Stock what to carry
- Thread starter n3rdism
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robert152
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Like crgky127 said, stock the stuff that is replaced/upgraded/needed most often.
Hard Drives:
Laptop and Desktop Drives in both IDE and SATA flavors.
You just need a few IDE. Stock what your competitors are stocking or what computers are coming with these days (500GB SATA is pretty standard these days).
RAM:
Most computers you touch (right now) will probably still have DDR2 memory. Keep DDR2 in stock for both desktop and laptops. Get some DDR3, and DDR if you think you'll need it.
Power Supplies:
Some basic 400W-500W power supplies are always a good thing to have.
Video Cards:
Just some cheap, run of the mill, GPU's are fine. Get a PCI/AGP/PCI-E card and you will be good.
Optical Drives:
Grab just a couple SATA dvd burners.
Peripherals:
Keyboards/Mice/Thumb Drives. I would recommend Logitech products.
AV Product:
This is a great upsale and a necessity on any computer. The particular flavor is up to you.
Hopefully this helps a bit.
Hard Drives:
Laptop and Desktop Drives in both IDE and SATA flavors.
You just need a few IDE. Stock what your competitors are stocking or what computers are coming with these days (500GB SATA is pretty standard these days).
RAM:
Most computers you touch (right now) will probably still have DDR2 memory. Keep DDR2 in stock for both desktop and laptops. Get some DDR3, and DDR if you think you'll need it.
Power Supplies:
Some basic 400W-500W power supplies are always a good thing to have.
Video Cards:
Just some cheap, run of the mill, GPU's are fine. Get a PCI/AGP/PCI-E card and you will be good.
Optical Drives:
Grab just a couple SATA dvd burners.
Peripherals:
Keyboards/Mice/Thumb Drives. I would recommend Logitech products.
AV Product:
This is a great upsale and a necessity on any computer. The particular flavor is up to you.
Hopefully this helps a bit.
RichmondTech
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Wow, I'm glad I don't lug all that stuff around. I carry 2 sticks each of desktop DDR, laptop DDR, desktop DDR2, and laptop DDR2 memory and 3-5 copies of AV. Anything else in my duffel bag is just random parts that I've come across, but I don't stock anything more than what my duffel bag can hold. That rule helps keep my costs down on stuff that doesn't move quickly anyway and makes it easy to empty my vehicle.
robert152
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Only reason I wrote a small laundry list, is because he said he was looking for what to stock in his store. The stuff I listed was the stuff that is often bad and need of replacement.
andcorptech
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Thats easy to say if you dont have a shop. I carry approx 10000 worth of stock at any given time, but what it comprises of varies. Mostly compoments , monitors, printers , csbles and cases. It may sound like a "cost" but in reality it makes you money. People simply wont wait to "get it in" nowdays.
RichmondTech
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ahahaha I f'd that one up. Totally didn't see the shop part. My bad. You got it right chief.
Tony_Scarpelli
Rest In Peace Tony
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For years I carried nothing. I could tell from the phone call what I needed. However after getting the store and having the inventory anyway and getting really busy, I decided it saves me time to have all the parts with me.
I basically carry enough supply to build one or two complete computers on site. I do not intend to build computers on site but I know I have at least one of every device that I am likely to run across.
More than once or twice I have sold a complete new system at someones home because mom or dad thought it great to watch or have their son watch me build a system. If I am in no hurry to get somewhere else I would offer to show them or their son how to build a pc....they get bragging rights that they built a pc in their home. Just another closing tool.
1 or 2 basic cases;
1 each intel or amd cpu retail with cpu fan;
1 each intel or amd mobo;
ddr3 and
sometimes ddr2 and ddr1 ram;.
it changes but at least one ide drive (often used),
1-2 ea ide/ sata HD drive,
same with dvd-R ide/sata;
ps2 and usb mouse and keyboard,
a few cables Cat 5 in diff lengths,
USB and db9 data cable for monitors,
surge protectors (my biggest add-on sale is surge protectors, I sell a dozen a month at a good margin),
sometimes I even carry a UPS,
I used to carry one each of video, sound, network cards but now I carry usb nics; usb sound and If I carry video cards they are used ones I have left around the shop. I have at least 2 or 3 power supplies, cpu fans, case fans as that is what I seem to replace the most. Lately I've been carrying USB drives and external HD's to upsell.
I have a large plastic tote I keep all this stuff in my trunk except the computer case. When I take my van, the tote protects the gear from prying eyes although the boxes of cases are a bit obvious to anyone who has built a pc particularly with my advertising on my van.
Some of my clients are 50 miles away and it is nice to go without having to run to the shop for parts or have to come back to repair a system. After doing it awhile I feel naked if I go on a call without my parts box.
You can do out calls without all this stuff but it really does allow you a great up sell opportunity when you have it with you and you tell them they need a faster 7200 rpm drive for that old E-machine or HP, or more ram, or Surge protector, or a thermal treatment with goop, new cpu fan, case fans. People really love it when you give them the full boat booty on their system.
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Rob
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What's really worked well for us is generic ink cartridges. I'd recommend looking up Adscroll in Australia, they stock a brand called Tonny. Its cheap but not all complete trash. They also stock cheapy mice & keyboards, cables and adapters.
At every IT ship I worked before starting my own business there was a room or area full o unused stock that was outdated.
Trying to avoid that we never really stock anything other than cables, DVD drives and a video card or two. I do bot want to invest in product that will just eventually collect dust.
Trying to avoid that we never really stock anything other than cables, DVD drives and a video card or two. I do bot want to invest in product that will just eventually collect dust.
Rob
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Outdated stock is a risk and a pain in the butt, but ebay is definitely your friend when it comes to offloading stuff that hasn't moved.
Tony_Scarpelli
Rest In Peace Tony
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- Wichita, Kansas U.S.A.
I think a rough rule of thumb is not to carry more than you are likely to sell within 120 days. That limits falling cpu/ram prices or stale inventory losses.
Actually I find that when I have inventory out in the van while I am on calls, I up sell a great deal. I probably increase profits 10x what I can possibly loose by van carrying the inventory losses from falling prices.
It might not be immediately obvious, but we are not equipped to understand our loss of profit opportunity, by not carrying some inventory.
I guess I am advocating this because for years I didn't do this but when I finally did, I saw an increase in my average ticket sales and profit per customer.
TenYardFight
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Tony, do you mind sharing which surge protected you stock and sell?
I decided to just stick to carrying a couple of grands worth of stock.
I got:
- Powershield UPS / Powerboards
- Ram ddr 2 / ddr3 so dimm and dimm
- Hard drives sata , 2.5 , 3.5
- Windows 7 home premium
- cases
- psu
- mice / keyboards
- antivirus
- graphics card
I got:
- Powershield UPS / Powerboards
- Ram ddr 2 / ddr3 so dimm and dimm
- Hard drives sata , 2.5 , 3.5
- Windows 7 home premium
- cases
- psu
- mice / keyboards
- antivirus
- graphics card
Tony_Scarpelli
Rest In Peace Tony
- Reaction score
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- Wichita, Kansas U.S.A.
Here is an article on same;
http://reviewsurgeprotector.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-computer-surge-protectors.html
I sell what I can make the most on. I have carried and sold Tripplite; APC; belken; asend and other brands I can't remember.
I often buy them on sale at wal-mart and whatever I pay for them I double the price or more. I probably average selling them for $29 and I have bought them as cheaply as $3-7.
I like 300 joules per outlet or more but much more is a waste of money; I also prefer about 330 clamping volts (the voltage when they clamp down).
Customers love it. It makes me money and everyone is happy, even walmart. I have not had success ordering them from my suppliers for cost and shipping makes them too expensive. Walmart, Sams club, Price club, BJ's clubs and the same are a good source. Used to get them cheap at officemax/depo but they have gone up in prices lately.
Some will want to argue that more Joules is better. If you get a direct hit, nothing is going to help you so that is a false sense of security. You want to block 90-95% of the power fluctuation and spikes which I believe that 300 per outlet or 2400 for 8 plugs.
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NorCal Internet
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Not a direct answer to the OP, but one thing I've done in the past is keep the boxes from product we've used to build PC's, or boxes that other stuff has come in. Use those to "Stock the shelves", or put on display.
It makes it look like you have a larger inventory than you have, you can still order anything that someone wants, and if you get broken into and they are going for that $400 video card you have on the shelf, they get an empty box.
The main reason is the atmosphere it creates. Lots of cool PC stuff on display, with nothing out in expense.
It makes it look like you have a larger inventory than you have, you can still order anything that someone wants, and if you get broken into and they are going for that $400 video card you have on the shelf, they get an empty box.
The main reason is the atmosphere it creates. Lots of cool PC stuff on display, with nothing out in expense.
Tony_Scarpelli
Rest In Peace Tony
- Reaction score
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- Location
- Wichita, Kansas U.S.A.
I'm sorry I misread your original post. I thought you wanted to know what to carry in your car/van. However the same rule applies. 3 months supply of what you expect to sell.
I began this way: What was I buying and ordering or running to the store to get every day or every other day? What did I need in my break fix business?
I was going through PSU's the most so I buy them by the tens. I get 10 of the major one I use a 450w ide/sata atx and then a few 550w and a few 650w and one 860w. I do not carry much for gamers as they go online to buy at my cost and they are a big waste of your time unless you think the 1-2% profit they will allow you is what you want.
AT $9 for ide, $11 for sata 450w it doesn't cost a lot to have 15 psu's.
After power supplies I noticed I needed cat 5 cables pre made, hard drives in different sizes (used to be a big difference from small medium and large drives), CD's (no longer carry them), CD/DVD combos (no longer carry them either), DVD drives.
I carry only enough of everything else to build 6-10 custom computers. If someone upgrades or I need for a repair any of ram, hd's, dvd's and such then I pull from my custom build inventory. I hardly ever don't have the part in stock.
In the beginning I bought enough to build 1-3 pc's at a time (for inventory). If I got a sale for 2 pc's then I would order 4, 2 for the client and 2 for inventory. Since I markup my pc's 100% that was an easy way to fund the inventory build up in my shop. If I sold two $699 pc's then the cost to build four of them is the same as the sales price for 2.
If every time you sell a new system you buy enough parts to build 2 more you will grow your inventory. Once you get to enough inventory that you can build and deliver 6 pc's that is probably enough inventory to carry in most situations. now I sit down about once a month to make an inventory purchase.
This leads into a whole nother topic......do you use an inventory program?
No I do not. I tried QB's and spent so much time keeping it accurate that I gave up. My business is only 10% sales of inventory so I really don't want to make the effort to put in bar code scanners and reconciling inventory balances every month.
