Parts inventory?

[Boyd]

I was just wondering...

For those of you who are like me, and base your business out of your home, what kind of inventory do you keep for parts?

My way of thinking is that it makes sense to keep my inventory to an absolute minimum, with the exception of the most commonly needed types. Ordering parts on an "as needed" basis. Everything else that would be considered "inventory" is probably second hand stuff.

Which leads to another question... how often do you use second-hand hardware to repair or upgrade your client's issues/needs?

 

[Phishie]

For the most part, I only order/purchase parts on an as-needed basis. If I were doing a lot more business I'd consider keeping a couple of extra memory sticks and a 350W PSU. A spare mouse and keyboard are also not bad ideas.

And yes, right now my inventory consists of three old computers that customers no longer wanted lol. I am thinking of rebuilding them later and donating them to charity.

I've heard of people using second hand parts to replace bad parts. I've also heard that as long as the customer understands what they are getting and you offer a very very deep discount and some kind of money back guarantee, they are happy.

 

[acs]

just carry a keyboard and mouse and a few flash drives. Most spares I can get next day delivery if needs be. Also have a good second hand PSU which I use to test any mother boards whos PSU might have blown and might have caused other problems.

 

[dcstek]

Ok Boyd... I keep the items to a minimum but must always have some inventory. I do a lot of on-site work and so I always have a couple of power supplies, RAM, security software, a wireless router, 4 or 8 port switch.

It always surprises me how much I can sell if I just have it with me!!

Dean

 

[ClickRight]

I always try and keep the following on hand for on-site jobs:

1x 512MB DDR RAM
1x 1GB DDR2 RAM
1x 1GB DDR2 SODIMM RAM
1x Spare power supply (for testing only)

At the office I sometimes have more RAM, and a couple 400W PSUs (which I bring if it sounds like a power supply issue.)

I find I can go through the memory pretty quickly if I have it with me, but the PSUs don't go very fast, luckily they don't really go down in value.

 

[mh348]

I also work from home and do on-site. I keep PSU's, Motherboards, RAM (ddr400&ddr2), Keyboards, Mouse, 1 or 2 dvd writers, 8 Port Switches, Network Cards, Internal Modems, All different types of cables (sata, ide, sata power converters, power cables, usb).

If you do on-site work for business clients you need to have parts in stock, as you need to get the system back online in the shortest time possible. For parts that I don't have in stock I'll order from my suppliers & get it the next day or if its urgent I'll just buy it at a local store, even If I have to Pay more, just to keep the client happy.