Hey there Sea Changers and welcome back. Today we are going to power up the motherboards as we discuss how to sell computers online. This is an idea that came to me recently when it came time to update my own laptop. I did a lot of research online as I had some specifics that I was interested in in regards to all of the components that I need it to run (multiple monitors, webcams, speakers etc.).
It was then that I realized what a large market this can be if you look at all aspects of computers, their addons, components and uses. So for those of you looking to make money selling computers online, then let's see if this could be worthwhile looking into.
How to sell computers online?
Just so we can be sure that I am not the only person in the world who is buying their computer equipment online, let's make sure there is a market there. It does fit within a number of lucrative target sub niches including the hobby (gamers spend a fortune on their equipment) and professional markets so I am pretty confident, but let's just check anyway…
What are people looking for?
As we continue, let's just confirm our market numbers:
1. Number of monthly searches
As we are looking to see if there is an interest in the purchase of computer equipment online (so we can sell them), our first check is for purchase related searches. You will need to find yourself a good keyword tool (I use Jaaxy) and enter in the keywords that best describe your market. In this case, let's start with the basics:
Just as I suspected – over 165000 searches per month – and in preparation for our niche selection discussions below, we can also see some searches for components and reviews as well. And just for some extra information, there were also 353000 searches for laptops and 33000 odd for desktop computers. Let's now have a look at some of the narrower options starting with components:
Yep, more good numbers – and another good market due to the fact that gamers and IT professionals alike are always looking to update their equipment to keep up with modern software and technology changes. We could probably search within different component areas all day (such as over 5000 monthly searches for computer memory) so let's just finish up with another sub niche search…
Yeah, thought that might be the case – computers and software obviously go hand in hand and with most software manufacturers these days taking their software to online or cloud arrangements, there is a good market for recurring income for upgrades as well.
All in all, those numbers are very good making this a fantastic niche if you were looking to set up an online business around computers. All in all I think we can see that there is a definite opportunity here however just so we have all bases covered, let's check if it is sustainable.
2. Search Trends
Another important aspect of online sales and niche selection is to check that interest is maintained over time. To gain an insight into this let's check out how the searches for a few of our computer related searches are trending online.
Ok, so we can see that interest has been fairly well maintained over the past few years without any real spikes – I would say however that I am quite surprised with the larger number of software searches related to other areas within the computer market but there is certainly enough interest across the niche here to sustain an online business. There is maybe a bit more competition here in regards to the greater use of smartphones and tablets, however there is no reason to expect that computers will not be in use in some capacity for the foreseeable future.
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What is our niche?
Ok, now the fun part begins – in the statistics and screen dumps above we can already see that there is great interest in a vast array of areas within the computer niche. The decision you have now is to determine whether you wish to create your online business covering one of these subjects, or concentrate on another specific area or sub niche. There are a good number of different areas you could explore here – and off the top of my head, some examples include:
- Computers and laptops
- Servers and networks
- Components
- Peripherals
- Software
- Tuition
- Services – data entry etc.
And that is just a few – all of which can be marketed from the point of view of the writer, or simply as a means of supplying information to those looking to purchase. As you start to think about this, the question to ask yourself is whether the content you are looking at is too large to cover effectively. The risk here is that if you start with a niche that is too broad, you may not be able to cover everything to the level required or to become authority on the subject – which you will need to be if you are going to convince people to purchase from you and not their local store. Don't forget, you can always add a new section to your site as you grow as well.
As you work through narrowing your targeted niche, consider the following:
- Are you able to solve a problem – Most people undertake searches on the internet to solve a problem – see next section.
- Is it a subject that you have an interest, or knowledge in– I am guessing that you are in this post as you know about, or have an interest in computers, equipment and/or software. If you don't have any of these, maybe consider another market as to be honest, you might struggle to produce solid content if you don't know much about it – or worse, have no interest in this sort of stuff at all. Trust me, people will know immediately if your information is not up to scratch or can put their ability to complete their required tasks at risk.
Let's investigate this a little further by discussing the problem solving elements of niche selection.
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What problem are we solving?
If there is a niche or sub niche that you are interested in, you may already know what it is that you are trying to sell. If not, then maybe start to look at it from the perspective of solving problems. This, added to your area of interest is a great way to work out exactly what you think you might like to base your online business upon.
Think about your own search behaviours when you are online – I would hazard a guess that most searches you do are in order to solve a problem. Now think of these in a manner in which someone might have problems within computer related niches such as:
- You know that you want to buy a laptop for your child to use at school but don't know which ones are ‘best'.
- You have a problem and need a solution – I.e. “My laptop keeps freezing when I stream videos on YouTube – what can I do?”.
Your goal here is to determine just what problem/s you are trying to solve for your readers. This maybe one problem that spans your site or differ for each post that you write. For example, if you have chosen gaming setups for your niche, then problems might be:
- Matching products to use- They want to know what video card would be best for use in a certain type of laptop for gaming.
- Which to buy – There are a number of gaming monitors on the market – but which is best on a budget?
In these cases, people would be searching for those topics based on having a problem and needing a solution. Your site would outline and review the best options for them.
Alternatively, if your site is about setting up home offices, then you would be addressing problems such as:
- What computers are ‘best' for home office arrangements?
- Should you consider a particular brand of computer etc.?
- How should the computer be set up?
- What peripherals should we be adding?
- Are there particular software programs that should be used?
- How can I ensure that I have the correct licenses for my software?
- What maintenance should be performed once my network is set up?
Note: You do not need to identify every possible problem that your readers may have straight away. In many cases, the more you write, the more ‘problems’ will present themselves so initially you really just want to make sure that there are some that may need solving as we have found here.
How are you going to convince them to buy?
Now that we know our niche (or are at least working on it) and have an idea of the types of problems that we want to solve, there is one last thing to consider which is the online purchase behaviour of your targeted audience.
This means you would need to look who will be looking at your site. The first group that comes to mind are those who want to get the best options they can to meet their kid's schooling needs appropriately. Then there are the avid gamers who are always looking for the latest and greatest products. And of course those who use computer equipment for their livelihoods – they will generally want the best they can get for the best price. Some examples include:
- Those that are purchasing for a specific need (such as for their livelihood) will want to know exactly what they are getting and are happy to pay for it however others may be looking for the same option but at a price a little gentler on the back pocket.
- Hardcore gamers/video editors/streaming buffs etc. will want to know all about the latest options, updates and products available and may dissect your reviews with a fine toothed comb.
- If you are dealing with those just looking for good options to keep their kids schooling requirements up to date then make it as easy as possible to get a decent product for a decent price – give them the information and let them get on with it.
- And finally don't forget those who deal with computer equipment as part of their hobby – they have potentially unlimited buying power as long as they have all the details.
So at the end of the day, even though we do have purchaser behaviour on our side, to be successful in selling computers online, consider the following:
- Solve problems without purchase – That's right – write your posts in a way that actually makes it easier for people to do their research and buy elsewhere – by doing this, you are solving problems and helping readers out. If they trust you, they will be more likely to return next time and buy from you then – especially if you follow up with posts on similar or compatible products or components that might interest them!
- Provide the intangibles – One major disadvantage when it comes to selling anything online is that we can’t really know what the products look and feel like to work with. Whilst this is not as prevalent within this market – I mean most of us don't need to see what a printer cartridge feels like before we buy it – there are some implications when if come to terminology. After all, even harmless words such as ‘fast’ or ‘multi use’ can mean different things to different people. Your posts will need to cover this information in a manner that puts minds at ease and explains some of the intangibles.
- Know your audience – A big mistake many make here is to target the product and not necessarily the buyer. This is especially important when dealing with a budget minded audience. It is very easy for example to get carried away explaining how great a laptop is because it is cheap all the while forgetting that those intending to use it want to attach more than one monitor to it as well. The same goes for high end options… Expensive doesn't always mean better. Make sure you do your research on the buying behaviours of those you are targeting before writing your posts.
Tip: Still not sure? Have a look and see what others are doing. It might just help you with some ideas.
How do we sell computers online?
And then we come to probably the most important aspect of this whole online selling caper in that we need to consider how we are going to sell the products that we have decided to promote. Depending on the product, there are a number of methods you can use to do this. Let's explore them below:
Affiliate marketing
Affiliate marketing is the process of selling products via programs that are setup directly by companies or marketplace platforms (Amazon, Ebay etc.) that allow you to join and then refer traffic to them through customised affiliate links. In short, this means that you will write about your chosen area within the computer niche (in the spirit of solving problems as discussed above) and then refer your readers to a link where they will purchase directly from the vendors. The vendors then pay you a commission for the sale. And trust me – you can even sell smaller items such as USB memory sticks or mouse pads this way too.
Affiliate programs are especially good for those selling computer products online as you can move seamlessly through changes to product and component technologies without needing to sell out of previous stock first. This way you can promote/review the latest products and then refer your readers to the vendor to manage the sale without you having to hold inventory or organise shipping.
Finding affiliate programs is generally not a difficult task either. To locate them, you would normally just type “Affiliate: niche” into your preferred search engine. Below is an example for search results on computer related affiliate programs:
As you can see, there are plenty of options in regards to affiliate programs for computer related niches and as you search through them all, you can check it all out and find programs that:
- Relate to your niche/problems that you are solving.
- Have quality products – your brand can be severely damaged if you promote poor quality or unsafe products.
- Have solid payment and customer service arrangements.
- Pay decent commissions.
- Have good testimonials covering commission payouts and quality of product.
- Whether they have high ticket items you can promote on the side.
In most cases, you will need to apply for the program before you are allowed to promote their products – don’t take this step lightly or you will be rejected. Affiliate programs will generally want to know:
- Your website name.
- Traffic levels.
- Why you want to join – (“so I can make money by selling your webcams online” is unfortunately not generally a good enough answer).
- How you plan to promote their products.
One thing to be aware of here I guess is to keep in mind the issues we discussed earlier in regards to selling computer related products online. You need to make sure that the programs you choose can be trusted and that the consumer is comfortable that they have recourse if something goes wrong. For this reason you will need to make sure that your chosen programs are going to resonate with your readers and your niche. That said, some marketplace programs such as Amazon and EBay can give you access to these types of products and as they are more trusted, then they maybe worth a look as well. Some Amazon examples are as below:
Dropshipping
Dropshipping is something that may be of advantage to you in this niche if you are looking to play with pricing on your products (price can be a big seller in this niche). This process is similar to affiliate marketing in that you are generally promoting the products of others without the need to actually hold any inventory. With affiliate marketing, you are paid a commission on whatever price the vendor sets but do not manage any customer service, sales processes or post sales requirements. The main difference with dropshipping, is that you perform the following (there are a number of variations to this but this is the guist of it):
- Strike a relationship with a wholesaler.
- Promote the product for whatever price you see fit – often via a marketplace site such as Shopify, Amazon or Ebay.
- Manage the sales processes and customer service.
- Send the final order and payment to the wholesaler for packaging and shipping.
The money that you make is effectively the difference between whatever you managed to sell the product for and the wholesale price that you owe the vendor. The other advantages of dropshipping over affiliate marketing is that:
- You own the customer list – which is another means of building an effective email list.
- You control the cost of the product and hence the profit margins.
- You can control when you put things on ‘sale', group them in packages or increase the price for high demand items.
The disadvantages however are the extra workload in handling payment and any ongoing customer service requirements.
To find dropshipping suppliers online, you can enter searches such as “dropship: computers” (or any of the sub-niches we have discussed above) into your favourite search engine:
Note: These results will usually be based on your geographical location.
From here you can search through and find programs that:
- Offer dropshipping services – Not all product suppliers offer dropshipping as a service – this may just mean that you need to organise the shipping yourself after it is delivered to you.
- Have experience and are helpful – If they are not helpful and/or appear inexperienced then you can expect the same when you are trying to process sales.
- Have acceptable fees – most dropshipping wholesalers will charge a small fee for the dropshipping service – just make sure it is not so high that it eats into your profit margins.
- Provide fast shipping – One disadvantage with dropshipping when dealing with vendors is that the customer is yours, not theirs hence sometimes shipping priorities are not where they should be – make sure shipping times are acceptable.
- Have quality products – as with affiliate marketing, don't sell rubbish.
- Have a good name – do your research and see what others are saying about them.
Sell your own
If affiliate marketing or dropshipping are not something you are interested in, maybe you could try sourcing and selling your own products. This process is especially popular within this niche as custom-built PCs or computer networks are an extremely lucrative market. This means that you can source the components from a supplier and then build a PC or laptop (with peripherals, cables etc.) based on the specific needs and requirements of your customer.
Alternatively, you can purchase your products (laptops, printers, cables etc) from a vendor or wholesaler, add your own label and then on-sell them via your website or platforms such as Amazon etc.
This process does usually require higher setup costs as you will need to purchase your products, create and affix your labels and manage orders and shipment.
To find out where to acquire your product/s, you can do an online search such as “supplier: computer” for example:
Note: These results will usually be based on your geographical location so you may at times need to sort through a few pages.
From here you will need to follow the same processes as with affiliate and dropshipping programs in determining whether they are a good fit for your business plans including:
- Relate to your niche/problems that you are solving.
- Have solid delivery and customer service arrangements.
- Have good testimonials covering service and quality of product.
Alternatively, keep your eye out in your local area for exhibitions, swap meets or industry shows. These are a great way to find and purchase your products at good prices – you never know, you might even find a solid supplier for future sales as well.
Tip: This method can be very effective in driving online traffic and sales via the implementation of more traditional sales methods such as kiosks and market stalls etc. As people get to know you, they can purchase from you there and then be directed to your website for future sales.
Other Options
Alternatively, if you have some real skills in this area, then you may be able to look at some other ways to make some good cash online with the world of computers. These can include:
Offer a Service – This is where you perform a task that assists those within this niche such as:
- Demonstrating/Using the equipment or software – either by doing it yourself or teaching others to do it.
- Setup/troubleshooting – many make a great living by troubleshooting and fixing computer related problems for home offices/domestic use (I mean, do you want to deal with the kids when the internet goes down?)
- Manufacture – make or repair stuff using the applicable tools and methods required for example.
These services can be offered in person or demonstrated online via an online course or on YouTube.
Make your own and sell – As we discussed above, if you are more on the handy side, then make your own products and on sell them. This could be absolutely anything such as specialist tools, parts, specialist accessories, consumables or chemical free cleaning solutions for computer screens for example. Items can be made and then sold via a website or marketplace platform such as Amazon or Shopify.
What do we need to do?
Once we have all of the above sorted, or at the very least a plan in place, we need to choose and setup the media that we intend to use to sell our product. This can include:
Build a Website
If you are looking to build your online business as an affiliate marketer, drop shipper or supplier, then chances are you will most probably need a website. Websites allow you to solve problems via blog posts and videos that people can view in order to identify the solutions that they need. Usually, this process is fairly straight forward in that you build your website, write posts (on the differences between certain a PC and a MAC for example), then provide links so that your readers can view/purchase the relevant materials from your links.
That's right! Wealthy Affiliate provided me with all of the tools and training I needed to get this post in front of my audience - a.k.a YOU!
You too can start your very own online business here that can make you money from anywhere in the world!!
Promote on Social Media
When it comes to Computer and equipment, there is probably no more powerful tool than Social media. It has the power to reach thousands and allows you to target specific segments if you choose the correct platform. In terms of computer related products online, a good platform to start with is FaceBook where you can discuss products, components, specifications, accessories and techniques with your audience, display products in use and show videos.
However, if you are looking to set yourself up as an expert within the niche, then programs such as Instagram, YouTube or Pinterest will be your go to option. This is great for visuals such as pictures and/or videos showing you working with or building your chosen equipment as well as using the components/accessories that you are discussing within your posts. And, if you are able to build a following you may even get noticed and be paid gazillions to use certain brand within your pics and videos – this takes time, but it does happen – I mean really… my son watches a channel on YouTube where a kid shows you how to play minecraft – he makes over $10 million per year!!
Join like-minded groups
Anther great tool when it comes to selling products online are social groups. By getting involved with these groups you can really get a great understanding as to what its members are struggling with, what information they seek and what products they are looking to buy. Below is an example of computer related FaceBook groups (there are obviously groups for any sub niche you are interested in):
Note: Results are geographically based. Many of these groups will not allow you to spruike or promote your sites directly, however if you can interact and demonstrate your knowledge then people will ask you directly for the information. At the very least, as above, it is a great way to get ideas and insight into what people in this area really want to know about and what they are buying online.
Conclusion
And there it is – How to make money selling computers online. I hope it has been helpful and as usual, please do not hesitate to comment below if you have any questions, need some advice or have any experiences to share.
Do you want further assistance with any of the above or need help to build your own computer related website?
Are you looking for a comprehensive training platform that can give you step by step training, 24/7 support, tools to develop and host your very own website, ongoing assistance with SEO and social media and access to some of the best affiliate marketing minds on the planet, then click on the following link to read more about Wealthy Affiliate.
Until next time
Have fun
Paul
Note: If you make a purchase from this page, there is a very good chance that I make a commission from it – these commissions do not increase your sale price.
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See you there
Paul
