Is the demand there?

[TomX]

Hey,

I'm saving for a new computer and to increase the rate of increase in my funds I am thinking of doing a bit of E-Bay trading. I am thinking of buying a bulk load of 50 computers with monitors. Now I know you may be thinking how can he afford 50 computers if he cannot afford 1, but as you've probably guessed the bulk 50 computers are of low standard:

~16MB RAM
~250MHz Processor
~4GB HDD

I bought a computer like this recently and it allows me to learn, without distractions, linux from the bottom up (well not entirely the bottom).

So assuming I bought 50 crap computers and installed a distribution (say Slackware) do you reckon there would be any demand for computers like these on E-Bay.

I would also supply the PC with instructions on how to format, reinstall, a free e-book I downloaded (obviously with permission from the author) along with any CDs and Floppys which may be of use (i.e. installation disks).

So, what do you think?

If 50 bulk computers cost £200, I could sell each crap computer for £10 and still make a lot, but the problem is, how long would it take to sell 50?

Thanks in Advance
Tom

[borromini]

A whole lot of time... And mostly hardware or linux enthousiasts would buy them. And generally, they know their way around. I think it's gonna take an awfully long time.

[oz]

Maybe there's a way you could try the idea out with a lesser number of computers just to see how it would go.

If you do this, you'd need to make it very clear in your eBay ad there's no support included, unless of course you intend to include support. If support is included, you can probably expect to hear repeatedly from at least 48 of the 50 computer buyers because they will run into issues. Failure to provide the expected help could cause your feedback score to bottom out.

I don't know... perhaps I'm wrong, but then again maybe I'm right. This is why a lesser number of machines might be a good idea for starting out.

Just my thoughts on it. Good luck, no matter how you go with it!

[oz]

Just to add to my above post... if it were me, I'd probably install Ubuntu, Mandriva, or Fedora on them rather than Slackware. Not because it I think they are better than Slack, but because the buyer would more easily obtain any needed help/support. I would actually prefer Slack if it were me buying one.

Again - good luck with your project!

[borromini]

Just to add to my above post... if it were me, I'd probably install Ubuntu, Mandriva, or Fedora on them rather than Slackware. Not because it I think they are better than Slack, but because the buyer would more easily obtain any needed help/support. I would actually prefer Slack if it were me buying one.

Again - good luck with your project!

With 16 MB of RAM and a 250 Mhz pre-PII CPU? Than Slackware's definitely faster...

[TomX]

A whole lot of time... And mostly hardware or linux enthousiasts would buy them. And generally, they know their way around. I think it's gonna take an awfully long time.

That's a good point, most people who are interested in Linux already have it.

This occured to me when I wanted to learn Linux, I wasn't allowed to install Linux on my main computer (though I since have, with permission), I would have loved to have a cheap computer with Linux pre-installed with instructions (step-by-step) how to format and reinstall.

Maybe there's a way you could try the idea out with a lesser number of computers just to see how it would go.

If you do this, you'd need to make it very clear in your eBay ad there's no support included, unless of course you intend to include support. If support is included, you can probably expect to hear repeatedly from at least 48 of the 50 computer buyers because they will run into issues. Failure to provide the expected help could cause your feedback score to bottom out.

I don't know... perhaps I'm wrong, but then again maybe I'm right. This is why a lesser number of machines might be a good idea for starting out.

Just my thoughts on it. Good luck, no matter how you go with it! Cool Smile

Yeah, there is a great chance this could easily fail because there aren't that many people who want to learn Linux and if they do, I doubt they're willing to learn it exclusively on command line.

Good suggestion about doing it in lower quanitities but with lower quantities I doubt I'd break even, I'd have to find a good balance between profit and security.

Support would not be offered since I'm nowhere near competent enough to be able to deal with them, the best I could do is include a bunch of tutorials/books on a supplementary CD, along with links to various Linux forums, though I'd feel guilty since there would be a huge increase in the number of newbies amongst boards, which I assume is a bad thing.

Just to add to my above post... if it were me, I'd probably install Ubuntu, Mandriva, or Fedora on them rather than Slackware. Not because it I think they are better than Slack, but because the buyer would more easily obtain any needed help/support. I would actually prefer Slack if it were me buying one.

Like the most recent post says, Slackware will most likely be faster on low-end computers, there is nice book on Slackware too which will be able to answer a lot of questions.

With 16 MB of RAM and a 250 Mhz pre-PII CPU? Than Slackware's definitely faster...

Aye.

[oz]

oops... I missed the specs - yep, better go with Slack!