3 ms·

If you don't mind me asking: how did you first build your client-base? And even now, how do people know that you sell those products?

by Pooge 2y ago

ivraatiems 2y ago
I started out with an eBay store, and expanded to Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist. I'd say about 50% of my sales are on eBay, 40% on FBM, and the remaining 10% through Craigslist - but it changes a lot based on time of year and what the product is. Windows XP machines almost exclusively sell through eBay; more expensive machines almost always sell through FBM. Most of my buyers buy one machine and are done, but a substantial subset are return customers. Return business is all about the usual stuff: Reputation, level of service, quality of the product. I have a few "regulars" who have bought 4+ machines from me, usually hobbyists or small business owners with a specific need. Having done this for a couple of years, I also now get return customers semi-frequently who bought something a while ago, like it, remember me, and seek me out again. I don't offer warranties or guarantees on items, but I'm aggressively inexpensive compared to the competition, and I operate on an informal "if I broke it, I fix it" policy. If I told you something was working and then later it breaks, I either fix it, swap it out, or replace the machine. I have a five-star reputation on Facebook Marketplace and 99.6% positive feedback on eBay as a result of this policy, so it works decently well.
- HWR_14 2y ago
  When you say WinXP machines, are you selling them with XP? I thought even the extended support had ended.
  - ivraatiems 2y ago
    Yes, they're sold with XP Delta Edition, which rolls up all the updates that exist into one package and adds some bells and whistles. All my XP product listings have a disclaimer that mentions XP is unsupported and shouldn't be used for everyday computing; I have on occasion had to steer away customers looking for a general-purpose machine to something else. The typical customer who does buy an XP machine is either doing retrogaming, running legacy hardware (industrial control systems and medical equipment are common), or has some other XP-specific need.
    - ofcourseyoudo 2y ago
      mind dropping a link to your eBay page? I'm occasionally in the market for exactly this
      - ivraatiems 2y ago
        I'm sorry - I prefer to remain anonymous on HN. But if you are looking for Windows XP laptops I'm not hard to find.

If you don't mind me asking: how did you first build your client-base? And even now, how do people know that you sell those products?

by Pooge 2y ago

If you don't mind me asking: how did you first build your client-base? And even now, how do people know that you sell those products?

ivraatiems 2y ago

I started out with an eBay store, and expanded to Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist. I'd say about 50% of my sales are on eBay, 40% on FBM, and the remaining 10% through Craigslist - but it changes a lot based on time of year and what the product is. Windows XP machines almost exclusively sell through eBay; more expensive machines almost always sell through FBM. Most of my buyers buy one machine and are done, but a substantial subset are return customers. Return business is all about the usual stuff: Reputation, level of service, quality of the product. I have a few "regulars" who have bought 4+ machines from me, usually hobbyists or small business owners with a specific need. Having done this for a couple of years, I also now get return customers semi-frequently who bought something a while ago, like it, remember me, and seek me out again. I don't offer warranties or guarantees on items, but I'm aggressively inexpensive compared to the competition, and I operate on an informal "if I broke it, I fix it" policy. If I told you something was working and then later it breaks, I either fix it, swap it out, or replace the machine. I have a five-star reputation on Facebook Marketplace and 99.6% positive feedback on eBay as a result of this policy, so it works decently well.

HWR_14 2y ago
When you say WinXP machines, are you selling them with XP? I thought even the extended support had ended.
- ivraatiems 2y ago
  Yes, they're sold with XP Delta Edition, which rolls up all the updates that exist into one package and adds some bells and whistles. All my XP product listings have a disclaimer that mentions XP is unsupported and shouldn't be used for everyday computing; I have on occasion had to steer away customers looking for a general-purpose machine to something else. The typical customer who does buy an XP machine is either doing retrogaming, running legacy hardware (industrial control systems and medical equipment are common), or has some other XP-specific need.
  - ofcourseyoudo 2y ago
    mind dropping a link to your eBay page? I'm occasionally in the market for exactly this
    - ivraatiems 2y ago
      I'm sorry - I prefer to remain anonymous on HN. But if you are looking for Windows XP laptops I'm not hard to find.