Your Buying Strategy

**Jeremiah** · 01-27-2012, 10:30 PM

Scenario: Someone calls you and says they have four computers they want to get rid of and asks how much you will buy them for.

Do you proceed to ask
1) Do they work?
2) What models are they?
3) Is there anything missing?

What else?

1) When you arrive at their house do you open the computers and inspect them?\

I ask this because I purchased four computers today for $3 bucks each and decided to part one out and weigh each piece to see about how much I made. By my calculations, this particular PC had about $9 to $10 total scrap value (it was missing a hard drive and it was a cheap processor) but the others seem to be on the $13-$16 range.

2) What better way of pricing would you suggest?

**Dunemaul** · 01-27-2012, 10:33 PM

um ur doing great already getting them at 3$ a piece. I dont ask if there working i find that out when i get home. models i just find out when i get there and then still doesnt matter to much, Basically just missing that if its a hardcore gaming tower then you can pay a bit more fore it cause its gonna hve alot more parts then a standard computer. Ur actually the first person to be brave and post how much were getting out of the computers :-p

**ComputerScrapper** · 01-27-2012, 10:38 PM

Personally I do not buy computers based on whether they work or not. The market for desktops is way down and moving them (other than the top level machines) is a slow process. However, whether they are complete is a big concern. Our standard rule is that a computer is considered complete if it contains everything except the hard drive. With the information privacy issues most do not want to include the hard drive.

My best suggestion is to set a price that allows you to make a profit no matter the age or specs of the machine....$1-$5 seems to be the norm for most that I have seen. If the customer allows you to do a visual inspection of the interior of the machines then I would certainly take advantage of that.

**Mechanic688** · 01-27-2012, 10:54 PM

If the customer allows you to do a visual inspection of the interior of the machines then I would certainly take advantage of that.

When we get 20-30 or more we don't want to waste all that time looking inside each one, we look at the front for no missing drives, then look at the back for no missing cards/ power supply. If there's an opening front or back then you can peek inside to make sure it looks complete.

**PartTimeScrapper** · 01-27-2012, 11:53 PM

Originally Posted by Mechanic688

When we get 20-30 or more we don't want to waste all that time looking inside each one, we look at the front for no missing drives, then look at the back for no missing cards/ power supply. If there's an opening front or back then you can peek inside to make sure it looks complete.

Wow I just told this exact same thing to area67 in a pm tonight. You sure you didnt install a keystroke recorder on my computer?

**PartTimeScrapper** · 01-27-2012, 11:55 PM

As far as $3 a computer that is an awesome price. Ill pay as high as $6 each for quantity. Specialy if I see them having the old 5.25 drives in them. Or pentium4 stickers on them. To me thats means reusable parts to sell on ebay. I usualy dont build working machines for resale but I did have 2 people at work ask me if I had any cheap computers to sell them. They all come to me with their computer questions and refformating of their laptops. SO I think I may build a couple pentium 4 machines to sell for 100 bucks.

**Mechanic688** · 01-28-2012, 12:15 AM

wow i just told this exact same thing to area67 in a pm tonight. You sure you didnt install a keystroke recorder on my computer?

reset!

**AuburnEwaste** · 01-28-2012, 12:34 AM

I usually tell them I pay 2-3 dollars per tower, and a bit more if they are really old. That way when you get there you can adjust for missing parts. I like to do the math in my head and give them a total price, as opposed to a per unit price.

One trick for a quick visual inspection (without having to open the cases) is to look for the certificate of authenticity. This tells you what operating system it was shipped with, and can be a good judge of what is inside. I start with 2 or 3 dollars per tower and go from there. If they are waffling and they are windows 98 machines, I offer 3 or 4.

Another thing I do with the repair places- Tell them to call me if they need an older or hard to find part. I am happy to part with a few ram sticks to ensure a steady supply of junk desktop towers in the future.

3.00 each is a good deal. That way, as long as it has at least a motherboard, you should still be covered.

**Jeremiah** · 01-28-2012, 09:00 AM

Thanks everyone!

I'm experimenting with a new system of buying computers using a Best Buy Gift Card Program with hopes of reaching out to young people. Let me know your thoughts

http://alcrecycling.blogspot.com/p/p...-buy-gift.html

**ComputerScrapper** · 01-28-2012, 09:13 AM

Originally Posted by Mechanic688

When we get 20-30 or more we don't want to waste all that time looking inside each one, we look at the front for no missing drives, then look at the back for no missing cards/ power supply. If there's an opening front or back then you can peek inside to make sure it looks complete.

I agree, if you have some open spaces to peek inside then do so and save yourself some time...Keep in mind that you will have some people that will try to fool you.....We received 2 skids of towers the other day and they were supposed to be complete P4 systems. However, upon inspection we noted that they had stripped all the processors out and then replaced the heatsinks so that they would appear complete. I informed them that they were being docked for taking all the processors out and attempting to sell them as complete towers. They weren't happy but they admitted what they did. It all came back to the internet...Someone told them that P4 processors were worth a fortune per pound on eBay so they were going to sell them that way....It did not take them long to figure out differently.

As Rick from Pawn Stars says "It's not that I don't trust you, but I don't trust anybody." lol

**thortek** · 01-28-2012, 10:44 AM

Originally Posted by ComputerScrapper

I agree, if you have some open spaces to peek inside then do so and save yourself some time...Keep in mind that you will have some people that will try to fool you.....We received 2 skids of towers the other day and they were supposed to be complete P4 systems. However, upon inspection we noted that they had stripped all the processors out and then replaced the heatsinks so that they would appear complete. I informed them that they were being docked for taking all the processors out and attempting to sell them as complete towers. They weren't happy but they admitted what they did. It all came back to the internet...Someone told them that P4 processors were worth a fortune per pound on eBay so they were going to sell them that way....It did not take them long to figure out differently.

As Rick from Pawn Stars says "It's not that I don't trust you, but I don't trust anybody." lol

Thats shady. And now they've always cast a level of suspicion! Why not do the research first, and see what things are selling for before you take a jump off the honest path? Sheesh!

**Scrap man** · 01-28-2012, 11:18 AM

First thing I ask (besides location/what they have) is if they're complete or not. If not, I usually take off $.25 for missing drives, PCI cards, RAM, $.50 for power supplies and HDs, and $1 for missing MBs and processors. They usually automatically tell me what condition it's in because they think it matters

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