Is PC building a viable business?

Say it takes < 30 minutes to build and test a computer? Then you need a website and to advertise etc.

Can you make money doing this? Or do you have to be a massive OEM to turn a profit?

Then you would have to support/fix any single problem that person ever has. You would also want to stock RAM, PSU, CPU, etc, so people can buy your shit.
But now you're just a fucking computer store.
Get it? Just open a damn computer store.

>Is PC building a viable business?
The market is saturated with start ups.

>pc bulding start-ups
where? in india maybe
this is not the 90's anymore

No, it never was very viable. Most people bundled that shit along with PC repair, and that isn't really viable either unless you focus on a specific line of computers that is actually worth something (i.e. don't repair random hp shitbooks). You would want to be competitive too because you can go on craigslist and see 70-100 random neets offering the same services as you, so you'd need to make an offer to set yourself apart, like offering a warranty or something. Either way, you're going to have to invest a lot of money for parts alone because ordering as you go would be extremely inefficient for a business that isn't just freelance neet shit.

Will you target individual sales, or sizable accounts where you might outfit an organization with dozens o boxes?
Are you going to offer tech support?
Are you going in with the mentality that "Windows is free," or selling Linux machines? (lol)
How quickly will you fill orders? Are you going to order parts as needed, or keep an inventory of parts ready to assemble? In the hardware biz, inventory is what kills you.
What kind of profit margin do you anticipate?

might as well offer to mow people's lawns

No.

People who are enthusiast enough to want a custom-built PC are usually able to do it themselves, the handful who aren't will buy a prebuilt Alienware or something instead

On top of that, you can't really compete with a large brand name in terms of the post-purchase support you can offer

No, most ma/pa whitebox builders sold their business in the early 2000's in the US.

It doesn't take less than 30 minutes to build or test a computer. Add in the time to buy the parts and install software. PC building is usually a loss leader for shops. Like, they'll build you the computer and hope you stick with them for tech support.

Unless you do big business and have huge markups retards will pay. Every kid on the street knows someone who'll build PCs so you usually can't charge much.

If you are accustomed to deal with retards, sure.

What do builders usually charge? I built a computer for someone a friend knows and charged $120 labor even though it took more than a couple hours. Couldn't charge more because any prebuilt with a better video card was even cheaper than the parts cost.

Believe it or not this is a pretty common thread. The answer is always no.

What did you count as labor? Did they just hand you the parts or did you also spend time picking it out for them?

my sister built a computer on her own just from watching a video and she had no idea what the parts even were beforehand. you'd have to be seriously retarded to not be able to build a pc

No. Not even 10-15 years ago when PC buying was higher. Nowadays everyone is using a handheld, so demand is low. As a result, cost of parts are higher and your margins will be non-existent. Plus you will have to eat a shitton of risk (depreciating inventory). It's simply not worth it. If succesful chains like NCIX go out of business, you have clear indication that there is no money to be made here.

>Is PC building a viable business?
Strictly Boutique PC building for consumers? No. People will buy pre-built for cheaper, build their own for cheaper, or expect you to provide service beyond the construction, if they're paying a premium.
Building for specialized PCs for businesses? It can be. Building things such as DVR/NVR PCs to sell to security camera installers, Drafting and Design PCs for construction/contracting firms, or Site-Automation PCs for large buildings can pay off, if you have clientele lined up. Really, it's about finding a niche(s), and going after them with setups that they can't just buy off a shelf, or would have to pay a large premium for. Building and setting up a PC that can take 16 CCTV inputs, and record, stream, and alarm based off those inputs can be expensive if purchased from someone like Pelco. But if you're a local reseller, who can sell these small PCs for $800-1200 setup and good to go, instead of $2,000+, you have a market.

But, in general, you've got to pair your construction with a service to make any profit. Do in-home IT, and offer to build PCs for your customers who have specific needs (gaming, HTPCs, secure office PCs, etc)

theres a shit ton here in rochester. how are they still alive? i have no clue

You can sure as fuck bet it's service and not building new PCs. Nobody spends over $300 on a PC anymore.

depends, why not investigate how many repair houses are in your zone? Which other kind of business and reputation can you find? what can you improve to compete? etc.

I had a friend who started up his own PC building business. Most people who hired him were either old folks or office managers. He'd frequently scramble for parts on eBay just to try to make a deal that would be competitive with local stores that could build better-spec'd machines for cheaper while trying to turn a profit. Some of his customers got ripped off by his choice of parts. One time he got ripped off for being a moron and falling for a scam where he built and shipped a bunch of computers without any payment whatsoever. Now, he mostly drives around and does house calls for old people who can't open their email. It's pretty abysmal.

very low profit margin. you'll basically be making minimum wage on dollars per hour.

It's not viable anymore as a main source of income. Completely viable as a side thing though.
Just make sure to
>buy used parts
and
>buy oem windows keys online
and
>sell without giving your name/address/number/whatever

repeat the following statement until it sinks in.

>There is no demand for a PC building business

This 11-year-old kid invented a computer on his own, OP. You have been defeated already.

He even invented the branding on the fans. Truly remarkable.

It was only ever semi viable in the late 90's and early 00's, and even then it was never going to make you rich. Not unless you could operate in huge numbers and get your components cheap.

Now...No chance. It's a game that works purely on quantities, which means huge amounts of start up and operating costs.

>Nobody spends over $300 on a PC anymore
gr8 b8

clearly written by my grandpa

Not viable to put food on the table but okay for some side cash. I built riced out gaming pcs for classmates back in high school for beer money but no way will I do that full time.