Ron said:
I have been a small time computer reseller for the past 14 years. In
the current market the vast majority of buyers have 3 major concerns
about the computer they buy - price, price, and price.
So in order to compete the computer manufacturers will opt for the
methods and configurations that are the least expensive to produce and
also to provide warranty support for. That way they can offer lower
prices.
Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
Ron
I am in the same boat. I'm in a small town (smaller than Duncan) and closer
to the big smoke. I ran a couple of stores for 20 years here and in another
small town. About 5 years ago I sold everything off and went to just doing
support and consulting. I gave up trying to compete on hardware sales as it
seemed that price was the main consideration of most buyers and I couldn't
bring myself to sell the cheap crap they wanted to buy. Over the last year
my customers have forced me back into hardware sales. They were begging me
to make them good systems. I use top quality components, charge a decent
markup (double what I used to charge), and don't budge on pricing. Most of
my sales are repeat customers or word of mouth. Some people will pay for
quality you just have to find them. At first it was mostly business
customers but now I'm selling a few very high end game machines each month
as well. The market is starting to change.
Kerry
