sense. The cost of these items is very inexpensive versus the potential productivity loss resulting from waiting for replacement parts to arrive. These three external items can all be installed rapidly by internal gurus.
Spare Desktop PCs
As the price of entry-level desktop PCs has plummeted and expectations for zero downtime have risen, we’ve seen many small businesses purchasing an extra PC, to keep fully-configured and plug-in ready.
Today, if the standard, fully-configured entry-level desktop PC only costs around $600, an office with as few as six PCs can fully fund the purchase of a spare desktop PC, simply by self-insuring on the warranty coverage for years two and three.
Advise Your Clients Wisely
As their IT consultant, you should recommend to your client that they invest some of their technology budget on select spare parts, and a full desktop PC.
This way, they can handle warranty claims at their leisure, not when their company is swamped and functioning in panic mode. If your clients are outsourcing this sort of project management work to you as their IT consultant, keeping spares on hand will lessen the need to pay costly emergency rate premiums.
Copyright MMI-MMVI, Computer Consultants Secrets. All Worldwide Rights Reserved. {Attention Publishers: Live hyperlink in author resource box required for copyright compliance}
Joshua Feinberg helps computer consultants get more steady, high-paying clients. Learn how you can too. Sign-up now for Joshua's free Computer Consultants Secrets audio training.
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Computer Parts, Used and Refurbished - A Smart Buyer's Guide
Microsoft, Intel, Sun, HP and all those businesses devoted to selling you new hardware depend for their livelihood on convincing you that you simply have to have the latest and greatest version of their wares. But truth be told for many of us, our trusty old equipment will do just fine, thank you.
This is even more the case with regard to enterprise level components: servers, routers, storage devices etc. Many companies have invested tens of thousands -- even millions -- of dollars in proprietary software which is critical to their businesses and which will not function on newer model hardware. Moving to a new generation of equipment for these companies often means undertaking a complete revision of software and processes -- an expensive and perilous undertaking. Maintaining perfectly good equipment with a small investment in parts often presents the best value, so it's not surprising therefore that many companies choose instead to keep their legacy equipment chugging along as long as possible.
As a result, a whole industry has developed catering to the used, refurbished and unused parts and components markets for equipment originally manufactured by companies such as Digital Equipment (later to become Compaq and later still to be absorbed by Hewlett Packard), Sun Microsystems, Cisco and Enterasys (formerly Cabletron) and many others. Buying used and refurbished parts can result in significant savings.
Thanks to the internet it is now easier than ever to find suppliers for old and even obsolete computer parts. And it should also surprise no one that the temptation to fob off counterfeit parts as genuine is too great for some to resist.
So, how do you know when you are getting genuine parts for your legacy machine? Here are a few pointers provided by Pyramid Technology Services, a well known and highly reputable used and refurbished computer parts dealer with many years of experience and a large inventory of refurbished parts, on how to identify counterfeit Cisco parts:
Look at the color of the serial number. Cisco's own color is a yellow-orange; counterfeits are darker. The numbers may appear crowded and even rub off on the phony items
LEDs on blades. They should all be the same size.
Watch the color on loop-back buttons on WAN interface cards: it should be dull, not bright red.
Real Cisco boards usually have solder points covered with nickel-zinc, not copper, as seen on counterfeits.
Inside the RJ-45 connector, Cisco parts will have the word "Steward," not "GLG."
Always deal with a well-established value added reseller. Look for a dealer who rigorously tests everything and who backs up sales with a warranty.
Stick with sellers who belong to the ASCDI (the Association of Service and Computer Dealers International). They have an established code of ethics and an arbitration procedure in place for any problems that might arise.
Fred Levinson pioneered online travel as the founder and CEO of Interactive Office Services, which operated ATbM - A Trip by Modem and many other online properties. He currently works as a private consultant to companies developing websites worldwide. If you're in the market for new, used and refurbished parts -- from Cisco, DEC, Sun, Compaq, HP, Enterasys and others -- try this page
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
For many first time buyers of a computer system the most important specification that they have is price, no one wants to pay a premium for a machine that is going to be obsolete in 3 years time, it’s important to remember that you get what you pay for.
Buying cheap computer parts may seem tempting at first but you really need to have a good amount of knowledge before you purchase, as most first time buyers simply do not have the knowledge about the different types of computer parts they only look at the price and end up buying something that’s cheap but not necessarily what they wanted.
It’s important to remember that you can pick up great deals online from small online operations as long as you know what you’re looking for and are sure it’s from a reputable buyer with a registered business and a returns policy.
Many people opt to purchase from auction sites which are full of bargains, however you have no idea what kind of condition the part will be in or if it will even work in your machine.
It’s better to purchase a computer part from a reputable business with after sales support and a return policy so if the goods don’t work as you’d expect you simply send them back for a full refund or store credit, when purchasing from auction sites you are dealing with one individual who may not have the kind of reputation that most online stores have.
If you're looking to purchase cheap computer parts then please visit our Buy Cheap Computer Part page.
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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