Making Extra Money via Computer and IT Auctions
If you live in a major city, your in luck. Nearly every week in every major city there will be regular auctions for computer and IT related goods. Many people who have a good understanding of computers and IT equipment/office equipment will purchase used equipment at these auctions to refurbish and on sell.
The equipment at auction comes from larger corporate companies, and also government departments, who are regularly replacing and updating equipment. In many cases PC terminals and laptops are leased from a major manufacturer, like Dell for example, and when the units reach a certain age they are removed from service and replaced with the latest model. These old units are then sent to public auction. Items at auction also come from department closures, company liquidations or simply surplus inventory.
If you go for a drive around the major business and office districts of your area and imagine just how many computers are in these buildings and that they often get replaced you can soon imagine how much stuff there is being auctioned off.
There can often be over 1000 different lots at any auction including laptops, PC’s, monitors, servers, printers, copiers, phone systems and just about anything IT related that could be found in an office or corporate environment. Prices are only a fraction of new replacement cost.
Most auction houses allow testing of the equipment on the day prior, or on the morning of the auction. Most auction houses will also provide an indication of the units serviceability but you need to inspect every item you bid on to establish its value.
Laptops are normally sold as individual lots but in the case of PC’s and monitors they are often sold in bulk lots of 5. A simple rule of thumb is that low value items are often bulked together whereas high value items are usually always sold individually.
Regular buyers at these auctions will take their purchases back to their base and carry out any further tests, repairs, software installation and cleaning prior to sale. Many of the items bought at these auctions will be sold via places like ebay, local newspaper classifieds or the Trading Post.
Many buyers report that the margin on selling used laptops is very low, particularly when buying bulk lots and one unit is found to be unserviceable, missing components or damaged in some way.
Occasionally buyers report of picking up special purpose IT equipment that would have cost many thousands of dollars when new, for not much more than pocket change. Some of this equipment has a limited market for resale though, but IT geeks may find some unusual toys for little outlay.
Many small business operators will also visit these auctions to buy needed office equipment at part of its new cost. Many individuals also visit the auctions to buy items for their own needs.
Where to find IT and Computer Auctions
You can check via our own auction search engine to find specific items, or keep a close eye on the auction section of your local newspapers, particularly the Saturday editions. Also check our auction centre listings for auction centres in your state.
