How to Make Money Buying & Selling Computers on Craigslist

Here are some of my tips on making money buying and selling computers on Craigslist and also on eBay. First of all there is no easy get rich quick scheme, it takes a lot of work and some time. You should know a little something about computers as well but it was stuff that I easily learned by searching Google.

1. First things first start searching Craigslist for cheap computers and parts. Primarily search for people that are getting rid of their parts collections.
2. Put ads in the wanted section for computer parts.
3. Put an ad in the barter section for computers as well. I would make sure I had a list of things to barter.
4. When buying computer parts especially older parts don't pay more than a $1 per part unless there are some know good parts like fast cpu's or big memory sticks. My rule of thumb is not to pay more than what stuff goes for on eBay or Pricewatch.com. There were many times that I was able to buy large lots of parts for about $50. 
5. Now that you have lots of parts separate your parts. This is important becasue some parts are worth more individually on eBay than they are on a computer system.
6. If an item is bad don't trash it. There are usually local computer recyclers that will pay you per pound for your computer scrap. When gold was up I got as much as $4.50 a pound for motherboards. One MB weighs about 1.5 pounds so do the math. Even bad memory and video cards get you about $2.00 a pound depending on gold prices.
7. Some items are worth more in scrap value like older ceramic CPU's and anything coated in a lot of gold like old Pentium Pro CPU's. I sold fours of those old CPU's on eBay for $175.00, four gold coated processors!
8. I would only build computer systems with motherboards that have a 533mhz bus speed or faster. On occasion I would build a 400mhz system but only if it had a fast processor and lots of memory.
9. When I got a good system, I would install one of the many Linux operating system on it for free. There is no sense in installing older Windows operating system illegally. My Linux operating system of choice is Linux Mint.
10. I would sell most systems for around $50 to $100 depending on how many goodies it had and how big the hard drive was.
11. Always keep your scrap metals as well. I went to the scrap yard every few months and got around $50 for the old computer cases and aluminum parts I would separate out myself.
12. When I was done selling computers I made good money and learned a lot about building desktop computers.

Ubuntu Studio 11.04

I just recently downloaded and installed Ubuntu Studio 11.04 and I am really impressed in the software and how well the operating system runs. I think it runs very fast on my Pentium 4 machines. I have some learning to do on all the the free creative software that is available for it. Here are some pictures of the new build.

3.0ghz HT with Ubuntu Studio

3.0ghz HT, new MSI mobo and Ubuntu Studio

Ubuntu Studio 11.04 Screen Shot

Rules for Buying a Used Computer on Craigslist

I have been teaching myself how to build computers for the past 8 months now and I have been learning quite a bit. I read as much as I can about the theory and operation of computer hardware and then I get to actually go and build computers form spare and refurbished parts. I also check out Craigslist a lot for cheap desktops and it kills me at what I find for sale on Craigslist.

I need to remind myself that most people are not in touch with reality when they go to sell their computer that they paid $750 for over 10 years ago. Most people don't know that Pentium 4 computers are not worth $200 unless they have a new $150 video card in them. Computers and their parts have dropped significantly in the past 5 years and it is no longer necessary to buy a basic computer for $750 anymore. Here are some guidelines on prices that are worth paying for older computers.


Pentium 4 Computers:

• Do not buy anything lower than a Pentium 4, 2.4GHz computer. Actually that means do not buy any computer that has a lower Passmark.com CPU rating of 300. Even with a decent video card performance on sites like YouTube will be less than desirable.
• I would only pay $50 for a P4 tower only if I saw it running, it has a 40GB or larger hard drive, and it has at least 512mb of ram.
• If you happen to get come across a P4, 3.0GHz or higher you can pay a little more for those but nothing over $75 unless it comes with a graphics card of 128mb or higher.

Pentium Duo or Dual Cores:

• There are a few dual core Pentiums that Intel came out with. There are Pentium D's, Dual Core's and Core 2 Duo's.
• These are all pretty good processors but don't over pay only because they are dual cores. Always check current CPU prices and system prices on http://www.pricewatch.com. That is where I get all of my current prices on what to pay and what not to pay.
• Always check the performance of every CPU you plan on buying used or not at http://www.passmark.com.

AMD Athlon XP's:

• These are older processors but don't write them off quite yet. Athlon XP 1800+ and larger are still capable of getting on the internet when using a Linux operating system.
• I have an Athlon XP 1700+ & 1800+ running with Linux Mint just fine, not the fastest, but definitely capable on the internet.

AMD Athlon 64's:

• I like the AMD Athlon 64 processors. I have built a 3500 and two 3800 machines and these when combined with a good graphics card are capable of playing 3D games like Nexuiz and Assault Cube.

AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core:

• I have one of these as well, a x2 3800 and it runs as fast as my $1,000 Dell. I built the X2 3800 for about $80 with an ok graphics card. I could use an upgrade there.

AMD Athlon II X3:

• This is a fast processor, faster than anything my internet connection can throw my way.
• I have the X3 450 that is rated at 2802, yes that is almost 4 times faster than the fastest P4.
• I built my X3 system with kick ass graphics card for $220.

In summary I would only go to Craigslist to buy a cheap machine that you plan on upgrading yourself. It is worth it to me to get a nice looking desktop and get a case, usable hard drive, and power supply for $40. Buy yourself a nice CPU motherboard combo and some memory and you could have a really nice desktop for $100.

The Desktop Is Not Dead

I have heard a lot and read a lot of articles that say the desktop is dead. I am here to say that is a lie! I am sure many retailers and big buisness want you to think the desktop is dead but there are many good reason to have one still as your main computer. I myself still prefer the feel and use of a full size keyboard and large computer screen. I feel the laptop and smart phone are nice to have but to really enjoy computer work one must have a nice desktop. High powered desktops are not just for the gamer. They are really great for doing high end graphics and CAD design.

The desktop is the only system that you can heavily customize based on your application. You can build yourself anything from a low cost internet machine to a high end 3D gaming rig that will blow you away. You cannot do that with your laptop, smartphone, or tablet. I think that is how future corporations want things to be. The desktop will still enjoy everyday use in most companies, schools, and other institutions so I don't think we have anything to worry about. Stay tuned for more of my posts and updated pages that will show you how to build your own affordable computers.