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2008-04-06 01:42:59
JaMrulezass
Member
+47|6737|Hong Kong
Made my mind, ive done alot of a building for friends, accepting small amoutns of cash but never large.

Summers coming up soon so I've got alot of spare time to make some hard earned cash.

I'm really fortunate, with great financial backup and motivation for work from parents, they encourage me to experience making my own money.

Luckily for me, I live in a rather large estate accomodating 5024 families, the computer shop here just closed which leaves all the tech noobs in trouble.

I'm about to stick up notices on the consumer board in my local supermarket, they get alot of attention there.

Going to begin computer building on a freelancing scale in my estate, fortunately, transport is going to only cost my muscles and my bike, time taken to get to peoples houses is rather minimal. I can get to the large computer retailers in approximately 50 minutes, really cheap.

I'm quite confident, even if this fails, I'm taking it as an experiment. With tons of exams next year, If I'm going to earn some money, itll have to be done this year and this summer, next year will be too busy.

I need some tips of freelance computer building, any tips will be helpful and before you ask, no, I'm not into frauding/conning/ or any other form of wasting my customers money.

I'm doing this to earn some pocket money and I know exactly what to do when building a computer, I've built around 10 in my life already so far, my last one was my friend , whom I've built his 2nd PC. No problems regarding the building but maybe time management, tips for hassle-free customers, things I need to watch out for, nasty customers, etc.etc. I'm not experienced with and could use some tips for smoother and less - stress work. The summer here is around 65 days for me, that means alot of cash if I get PC's building here and there.

One of my biggest concerns in that I dont know how much to accept, so I could for 100USD per build or 80 or what? I have no clue, help would be much appreciated.
2008-04-06 02:17:40
kylef
Gone
+1,352|6765|N. Ireland
There are shops round here in which they build it and professionally wire it for about £30-£40 ($60-$80 ish) - and I'm sure larger companies will do it for cheaper...I'd recommend starting off at something like $50 to attract customers.
2008-04-06 03:04:39
max
Vela Incident
+1,652|6839|NYC / Hamburg

When I used to do this I always charged 20% up to 1k CHF, 15% up to 2k CHF and 10% for 2k CHF or more, . But then again everything is expensive here and there are no computer shops that will build it for you. Even with a "building premium" of roughly 200 CHF it's still way cheaper than pre-builts here. Nowadays I only build for family and friends for the price of buying me a drink the next time we go out though.
once upon a midnight dreary, while i pron surfed, weak and weary, over many a strange and spurious site of ' hot  xxx galore'. While i clicked my fav'rite bookmark, suddenly there came a warning, and my heart was filled with mourning, mourning for my dear amour, " 'Tis not possible!", i muttered, " give me back my free hardcore!"..... quoth the server, 404.
2008-04-06 06:50:24
jamiet757
Member
+138|6894
Keep in mind you will have to build several at a time if people are interested, and people won't want to wait.

Also, if you build someone a computer, expect them to come directly to you if they have the slightest problem, so expect a lot of people bugging you for years to come. They will be calling and asking what happened when their screen saver turns on, or other stupid crap like that. Since you are building it you are taking the responsibility of supporting it. They will probably expect some sort of warranty.

And if you are riding your bike, how are you going to tote a computer case back home?

Last edited by jamiet757 (2008-04-06 06:52:59)

2008-04-06 07:05:14
mcminty
Moderating your content for the Australian Govt.
+879|6993|Sydney, Australia

jamiet757 wrote:

Keep in mind you will have to build several at a time if people are interested
And on that, you need to keep accurate records of everything. It's essential.

As someone has stated, you will also be looking at after sales service. Don't cop out on this - word of mouth 'advertising' is a powerful tool and can be either a great advantage... or disadvantage.
2008-04-06 07:26:11
TheEternalPessimist
Wibble
+412|6892|Mhz

mcminty wrote:

jamiet757 wrote:

Keep in mind you will have to build several at a time if people are interested
And on that, you need to keep accurate records of everything. It's essential.

As someone has stated, you will also be looking at after sales service. Don't cop out on this - word of mouth 'advertising' is a powerful tool and can be either a great advantage... or disadvantage.
Indeed, word of mouth is probably the most effective way of getting word out about your work, all the work I get is through word of mouth, though you'll only be working for a short time so it's effect is going to be limited.

Firstly be open and to the point, people hate not getting a straight answer, just like mechanics who act like everything is a big deal, just be honest and upfront, tell them exactly how you're going to charge before hand, give them a price breakdown of component parts and an exact figure of how much you are charging in addition for building, I also get a lot of work for gaming PCs and do a little overclocking on new builds for a little extra, usually £15 + the cost of a better cooler (make sure you include that in the price breakdown). Basically the more you tell them the less chance there is for confusion, I charge set figures as opposed to percentages like Max, usually £50 for a low end rig, £100 for high end and £125-£150 for high end with a full kit of cheesy, shiney lights plus any overclocking charge, £30 for installing water cooling etc etc.

Apart from that just be friendly and don't be afraid to have a chat with them while you're working, nothing gives a sence of confidence more than seeing someone relaxed while they're working.
2008-04-06 08:40:57
JaMrulezass
Member
+47|6737|Hong Kong
God damn, youre right, tech noobs roam the streets now with thier smallest problem.
Ahwell, if its virus, I can rip em off a XP reinstllation. (Does this work? Making a XP Reinstallation seem like a relaly big thing to the average tech noob)

And to the bike question, I'll just strap em on back or walk with it. Aint gunna be far. Might get a large 3 seater tri-wheel bike for this purpose.
2008-04-06 09:05:57
jamiet757
Member
+138|6894
It is up to you, you have to decide, how much is your time and energy worth? Riding a bike is free, but it takes more time and energy, you have to ask if it is worth $50.
2008-04-06 09:09:23
JaMrulezass
Member
+47|6737|Hong Kong
Not 50 but maybe 70-80. I need to take public transport to the computer market but going to thier homes is not a problem.
2008-04-06 09:35:05
elmer_42
Sanford and Son
+22|6173|California
You need a big damnit bag.
2008-04-06 10:06:37
Lucien
Fantasma Parastasie
+1,451|6925
The computers I have built have generally been for friends, so most of them have a clue as to what they're doing. Also, none of them mind me installing Anti-virus, anti-spyware, and other general performance software if it isn't entirely legal, as it keeps their PC's alive a lot longer. I've never had to deal with any idiots so I suppose my tip here is to go for the clever ones if you can, and to be sure to get some useful programs to pre-install (legal freeware recommended if they're not friends )
https://i.imgur.com/HTmoH.jpg

 

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