"I can get it cheaper online"

[resolvetech]

If someone want to price shop then let them. I don't worry about profit on products. My margin is on service. Sometimes its just easier for them to buy it themselves. Also, when they add up the bill for the year that product isn't lumped in there on 1099 or in their Quickbooks. It will LOOK like they spent all this money with you but in reality...they didn't.

Thant being said I'm an MSP/Break-Fix consultant without a shop. If I owned a shop I'd mark it up slightly below box stores (which have big margin on cables and what not). For my MSP customers I'll buy it and mark up for my time to spec and/or email them the minimum specs they need to look for and it works out fine. *** What you don't want is them just buying stuff willy nilly because that hardly ever ends well for you or them!

 

[cypress]

Had a situation yesterday with a client. They wanted to setup backup for their home system and also needed a pair of speakers. They wanted a recommendation so they could go out and get it and then have me install it in a future visit. Good client of mine, done some past business with no issues. Gladly guided her to links online and said, order this external hard drive and these speakers. Once you receive them give me a call and I will set them up.

I warranty it for 30 days like the manufacture would. Although I didn't make the markup on the items, I will most definitely make it back on 20 mins of labor it will take to set everything back up.

 

[Vince]

My parts prices are higher than Amazon etc. Those that ask questions and buy their own equipment are in their own boat. I take the bull by the horns and tell them "you could get it cheaper on Amazon but make sure you order the correct part and check that the delivery time is reasonable. When you fit it make sure you do so carefully." There's a reason why they've called you in the first place.

That's what I do too. And if they ask why is my part say £10 more expansive than this of Amazon I tell them the truth:
1. It takes some knowledge and expertise to find and buy the right part for the job
2. Its my time that I invest to research, order, wait for delivery and in the rare occasion when the part will get lost in transit or arrive damaged and defective - it is me who bites the bullet and sorts it out
The above two points should be plenty to help explain why is more expensive from you.
Also if I had your PC dismantled on my bench it is only a day maximum two that I would wait for you to source your own part before I start charging you "bench-rent" fee
Its the same as if you take your car to mechanic to change an engine part and when he quote you a price you tell him - "hold on, I'll find one cheaper on eBay and bring it when I get it..." How long do you think he will keep your car around before he asked you to go and collect your junk especially if it was a small garage with very limited space...

 

[fastremotehelp.com]

I mark everything I sell up around 100% , cables sometimes 1000% which somehow still comes out cheaper than bestbuy or staples ... I don't care about competing it about convenience ... If the customer wants to order something themselves go for it, hell I'll even give a thumbs up or down if they find something, but I won't research anything for them or provide any product recommendations.

It's about the convenience ... I have what you need right now, sitting in my car and I can install it and it's done and over with. If you would like to order the part yourself I'll be happy to head back to my office, we can then setup another appointment for me to come back when you receive the part at my full hourly rate in addition to the hour you are about to pay for.

I get questioned on pricing for items sub $300 MAYBE once a year, and I just order everything like a normal person off amazon with prime.

Oh an also, line items look like this ...

ASUS Router / $200.00 / 1

I agree with the markup, I usually sell cables at full retail Office Depot price, which is like $20 for a 10 foot cat5. Nothing wrong with that. Other than cables, I usually have the customer purchase parts themselves, I am not setup to sell parts. I sell labor.

 

[fencepost]

We mark cables up a bit, but I admit to not being great about tracking them unless they're 14" or longer or if we're setting up a new office where we're going through a bunch setting up switches, etc. Even then, we're charging somewhere between a third and half what it'd cost to go find them locally.

For day-to-day 3-5" cables, I tend to treat them as consumables - if you're paying me the hour+ that I'm onsite working on your systems I don't worry about a $1 cable. Similarly if I'm doing something like replacing VOIP phones and there are cables in the box, if there are already a half dozen spares in the server room I'll toss the box ones into my bag to use next time around.

 

[cypress]

Best place to get cables? Is it still monoprice.com ?

 

[thecomputerguy]

Best place to get cables? Is it still monoprice.com ?

I still get all my cables from amazon as well ... It's not worth it for me to save a dollar or two when amazon is so generous with returns and being able to order and track everything in one place is well worth any extra cost.

The cable vendor I use is called cable matters, most of their stuff is covered under Prime so I get it really quick and it's all been very good quality. Here is their store: http://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters...011&field-lbr_brands_browse-bin=Cable+Matters

 

[thecomputerguy]

We mark cables up a bit, but I admit to not being great about tracking them unless they're 14" or longer or if we're setting up a new office where we're going through a bunch setting up switches, etc. Even then, we're charging somewhere between a third and half what it'd cost to go find them locally.

For day-to-day 3-5" cables, I tend to treat them as consumables - if you're paying me the hour+ that I'm onsite working on your systems I don't worry about a $1 cable. Similarly if I'm doing something like replacing VOIP phones and there are cables in the box, if there are already a half dozen spares in the server room I'll toss the box ones into my bag to use next time around.

Day to day 5 foot Cat5 or Cat6 or USB cables barely cost less than a 14 foot cable. I think you're giving away money ... As a general rule when it comes to cables any USB cable including extension cables are a minimum of $20, and cat cables I charge by the foot for the smaller ones. So 7FT would be $7-$9 ... a 14 footer would be $14-$17 and so on ... it makes it easy to remember and it's still cheaper than what they get at bestbuy and I get to mark it up 5000%

 

[cypress]

I still get all my cables from amazon as well ... It's not worth it for me to save a dollar or two when amazon is so generous with returns and being able to order and track everything in one place is well worth any extra cost.

The cable vendor I use is called cable matters, most of their stuff is covered under Prime so I get it really quick and it's all been very good quality. Here is their store: http://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters...011&field-lbr_brands_browse-bin=Cable+Matters

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