Used memory, selling it as new.

[Cue]

I have just go my hand on some used laptop memory DDR and DDR2.
I have bean thinking about selling it without telling my customers that it's old but with lifetime (of the computer) warranty.

Is this ...ok?

 

[Cue]

Well a car and memory are totally different, metaphors are not really needed I think.

How does this matter to the customer?

 

[MichianaComputers2]

I have just go my hand on some used laptop memory DDR and DDR2.
I have bean thinking about selling it without telling my customers that it's old but with lifetime (of the computer) warranty.

Is this ...ok?

Are you selling for the same price you would sell new memory?

 

[MichianaComputers2]

Well a car and memory are totally different, metaphors are not really needed I think.

How does this matter to the customer?

Sure blow off the metaphor, but a lie is still a lie. This is a cheating mentality. If you are comfortable cheating your customers then go for it but I would never do that.

 

[PatrickB]

Cue.

No.

Alternative: Tell the customer you can sell them used RAM for a lower price and new RAM for a higher price. Give them the information and let them make the decision. As long as you warranty the used RAM, they will likely choose the lower price.

-- Patrick B.

 

[Mr I]

Simply, just like PatrickB said. Let the customer decide, give them the details and warranty

 

[NYJimbo]

I sell pulls all the time. I tell the customer what that means and most people agree to it, because I will guarantee it for 30 days.

 

[Cue]

True, I can sell for a lower price, but then im just giving them a short warranty like NYJimbo sad.

But as I figure, memory rarely fails.
So the odds something will brake are slim at best and covered by me if they do.

Confusing my customers with old/new warranty/no-warranty just makes everything harder.

I´m not sure.

 

[Davis Computer Services]

True, I can sell for a lower price, but then im just giving them a short warranty like NYJimbo sad.

But as I figure, memory rarely fails.
So the odds something will brake are slim at best and covered by me if they do.

Confusing my customers with old/new warranty/no-warranty just makes everything harder.

I´m not sure.

Then just sell new memory. Don't purposely not tell them the whole truth. This really shouldn't be something you have to ask.

 

[MrUnknown]

if you did sell memory as "new" when it isn't, you can get into serious legal trouble.

if you feel it is worth it, then go ahead.

 

[studiot]

Is this the guy who questioned Microsoft business practice in another thread.

Dastardly unethical sir!

I agree with Jimbo and do much the same, sometimes it is hard to obtain older memory and other parts anyway or perhaps the customer is in a hurry.

Either way they get the goods a bit cheaper and you are relieved of a lengthy guarantee.

Another unethical practice I see some shops perpetrating is to keep the original disk for new end user software or hardware they have installed.

 

[ITMAN]

Simple answer is tell them it is second hand, and i even warranty mine for a year, because it never goes bad, and is cheap to replace, and give them the option

I also test all memory installs BEFORE booting to windows, as i had some dodgy ram cause some very bad results once...

 

[Cue]

Is this the guy who questioned Microsoft business practice in another thread.

Dastardly unethical sir!

Good point, thank you
I do know this is at least borderline, thats why I asked.

I agree with Jimbo and do much the same, sometimes it is hard to obtain older memory and other parts anyway or perhaps the customer is in a hurry.

Either way they get the goods a bit cheaper and you are relieved of a lengthy guarantee.

Another unethical practice I see some shops purpetrating is to keep the original disk for new end user software or hardware they have installed.

I would not like to put those two things in the same category.
I am not steeling something the customer is suppose to get with his buy.

in all reality its not the type, maker or price of the memory that matters.
The only thing that really matters is the speed and that the item in question memory or other lasts the lifetime of the computer.

They get cheep memory, but every time the computer would behave oddly (is "oddly" a word?) they would wrongly blame the memory.

 

[Cue]

Simple answer is tell them it is second hand, and i even warranty mine for a year, because it never goes bad, and is cheap to replace, and give them the option

I also test all memory installs BEFORE booting to windows, as i had some dodgy ram cause some very bad results once...

Good to know, thank you. I always test the memory, but now I know I have to.

What program do you test with?
I use Memtest86+ 2.11

 

[ITMAN]

yep. memtest, and/or the microsoft one, cant remember the name right now

 

[studiot]

in all reality its not the type, maker or price of the memory that matters.
The only thing that really matters is the speed and that the item in question memory or other lasts the lifetime of the computer.

So how would you apply this to other components, say hard drives, modems, graphics cards, NIC etc etc?

I sometimes say to a customer (even commercial ones) your pc is old and only worth £50 working so it is not worth spending say £40 plus fitting on a new power supply or whatever, but I can find a used one for £5, £10, plus fitting. It should last the remaining life of the computer but I will guarantee it for 3 months (or not if it is an unusual part I just happen to have a source of).

This is also quite green as it promotes recycling.

 

[ITMAN]

ACG / Studiot, i ONLY re-use memory, NIC / USB cards and allow clients to buy them cheaperm and i warranty them for 12 months, bugt nothing else, mainly because they have moving parts, but that incudes motherboards and processors

in over 9 years, ive only had 1 nic and 2 sticks of memory go wrong within the year, and the customes were happy that i replaced them

 

[Cue]

I have hard disks and many other computer components old that I use in costumers computers.
But then I tell them about it, but I have not offered any warranty except for a week or so.
Memory is the only thing I can see not telling.

So how would you apply this to other components, say hard drives, modems, graphics cards, NIC etc etc?

I sometimes say to a customer (even commercial ones) your pc is old and only worth £50 working so it is not worth spending say £40 plus fitting on a new power supply or whatever, but I can find a used one for £5, £10, plus fitting. It should last the remaining life of the computer but I will guarantee it for 3 months (or not if it is an unusual part I just happen to have a source of).

This is also quite green as it promotes recycling.

 

[Markus]

If its still in the package from the manufacture its new. If it was in a PC and being used, then its used. Selling used memory as new is a lie, wrong, and false advertising which is illegal in some states. If you are OK with lying to your customers and have a good lawyer then do what you want.

 

[Rider]

There is a difference between selling it as new and not telling them about it. Selling it as new would definitely be wrong in my opinion regardless of the warranty. I buy alot of parts from Dell. When I request a quote for a motherboard I get a quote for a motherboard. They don't "tell" me that it's a quote for a refurbished motherboard but there is a sticker on the board when I get it labeled "Refurbished"

There was a bit of a scandal a few years back where some big box companies were selling computers as new with "pulled" parts. After that they began slapping the "refurbished" label on them. It may even be the law, I don't know.

Not only can't you sell used or pulled RAM as new but you also can't sell a computer as new if it has used or pulled parts in it.

Rider