Used memory, selling it as new.

[Emockler]

I remember paying $250 for a 4 meg stick, at a show. the guy tested it right at the table. It was definitely used, and I wondered a little if he had a source for "bad" ram, and had enough sleight of hand to play 3 card monty with it.

I tend to give away my pulls. I really don't refer to ram as "new" or "used" to customers, but speed, ecc, fits, doesn't fit, fits but doesn't work in ur machine are more common descriptions. If it tests ok, I see it as equivalent to new, I wouldn't think twice about using it myself. The valid point I saw above is why implant doubt into your customers mind by calling it used? Don't label it "new", don't label it "used" label it "ram" with the specs and sell it for what you want. You can tell used ram by looking at the contacts anyway...
If you give it away, you will probably get back more than it's value in referrals.

Say you bought some ram last year, put it in your system, used it for 1 year. Took it out. Sold it as "new". you would be losing money. The crap I have in a box and couldn't GIVE away cost a fortune.

 

[MrUnknown]

I went into Radio Shack and purchased a Soldering Iron. When I got home, the item in the box was used and then returned to Radio Shack. I, as a customer, assumed that an item I paid for was new because I was not told otherwise. I didn't tell myself that I should have asked or made sure in the store that it was new, I took it back and told the manager that he has poor business practices. In this same trip, they sold me a KVM that was also purchased and returned to the store.

(Side Note: the soldering iron was defective with dried up solder on the tip, the barrel (?) got glowing red hot when I plugged it in. The KVM worked perfectly, but I paid for a new item. I have no idea why the previous owner brought it back, and I had no intention on finding out.)

It may be great business practice (from a profit standpoint) to just sell "RAM", not used or new RAM, but RAM, but if I was a customer of yours and found out that I paid for a used component without being informed, you would have lost me as a customer. I don't shop at that Radio Shack anymore either, I drive further away to another one.

 

[PatrickB]

Now there's a concept that would destroy trust: "What a customer doesn't know won't hurt them".

Business relationships are based upon trust. Without trust, you have no ongoing customers - just hit and run customers. Make the most money you can out of those customers since you will end up spending lots of your time trying to find new ones instead of enjoying repeat customers and referrals for years to come.

-- Patrick B.

 

[Cue]

This is all true.

But you would have no way of knowing if you have new, old or used memory.

Memory is special that way.

 

[studiot]

But you would have no way of knowing if you have new, old or used memory.

Well actually memory reports its serial number which is traceable by the manufacturers.
This measure was originally one of those introduced whne memory was horrendously expensive and thieves used to break into premises, just to steal the memory.

In any dispute about progeny, the police would have access to these records.

 

[MrUnknown]

But you would have no way of knowing if you have new, old or used memory.

a regular end-user wouldn't, this is what they call "taking advantage of"

using their ignorance for your gain.

i've sold used memory with no issues to my clients. Most of the time I get that memory for free from old/dead systems and I usually make off of it how much I would get from the markup on new RAM. So I don't really benefit from it either way, but the client can save some money.

If you really want to point a user to used RAM, just raise your retail price of new RAM so they won't choose it. Inform them that RAM almost never dies and that you warrant it. While I don't personally think this is a much better solution, I think it is better than not telling your client what they are actually getting.

 

[Kenhelms]

Did this thread seriously just happen?

wow.

You should have known the answer without even asking. Not to be arrogant, but seriously dude, you should take atleast a 3 day course on business ethics.

If you are reusing old hard drives, I hope you are securely wiping them.
Because here is what will happen otherwise:

Customer gets used hard drive, it fails.
Customer needs data recovery, data is recovered.
Customer finds naked pictures/bankdata/etc from old owner of hard drive.

Lawsuit happens.
You go broke, in personal and business assets.
Only place that will hire you is geek squad.

Edit- What are you going to do if you reuse a old hard drive, and the previous owner had child porn on it, then data is recovered by a firm for the new client and they find it? Even the accusation of that RUINS peoples lives....
Are you really ok to do that just to save a few bucks. Imagine if you told them, it was new....

Out of respect for the previous owners, you do not reuse hard drives.

 

[iptech]

Passing off anything second-hand as is illegal. Just because you can doesn't mean you should.

I sold some used DDR RAM this evening, it was sold as used but guaranteed to be fully working. He got RAM at half the high street price and I got a new customer who will refer my services elsewhere.

Everybody likes a win-win!

 

[NYJimbo]

The crap I have in a box and couldn't GIVE away cost a fortune.

Ain't that the truth. I remember buying 128mg PC-100 sticks for something like $99, now I throw them away when I find them in my storage.

 

[ITG Tech]

If you are seriously asking this question, I am certainly glad that I am not one of your customers, what else are you pushing as new? Most customers would never know, but you should know... better.

Is it me, or have there been a lot of post lately from people that appear not to have learned ethical behavior, or something? Perhaps this forum has been confused with a lawyer's forum or something. If it is wrong then don't do it.

 

[Cue]

Woa, high horse there, you should get of before barking at me.

As I say in a previous post, I sell lots of old stuff, MEMORY IS THE ONLY item I am considering not telling my clients is old.

If you are seriously asking this question, I am certainly glad that I am not one of your customers, what else are you pushing as new? Most customers would never know, but you should know... better.

Is it me, or have there been a lot of post lately from people that appear not to have learned ethical behavior, or something? Perhaps this forum has been confused with a lawyer's forum or something. If it is wrong then don't do it.

 

[iptech]

Woa, high horse there, you should get of before barking at me.

As I say in a previous post, I sell lots of old stuff, MEMORY IS THE ONLY item I am considering not telling my clients is old.

Why?

Why not just be honest and decent in your dealings with your customers, are you that desperate for a few extra króna? What you are proposing is out-and-out illegal and it will cost you dearly when you get caught.

 

[Cue]

No, im not that desperate for the extra króna.
Then I would just have done this, no questions asked.

I feel that memory is different.
When buying new you want to the the item in question new? what is new?
Or you mean unused?

Or you just need it to last the lifetime of the computer, and do not care about other things?
And thats what im thinking.

 

[ITMAN]

I think we need to end this...

My stance, and i guess SOME others, is sell second hand ram, but tell the client it is second hand and give them the choice, and also sell it MUCH cheaper than new Ram

Warranty is your choice, but I am happy to offer a year (once i have tested the memory in the clients machine first)

peace

 

[iptech]

No, im not that desperate for the extra króna.
Then I would just have done this, no questions asked.

I feel that memory is different.
When buying new you want to the the item in question new? what is new?
Or you mean unused?

Or you just need it to last the lifetime of the computer, and do not care about other things?
And thats what im thinking.

I sold some SECOND-HAND RAM to a customer last night, he was happy to buy it as such as it saved him money and I was happy to assure him that it would be every bit as reliable as new RAM, I would never sell it as new though. Even though I sold it at a second-hand price (i.e lower than high-street retail price) it was still more than I could by the same RAM new from one of my suppliers.

I can't see why you cannot do the same, it's a win-win situation and your integrity remains intact. Once you start on the slippery slope of lying to, and effectively stealing from your customers your business will suffer and most probably will inevitably fail.

 

[Cue]

I can't see why you cannot do the same, it's a win-win situation and your integrity remains intact. Once you start on the slippery slope of lying to, and effectively stealing from your customers your business will suffer and most probably will inevitably fail.

I have decided to do so (inform the client about it being used).
But I still like to discuss it.

For me, this is not that simple.
Memory is the component in a computer that is most unlikely to fail.
It almost never happens.

But why should I spend the time explaining that to the client when I know it and he's going to get the memory cheaper then normal.
He would just be happy with the price.

 

[iptech]

For me, this is not that simple.
Memory is the component in a computer that is most unlikely to fail.
It almost never happens.

I think most of us here accept that second-hand RAM is unlikely to fail, but it is not new and therefore cannot legally be sold as new. I would be more than happy to use second-hand ram in one of my systems - my netbook has some installed, but I would not be at all happy if I bought new RAM at new prices from one of my suppliers only to find out it was second-hand.

It's not about the functionality of used components, it's about the ethics of accepted practice. As a businessman and technician I can't see why this is leaning you towards compromising your ethics. Looking at this from the outside - I ask if you're prepared to cheat here, where else in your business are you cheating?

 

[Cue]

I think most of us here accept that second-hand RAM is unlikely to fail, but it is not new and therefore cannot legally be sold as new. I would be more than happy to use second-hand ram in one of my systems - my netbook has some installed, but I would not be at all happy if I bought new RAM at new prices from one of my suppliers only to find out it was second-hand.

It's not about the functionality of used components, it's about the ethics of accepted practice. As a businessman and technician I can't see why this is leaning you towards compromising your ethics. Looking at this from the outside - I ask if you're prepared to cheat here, where else in your business are you cheating?

But why are you not as happy?

The memory is second hand, an item can stay in storage for 5 years and still be sold as new.

A small crime does not lead to big crime, unless your on that path.
I will not go out and steel a car after 3 years when I have worked myself up that high.
Give the human species more credit.

 

[Cue]

Moral issues aside - you get caught and, depending on how far the customer pushes it, you might end up out of business. It's not worth it for the money involved.

That is another issue with memory.
There is no way to catch this particular crime.

All of you might have bought used memory and you will never know.

 

[Kenhelms]

There is no way to catch this particular crime.

All of you might have bought used memory and you will never know.

So you accept that it is a crime. but one that "cant be caught. what about the other crimes that can not be caught? like putting a used CPU, etc. in?

I'm the last guy to get up on a soap box or high horse, but what you are talking about is plain ole deceptive practices, and the kind of thing that we brand pizza techs with. If you do honestly do this, or am planning on it, and this wasnt just a hypothetical discussion...I hope you get caught for this. In our country we have laws to protect against this kind of thing.

And yes most of us WOULD know. Try and sell ram without a original box, or sell it with a OEM box and the ram has scars on the contact areas and we know its used.

What you are talking about is the same thing that thousands of mechanics have gotten in trouble for, putting used ECMs and Engines in as new, they get caught all the time, watch dateline. Its just as illegal for them as it would be for you.

When I take my car to a mechanic and he tells me that the controller unit went out, and that it is 1,500k brand new or 500 used, yea I go with the used and warrantied.

but this whole thread hasnt done anything for you at all, because I have a feeling that it isnt about whether its used or new, its about the profit margin, you just wanted to see what the general consensus was on it and whether it was morally acceptable.