I live in British Columbia, Canada. I'm looking to build a custom built desktop PC, quite possibly even build & sell them.

I'm wondering where I can find the cheapest computer parts? I'm having a hard time trying to GET parts for them same price as a desktop from the store.

Does anyone know where I can get cheap parts?The only TWO computer hardware stoees I know of in Canada are NCIX and Newegg.ca.
I'm not sure either of them will offer pricing that's low enough to let you build + sell machines at a decent profit margin, but I can't say for sure. Quote from: Calum on August 31, 2010, 12:11:15 PM

The only two computer hardware stoees I know of in Canada are NCIX and Newegg.ca.
I'm not sure either of them will offer pricing that's low enough to let you build + sell machines at a decent profit margin, but I can't say for sure.

NCIX is too pricey, but I could make a profit of about $70-90 per machine (650 dollar PC) by buying from Newegg.ca. Would you say that is a decent profit margin?

Does your " , but I could make a profit of about $70-90 per machine (650 dollar PC)" include an allowance for your "time" to make it? If it does NOT then your just churning money. If it does include the time element then that is a very low profit margin and not one that is going to make you rich.

If you are serious about this idea then you need to do a LOT more research. If you think that one retail source will satisfy the best procurement option for the parts that go into making a computer you are getting off on the wrong foot.You will need to search out the best suppliers for the various components. You will need to establish all the things that are associated with starting a business to avail yourself of all the advantages that that brings.

Unless of course your objective is to only "play" at this. In which case you might want to consider how you are going to deal with the 1st irate buyer of one of your computers  when they have a problem with it ? One's ability to continue in business and prosper is very dependent on customer relations and satisfaction. Me thinks you need to give this venture more thought.truenorth

In Canada: http://www.tigerdirect.ca/

In Canada: http://www.tigerdirect.ca/

I'm not sure what retail chains you have got up there, but in the USA you can go into a Walmart and have several basic PC's, and some decent brands, to chose from for a lot less than you are talking about selling PC's you would build.  They are not top of the line, but they are adequate for most people.

You will never compete with the big companies on price for basic machines.  They can buy parts for half of what you could ever find.  What you need to consider is building custom PC's that offer things you don't get from a retail chain like TV tuners, more memory, extra hard drives, etc.

You could build custom machines to order, charge your cost on parts plus an hourly rate.

For some people, the bigger thing that matters is whether the customer support is local. There are plenty of people who just don't want to wait on hold with customer support for the big name brands. That's where the local shop comes in and says, "Just bring your computer in and talk directly to us." It's a bigger selling point than you realize.

I'm not sure what retail chains you have got up there, but in the USA you can go into a Walmart and have several basic PC's, and some decent brands, to chose from for a lot less than you are talking about selling PC's you would build.  They are not top of the line, but they are adequate for most people.

You will never compete with the big companies on price for basic machines.  They can buy parts for half of what you could ever find.  What you need to consider is building custom PC's that offer things you don't get from a retail chain like TV tuners, more memory, extra hard drives, etc.

You could build custom machines to order, charge your cost on parts plus an hourly rate.

Where do computer shops buy parts from?