Starting up a computer / gaming shop - I have a ton of questions

Quote from sd444 : There is no need for custom built PC's anymore.

That's BS. HTPCs and gaming rigs at the very least. Enterprise operations on top of that.

And there will always be a need for tech-savvy people. When engineers develop a better computer, humans develop a stupider person using them.

Just out of curiosity, what do you plan on charging the person with the $200 computer that you spent 4 hours fixing software problems? $10? $50? $200? You will lose your ass doing repairs, there is NO money in it. And someone needs to run the shop while you are repairing computers. NO ONE with 1/2 a brain is going to pay 50-100% of the value of their computer for it to be fixed. There are slim margins on computer supplies. You will have to keep a HUGE stock to compete with the online places - I suspect you have no where near enough money for $500k worth of stock. This idea is a fantasy. You should open an ice-cream parlor, you have a way higher chance of making money with that.

I also agree that custom built PCs are a waste of time anymore. There is a tiny demand in the teen market (the ones with no money) that want the homemade PC. And they build it themselves.

Why not try teaching basic/intro to computers in the space. use it as a class room. teach basic computer repair. That is a lost art.. charge people for classes? or use them for free labor...

Quote from bonkman : That's BS. HTPCs and gaming rigs at the very least. Enterprise operations on top of that. And there will always be a need for tech-savvy people. When engineers develop a better computer, humans develop a stupider person using them.

It's confirmed that Intel is going BGA (CPU soldered on to the motherboard). What the hell do you envision "building" anymore? You are basically going to be buying a tiny 100% BGA or SoC Intel or AMD desktop.

+

ARM is coming. Quad-core ARM stick/box + USB hard drive = HTPC.

____________________

The future of computing is disposable, non-upgradeable devices. Anyone who can fog a mirror can operate a tablet. The PC is dead.



The PC of the past is dead.
The enthusiast market is dead.
The external GPU for gaming is dead.

Having a business model revolving around the way things used to be isn't a recipe for success.

Quote from jaqnabox : Why not try teaching basic/intro to computers in the space. use it as a class room. teach basic computer repair. That is a lost art.. charge people for classes? or use them for free labor...

A "lost art" implies there was a skill required in operating, using, and repairing computers. Any mouth-breather can operate a tablet today. That same dumbed down interface is going everywhere.


Open up a 3D printing shop?

Quote from dealgate : Just out of curiosity, what do you plan on charging the person with the $200 computer that you spent 4 hours fixing software problems? $10? $50? $200? You will lose your ass doing repairs, there is NO money in it. And someone needs to run the shop while you are repairing computers. NO ONE with 1/2 a brain is going to pay 50-100% of the value of their computer for it to be fixed.

You have no farking clue what you are talking about. People will gladly bring their 5yo system with XP on it to get it repaired for $100. Maybe YOU won't, but there are plenty of people that will. Why? Because $100 to fix what they already have and know, is still cheaper than $200+ for a new system. Duh, there is a reason why BB still offers this service. It is hilarious how farking smart you think you are, but it is obvious you haven't done any homework on this subject. The world of business survives on the fact the average person is dumb, and half the population is dumber than that!

Quote from sd444 : The future of computing is disposable, non-upgradeable devices. Anyone who can fog a mirror can operate a tablet. The PC is dead. The PC of the past is dead. The enthusiast market is dead. The external GPU for gaming is dead.

You stating all this as fact makes you look the fool. Get back to me when you are typing all your posts like this on a tablet.

PCs are far from dead.

Sure, tablets and phablets are the current "big thing", but they aren't a computer replacement yet, and won't be for the near future. Sure, many people might be fine using a tablet if all they do is use Facebook, Twitter, play Angry Birds and send the occasional email, but people who actually have jobs will be using PCs and laptops for many, many more years.

Ever try working on a spreadsheet using a tablet or phone? How about typing a 10+ page report? Or using about a hundred other applications that have no IOS/Android/etc. equivalent.

Sure, tablets and phones will be eliminating *some* of the need for full computers. A lot of people will use them the majority of the time for light web browsing, social media, games, etc., but that doesn't mean they are going to throw away their computer. Anyone who thinks otherwise is sadly mistaken and completely ignorant.

Additionally, as someone else pointed out, people are stupid and many are willing to pay $100+ to fix a 5-year-old computer worth $50 at best. The problem is, most of those people are unlikely to visit a no-name store. They go to places like Best Buy because of the name recognition and marketing.

Don't try to compete with online retailers - you won't win. Don't try to sell "gaming systems", because 99% of the people who would want one are smart enough to build one themselves.

Focus on the people who don't know you're ripping them off. You need to convince the people going to Geek Squad to go to you instead. This means getting your name out and word of mouth references. Offer classes for older people on basic computer use. If you have enough space and time, give the classes for free. Get a good reputation for being a nice person who can fix their computers and they will likely come to you with business.

Unless you get very lucky, you won't be getting any large business accounts. But, if you know networking and other IT related skills, you might be able to get some small business contracts. That can be very profitable.

I too wish you the best of luck OP, but I also don't think you'll be in business in 6-12 months. It's a very hard business to start from the ground up and get profitable. Be creative.

a guy i know works for best buy's phone/online computer repair thingy...basically he sits at home and people from all over the country call him to fix their software issue. he said he wants to start his own version of that seperate from best buy. im not sure if its just a pipe dream or what.

Opening a B&M place is very difficult. Three local B&M video game, computer, customization, repair places have closed within the last year around here. Online is probably the way to go 99% of the time.

Most people buying games are going to go the eBay route if they really want it or if they want a deal they will look on C-list, yard sales, etc. If I want a certain video game I'm not going to call around the local stores looking for it when I can get it on eBay cheaper and if it is a new game available in stores most times I'm going to get it from Amazon or if I really want it in person right then I will go to a big box retailer since it will most likely have a sale.

Comp repairs aren't an easy root either. Most people by comps for a few hundred from walmart and will just get a new one or if they really want to get it fixed will go the Geek Squad (or something similar).

Computer and console customizations just don't seem so popular. I've never seen someone actually pay for one before. I'm sure some do, but I don't think it is much. I have a some lights in my gaming rig, but I definitely wouldn't go somewhere and have paid some guy to toss in some LEDs or some plexiglass windows in.

Obviously I wish you the best of luck but look at B&M places like Best Buy. Closing lots of stores and not doing well. Then also with games there are services like steam, indie games, etc. all gaining momentum.

Open a custom skin/cover/case shop for phones/tablets/laptops and do some repair work on the side.

Quote from travathian : You have no farking clue what you are talking about. People will gladly bring their 5yo system with XP on it to get it repaired for $100. Maybe YOU won't, but there are plenty of people that will. Why? Because $100 to fix what they already have and know, is still cheaper than $200+ for a new system. Duh, there is a reason why BB still offers this service. It is hilarious how farking smart you think you are, but it is obvious you haven't done any homework on this subject. The world of business survives on the fact the average person is dumb, and half the population is dumber than that!

lol - and thank you for making my entire point! For the record, I did NOT pay travathian to post this in support of my belief that this plan will never, EVER work. $100 for 4 hours worth of work will never make you a penny in profit. It is a losing proposition from the gate. BB offers this service because it is a loss leader to bring in business for other services and retail items. My guess is a large majority of systems they service "need" to be upgraded in some way, shape or form that requires a purchase where BB actually may make some profit. And they have an army of pimple-faced teenagers working for minimum wage. Does the OP want to work for minimum wage? I know this is simple math, but it needs to be stated; how many computers can you fix in an 8 hour day if it takes 4 hours per computer to repair them? It is CLEAR, so VERY clear that you have absolutely NO, NONE, ZIP, NADA business sense in ANY form AT ALL! Stick to Halo, I suspect you are very good at it.

If you do decide to go through with this, one product I recommend is cables. Make them yourself if possible. Order cheap wholesale if not. Retail markup on cables is HUGE. Take a smaller cut than the big boys do, which will still be a significant profit margin. Even the enlightened user who knows how cheap they are online will need them occasionally where they can't/won't wait for the shipping.

Quote from SCDoGo : If you do decide to go through with this, one product I recommend is cables. Make them yourself if possible. Order cheap wholesale if not. Retail markup on cables is HUGE. Take a smaller cut than the big boys do, which will still be a significant profit margin. Even the enlightened user who knows how cheap they are online will need them occasionally where they can't/won't wait for the shipping.

Have you ever made your own cables? It takes quite a bit of time (the company I used to work at made custom cables for some of our devices). If you value your time at all, I would recommend buying them wholesale instead of spending an hour on each cable.

Quote from sd444 : It's confirmed that Intel is going BGA (CPU soldered on to the motherboard). What the hell do you envision "building" anymore? You are basically going to be buying a tiny 100% BGA or SoC Intel or AMD desktop. + ARM is coming. Quad-core ARM stick/box + USB hard drive = HTPC. ____________________ The future of computing is disposable, non-upgradeable devices. Anyone who can fog a mirror can operate a tablet. The PC is dead. The PC of the past is dead. The enthusiast market is dead. The external GPU for gaming is dead. Having a business model revolving around the way things used to be isn't a recipe for success.

oh my...they removed one step -- dropping the cpu into the socket.

It's amazing how many barebones systems and motherboards has with the CPU built into the motherboard. You sometimes see them posted here on SD. Most of them are SFF PCs, but so what?