building/selling pcs legal?

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Fuzeplayer

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Oct 4, 2013
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is it legal to design/build/sell custom gaming computers?
ive designed about 20 computers by myself, and thought i could make a little money buying and selling them? i plan on getting a business liscense, and setting up everything like bank accounts incase someone ries to sue me. is this legal as long as i dont copyright?
 
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ronintexas

ronintexas

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Dec 10, 2012
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It is perfectly legal. Make sure you contact your local government to see what your tax liabilities are for having a home business - I closed my home business in Nevada a few years back because they wanted to tax my home, and all equipment that was utilized in any way for the business....so I folded the business....and now I live in Texas....

Also - make sure to keep personal vs. business money and equipment separate just in case litigation comes up - and it might be wise to look into a LLC or other type of business setup. The laws vary from state to state....so make sure to look into them.

Consulting is the easiest to setup, as you can clearly state where you are purchasing equipment for the builds, and charge a "consulting fee" for designing and assembling the computers.
 
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jrmurph3

jrmurph3

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I can't really see it being a legal issue, but check in with your local laws anyway. Building and selling as a service alone shouldn't bring in any legal issues, but when you have a ton of people feel like they're being cheated out of their money is when it COULD become an issue. Layout any concerns and address them in a contract. Get them to read it and sign if they agree. You could find someone that could notarize these documents for some legal security on your end. This does cost money, but it will help you if someone does try to make a legal issue with you.

Obviously, this information only covers a few possible worries. I'm not sure about a business license, so , again check with your local laws. Also, what I have said is not guaranteed to be correct, however, it is how I would conduct business myself. If am I wrong, please feel free to correct me.
 
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jrmurph3

jrmurph3

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I think it should also be noted that if he uses an OEM version of the OS, the builder is responsible for any technical support with the OS.

Out of curiosity, I called M$ about tech support and since it was an OEM key, they denied me support. YMMV.

 
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Moonsfang

Moonsfang

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Oct 15, 2013
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Yeah they refuse to support it. I tried it once as well even on win7 if its OEM then you better do a system image and recovery CD.
 
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Fuzeplayer

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and i planned on testing the pc for about 1-2 days to make sure everything works,
 
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Fuzeplayer

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yeah, and i planned on testing the pc for 1-2 days to make sure everything was working
 
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Fuzeplayer

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what is the oem version? what does that mean?
 
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jrmurph3

jrmurph3

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OEM means Original Equipment Manufacturer.

Non OEM operating systems are sold with the system preinstalled. OEM operating systems are sold separately, not pre installed with the system.

So you can offer to include an operating system and then charge more to install it and offer 90 days of support after purchase. After that, they're on their own with it.

Or they can go find their own Operating system and you just agreed to build the PC without the OS.
 
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Fuzeplayer

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oh i see, well do you think $50 is a fair price for installing the OS? the pcs i designed are really high end, but for a lower price than what youll find online,
 
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ronintexas

ronintexas

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Depending upon what your "terms of service" are, you can charge up to $500 for configuring a PC, especially if you are going to provide a "labor warranty" on the rig (the manufacturer of the parts will provide the parts warranty - there is no labor warranty unless you provide it).

If you spend several hours configuring the system (i.e. network setup, installing updates, installing additional software, etc), don't be afraid to charge for your time. Typically, a service center will charge anywhere from $35 per hour to $150 per hour for their time in building, upgrading and/or troubleshooting your PC.

If you provide a valuable service to your customers, especially above and beyond what the "big box store" does, people will pay a fair price for it. Don't give your time away for free.....
 
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ssddx

ssddx

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i wouldnt charge seperate to install the OS... just work that into the price and give them a few months of tech support.

or give them the option for a full retail copy of windows if they wanted to talk to indians working for microsoft tech support.

its legal to build pcs and to charge. just make sure its labeled as income on your taxes and that you provide the windows sticker on the machine you build. you might be able to write off some expenses and even part of your workshop as business liabilities.

good luck.
 
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Fuzeplayer

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is it also legall to ship the pc in the case box? or would i have to buy custom boxes and packaging materials?
 
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Fuzeplayer

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what kind of boxes do you think i should get?
 
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