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Phoenix32 · 06-19-2008, 08:40 AM

Matt, in a lot of cases though, they are not even offering the prices of the hard disks. I am sure this one will go higher than it is at the very end, a lot higher probably, but who knows. And I bet not for what it is worth.

I do get really great prices sometimes, but then other times I get jacked. It all balances out to an average for the most part. I don't reveal my prices often, but to give an example back for you, let's try this very server I have listed.

Snap 4400 - $275 after shipping etc.
4 x Seagate 400GB drives - $280
1 GB stick of Reg ECC Memory - $45
eBay selling fees and PayPal fee - Aprox $50 when done

Thats $650. Before, I had a starting price of $777 (buy-it-now of $877), and I usually end up paying about $15 more for the shipping than I charge them, counting in the shipping supplies etc. So in the end, I would make from between $117 to $217.

HOLY CRAP Phoenix! $117 to $217 profit, you charge way too much.

Now, lets take an average of 8 to 10 hours of my time going through each unit 100% running diagnostics and testing it top to bottom. And this DOES NOT count the many hours it takes testing the memory and the hard disks (another 20 hours or so). I have to monitor and babysit those tests as well as swap stuff in and out, but mostly the computer does that work, so I didn't count it. However, in the end, I have around 10 to 12 hours of my actual work time invested in each unit. Oh yeah, and let's not forget I give a 30 day warranty, so my butt is on the line with each unit for 30 days. Suddenly that $117 to $217 is sounding pretty cheap, and it is by far most of the time closer to the $117 than to the $217.

Oh yeah, and this also does not count any parts that need replaced (which are hard to find) when some things test out bad and require parts and more of my time.

No, I can't possibly understand why I might get that deer-in-the-headlights look on my face when my best offers for the unit are $300 to $400.

I could be wrong Matt, but I would guess that by the end of the auction, I will have lost money, not counting my time. It will probably go for less than I have invested in it. I hope I am wrong, but we shall see.

My profit is even a little smaller on the 4500's, but at least the business/corp buyers don't give me a hard time or give me unrealistic offers. People might get mad at me here for saying this, but now I am starting to see why Adaptec discourages home end-users and wants to drive them away and stick with the corp users.

Now here is the part that really sucks Matt. When I quit doing these, there will be more of the cheaper units available and most of them not in great shape and with various problems. Then the real crying will begin. "I bought such and such on eBay from so and so and it doesn't work right. Can you help me get it running?" And if it is beyond the simple do this and do that which we try to post here on the forum, they come to me asking how much to fix it and get upset when I tell them I get more than 25 cents and hour. For me, being a professional hardware dude, it seems I end up having to work on it or repair it (by proxy) one way or the other. I think this partially explains why I don't get involved much in the Snap 4100/4000 stuff anymore.

We shall see Matt, we shall see. But I bet I eat it.

06-19-2008, 08:40 AM	#6
Phoenix32 Thermophile Join Date: May 2006 Location: Yakima, WA Posts: 1,282	Re: Frustrated with 4400's Matt, in a lot of cases though, they are not even offering the prices of the hard disks. I am sure this one will go higher than it is at the very end, a lot higher probably, but who knows. And I bet not for what it is worth. I do get really great prices sometimes, but then other times I get jacked. It all balances out to an average for the most part. I don't reveal my prices often, but to give an example back for you, let's try this very server I have listed. Snap 4400 - $275 after shipping etc. 4 x Seagate 400GB drives - $280 1 GB stick of Reg ECC Memory - $45 eBay selling fees and PayPal fee - Aprox $50 when done Thats $650. Before, I had a starting price of $777 (buy-it-now of $877), and I usually end up paying about $15 more for the shipping than I charge them, counting in the shipping supplies etc. So in the end, I would make from between $117 to $217. HOLY CRAP Phoenix! $117 to $217 profit, you charge way too much. Now, lets take an average of 8 to 10 hours of my time going through each unit 100% running diagnostics and testing it top to bottom. And this DOES NOT count the many hours it takes testing the memory and the hard disks (another 20 hours or so). I have to monitor and babysit those tests as well as swap stuff in and out, but mostly the computer does that work, so I didn't count it. However, in the end, I have around 10 to 12 hours of my actual work time invested in each unit. Oh yeah, and let's not forget I give a 30 day warranty, so my butt is on the line with each unit for 30 days. Suddenly that $117 to $217 is sounding pretty cheap, and it is by far most of the time closer to the $117 than to the $217. Oh yeah, and this also does not count any parts that need replaced (which are hard to find) when some things test out bad and require parts and more of my time. No, I can't possibly understand why I might get that deer-in-the-headlights look on my face when my best offers for the unit are $300 to $400. I could be wrong Matt, but I would guess that by the end of the auction, I will have lost money, not counting my time. It will probably go for less than I have invested in it. I hope I am wrong, but we shall see. My profit is even a little smaller on the 4500's, but at least the business/corp buyers don't give me a hard time or give me unrealistic offers. People might get mad at me here for saying this, but now I am starting to see why Adaptec discourages home end-users and wants to drive them away and stick with the corp users. Now here is the part that really sucks Matt. When I quit doing these, there will be more of the cheaper units available and most of them not in great shape and with various problems. Then the real crying will begin. "I bought such and such on eBay from so and so and it doesn't work right. Can you help me get it running?" And if it is beyond the simple do this and do that which we try to post here on the forum, they come to me asking how much to fix it and get upset when I tell them I get more than 25 cents and hour. For me, being a professional hardware dude, it seems I end up having to work on it or repair it (by proxy) one way or the other. I think this partially explains why I don't get involved much in the Snap 4100/4000 stuff anymore. We shall see Matt, we shall see. But I bet I eat it.