**The Art and Science of Buying and Selling PCs: Tips from a Seasoned Enthusiast**

When it comes to buying or selling PCs, there are many factors to consider. One of the most important things to determine is the value and care that was taken when building the PC in the first place. The level of quality and attention to detail can greatly impact the overall aesthetic appeal of the build. A well-built PC with proper thermals and overclocking can command a premium price, while a hastily assembled machine may be worth significantly less.

For sellers, it's essential to make their PCs look as good as possible. This includes paying attention to aesthetics, ensuring that all components are properly installed and configured, and including detailed documentation of the build process. A seller who takes pride in their work will likely ask for higher prices for their creations, while a haphazardly assembled machine may fetch a lower price due to its lackluster appearance.

When buying or selling PCs, it's crucial to assess the quality of the build by trying to get as personal and familiar with the seller as possible. This includes meeting in person, asking questions about the PC's specifications and configuration, and taking note of any potential red flags. A reputable seller who has built their machine from scratch will likely have a proven track record of delivering high-quality PCs, making them more trustworthy than those who rely on pre-assembled parts or claim to be expert builders without backing it up with evidence.

Another critical aspect of buying and selling PCs is price negotiation. It's not uncommon for buyers to lowball sellers in an attempt to get a better deal, while the seller may try to charge an inflated price for their creation. In reality, both parties have equal power in the transaction, as the buyer wants to maximize their savings and the seller aims to make a profit. However, this dynamic can be fraught with risk, particularly when dealing with online transactions.

To minimize the risks associated with buying or selling PCs, it's essential to exercise caution and do your due diligence. This includes meeting potential sellers in public places, taking note of any red flags, and being mindful of scams that may arise from online marketplaces like Craigslist. By doing so, buyers can ensure a smooth transaction and protect themselves against potential pitfalls.

For those looking to buy or sell PCs, it's also worth noting the importance of cash transactions and face-to-face interactions. While online marketplaces have their advantages, they also carry risks that can be mitigated by taking a more personal approach. By building relationships with sellers and buyers, we can create a safer and more trustworthy community for PC enthusiasts to connect and trade.

**The Author's Perspective**

As someone who has been buying and selling PCs for an extended period, I've developed a set of guidelines that have proven invaluable in navigating the process. From assessing the quality of a build to negotiating prices with sellers, these tips have helped me avoid common pitfalls and ensure successful transactions.

Whether you're a seasoned enthusiast or a newcomer to the world of PC buying and selling, it's essential to keep an open mind and be willing to adapt your approach as needed. By doing so, we can create a more informed and connected community that values quality, transparency, and mutual respect in all our interactions.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enHey what's going on everyone another Personal Finance how-to video here and we're gonna talk about buying  and selling pcs on a used market site like Craigslist or Facebook marketplace let go what  have you all the sites are great for buying and selling it used PCs PC components in this video  I'm going to hopefully make you feel a little more comfortable about either buying or selling  I have points for both buyers and sellers on here and I also have a couple tips for  both buyers and sellers to end the video so if you learn something that's great if you don't  maybe just a refresher to make it a little more comfortable about the process that's what this  video essentially seeks to do so we're gonna start first with sellers and then move on to buyersnow full disclosure upfront I have been buying and selling pieces in Craigslist for several  years now I do dabble an eBay every now and then but I prefer Craigslist cuz it's personal  I don't recommend you deal online on Craigslist without meeting a person in person so if you  want to ship a product to somebody who lives in a totally different state and just kind of wing  it with Craigslist I don't recommend you do that there's no buyer seller protection like there is  on eBay so it's just kind of you know walk in the draw whoever you deal with on the buyer or  seller side so yeah stick to sites like eBay for that but Craigslist is more personal they  contested components you know it's all good fair trade and I get to meet a lot of cool  people who want and share the same passions that I do in the industry so it's a good experience  I recommend you do it if you want to dabble in kind of thing but it's actually how I finance  a channel again because I was basically buying parts myself with my own money and then cycling  that money through inventory I'm building with those parts reviewing those parts selling those  parts or full-on builds with the parts that I purchased and then taking that money again  throwing it back into new inventory and I was especially useful when I didn't have company  contacts basically companies now send me pretty much whatever I want as long as it's not really  really expensive I don't have to pay anything for it now I don't sell those components on the  market I find that to be really distasteful and unethical there's nothing saying that we can't  do that but it's just not a good practice it just I don't know it just casts a really dim light on  a channel like this so we don't do it here now if we do Pacelle anything it's something that  we bought out of our own pocket and that's pretty much where it stays so I've got experience in this  in this realm I guess you should say and that's why I feel comfortable making this video I have  a whole I read playlist that's basically littered with Craigslist videos because I feel comfortable  enough labeling you know certain products with certain prices we'll talk about pricing strategies  in a second so disclaimer out of the way we're going to start with selling tips and a point one  is to price your PC at a slightly higher value than the lowest price at which you'd be willing  to part with your build or component now what I mean by that is this if you have a product let's  say that's worth five hundred bucks in your mind and you wouldn't take a single dime less than five  hundred bucks you shouldn't just throw it up on Craigslist four or five hundred dollars people are  gonna haggle with you look buyers want to buy the product at the lowest price possible sellers want  to sell the product at the highest price possible so you gotta find the middle ground that's what  bargaining is for it's a beautiful thing and I really I really don't want you guys to get  the wrong impression here but I'm gonna be pretty cutthroat and and ruthless on both sides here look  the seller should never price something at the lowest price possible always ask more than you  think your products are worth base price right so if you have a gtx 1070 let's say and you see  that on ebay and other sites those are going for between 400 and 500 dollars and you know graphics  for a market where prices are pretty inflated right now that would make enough sense at least  to it maybe entertained some buyers it would not make any sense at all to price the card at 300  bucks unless you want like an instant sale because you could get so much more money out of that card  you want to be as greedy as possible your seller right you want to get as much money as possible  that is perfectly normal okay it's it's not a sin to want more money for a product if you can  get it from somebody it's not like you're taking advantage of anybody the buyer is agreeing out of  his or her own free will to purchase a product at that price you're not manipulating anybody  it's a fair transaction and that's why the seller should price a component higher than the minimum  value that that person will be willing to take for the product because you might be able to  get more money for it there's nothing wrong with that the buyer sees value in that price you've  labeled it at and boom you've made a few extra bucks go and buy something else contribute to  society in some other way now the second tip for sellers is cash is king do not trust any buyer  who says that he will send you money via PayPal or Western Union which is the classic Craigslist  scam if you've tried to sell anything on Craig's you know the Western Union scam don't fall for  that garbage don't fall for any email that just seems super fishy out of the ordinary only trust  people who are willing to meet you in person in a public place and who are willing to pay  you in cash don't trust checks because they can cancel checks and don't heed don't dabble with I  wouldn't dabble with anything other than cash personally I wouldn't do cashier's checks bank  notes I just wouldn't touch it because there are usually ways to get around those you know you can  cancel checks while they're in the transition phase right of being processed maybe someone  writes you a check and they don't have any money in their checking account then you're stuck paying  the bouncing fee you know so sticking with real cash check it in the sunlight if you want make  sure it's real if it's USD you guys what to look for in the big Bill's and that's it you're gonna  have the peace of mind that you have real cash for your real product and you don't have any  fear of being conned by somebody who doesn't actually have money in his or her account or  by somebody who is literally trying to steal the product from you tip 3 for sellers don't be an  I'm being 100% dead serious about this don't be this guy right here okay don't be him  don't try to bully people into buying your product at whatever you think the price of the product is  or products for selling a whole bundle of items it's just not it's just distasteful you're gonna  turn off buyers you're not gonna make a sale any if you do it I don't know I mean I really  hope nobody buys what you're trying to sell them if you're willing to be an look there are  plenty of fish in the sea buyers have the power of choice you have more than one product usually  on a used market to choose from and if one seller is being an move on to the next guy who's  gonna be more than happy to sell you a product at said price it's just not worth your time to  deal with people who want to give you crap just because they don't agree with either your initial  offer or your preference for a PC build now moving on to buying tips we have three of those for you  guys as well starting with the first tip price of the parts of a PC building question individually  so I expect the seller will have a breakdown at every part included in the build you can use that  to your advantage you can go on the used market elsewhere eBay other craigslist ads and you can  break down those used price offers just kind of see what the use market is for that component in  question and then you can compare it to the new market for the same products and you can  do a little Delta comparison right so if a new PC is selling for twenty five hundred dollars  and someone on the US market is selling it for 2,300 dollars you have to ask yourself if the  extra two hundred dollars spent on the new build justifies the added peace of mind having a new PC  build versus trusting someone who built it you know maybe six months ago it's basically a tug  of war between spending more money and not having as much risk versus spending less money and having  more risk and the degree of risk there depends ultimately on the Builder and just how stressed  the components were for however long the PC has been in existence that right how long it's been  built and used so what I try to do is look at the seller and question try to see if that person is  familiar with pcs in general I look at the quality of the build cable management all that's why Iowa  cable management in the Craigslist videos you guys sometimes Harbor me for that likely web management  doesn't determine the price but for me it does it determines for me the the value and the care and  the time taken to build the PC in the first place and that can affect a lot of things it can affect  thermals it can affect just you know the overall aesthetic appeal of the build and if your build  looks good it's probably gonna sell if it looks like trash and it's probably not gonna sell and  that's just because people like things that look pretty that's a natural thing and that's why I  recommend sellers make their pcs look as good as possible especially if you have the audacity to  ask outrageous prices for your builds on sites like Craigslist and that basically covers tip  to assess the quality of the build you know try your best to get as personal familiar with the  seller as possible without getting weird try to see if they're just kind of winging these  PC built if they've been doing it for a long time that's always a good sign there you know  it's pretty routine at this point then you know that they probably did everything right they have  their fan curves and overclocks all adjusted and accounted for and things aren't running super hot  right to the point where you're questioning the longevity of the component in question now tip 3  is don't be afraid to lowball and this is another area where I'm just gonna say up front it's gonna  sound super weird and super harsh to you when you hear some of the things I'm gonna say here but it  is perfectly fine and acceptable for a buyer to lowball a seller it's there's nothing illegal  about it I don't think there's anything ethically wrong about it because the seller is putting a  value on a product and the buyer is putting the same value on the product now the buyer could be  trying to rip off the seller but you know what the seller could do the same thing so in my view both  the buyer and the seller have equal power here because it is again in a transaction of sorts and  both the buyer and seller have to agree the buyer is just trying to maximize his right saved money  he's trying to save as much money as possible and so paying a product the seller is trying  to do the opposite trying to make as much money and still get rid of the product so those are the  tips I have for both buyers and sellers look you guys might not agree with all of them you might  not agree with any of them frankly but these are the ones that I operate by whenever I'm buying  or selling something deal with cash make sure that you do your due diligence as if you're a  buyer meeting the public place try to get familiar with the seller and and/or buyer as possible just  because you want to minimize the risk you want to keep that peace of mind elevated because trust  me there's nothing worse than getting scammed out of something you spend a lot of money on and it's  very easy to to do it's very easy to be scammed online especially if you're not actually meeting  the person you're just receiving something via mail we have this video right here to prove that  right with eBay but eBay a virus protection with Craigslist you don't so be especially  careful there and look don't be afraid to do it you know if you're of age and you think that you  can trust yourself and your own instincts and your own investigation processes then just start small  work your way up get familiar with the market the used pcs use components and I guarantee you you'll  have a fun time all right Greg time to or wrap if you guys like this video let us know begin  this one a thumbs up we appreciate a thumbs down for the opposite click rate subscribe when you  have no - stay tuned for more content like this is a science studio thanks for learning with us\n"