Brian Carter was a bit confused by the sales pitch. Eric Bennett smiled and said, “For your assembled PC, is the CPU ‘front-sealed’ or ‘back-sealed’? Boxed or tray?”

The other guy was stunned for a second, then complained, “So you’re in the business too, damn…”

Eric Bennett kept smiling. “Doesn’t matter if we’re in the same business or not. You make a profit on every sale—would you ever complain about too much business? Small profits mean more sales.”

The young man laughed. “That’s true. What’s your name, man? I’m Li, just call me Mr. Thompson.”

Eric Bennett pointed at Brian Carter. “My friend’s got a 5,000 yuan budget. What kind of setup can you offer?”

Mr. Thompson started, “Intel E2160 CPU, the latest genuine one is 630 yuan. There’s also the Intel D915 dual-core, AMD 3800 dual-core, about the same price. Last summer they were still 1,300 or 1,400 each, now they’ve dropped to six or seven hundred. I guarantee they’re all front-sealed, with a three-year after-sales warranty.”

“Do you want a dedicated graphics card or integrated?”

…………

They got to talking—it was all business.

When it comes to building PCs, there’s a lot of murky water. Not to mention whether the front-sealed CPU is taxed and comes with a three-year warranty, or what the quality of tray CPUs is like—just the issue of whether you’re getting a second-hand or refurbished part passed off as new.

The price is six or seven hundred for a CPU, but there’s still a hundred yuan or so of deep water. Last year, the new dual-cores were still 1,300 or 1,400 each.

CPUs pulled from second-hand computers and sold as new is the most common trap in the assembled PC market.

In the era of the internet boom, with countless DIY streamers recommending you build your own, passing off used parts as new is a huge profit.

Eric Bennett followed Mr. Thompson around, talking as they went—from CPUs to memory, graphics cards, hard drives, sound cards, optical drives, monitors, and finally to the case, power cables, mouse, keyboard, and speakers.

At the end, Mr. Thompson complained again, “I’ll make at most three hundred on this deal—not even enough for a toothache.”

“But with this 5,000 yuan setup, I guarantee it’s as good as a 7,000 yuan brand-name PC. Just the CPU in last year’s brand-name model was six or seven hundred more expensive.”

“Do you want it now? Some parts still need to be sourced.”

Before Eric Bennett could say anything, Adam Clark widened his eyes. “You make three hundred on a single deal and you think that’s little? That’s three hundred yuan!”

Mr. Thompson laughed and cursed, “Three-year warranty, man! Is three hundred a lot? If you have any problems later, whether you call for on-site service or bring the machine in, the warranty is free.” “At most, I’ll charge a little for on-site labor.”

Adam Clark, “……”

Brian Carter grinned and offered a cigarette. “Have a smoke, man. Three hundred for three years of after-sales, you’re definitely not making much.”

Mr. Thompson paused, then said again, “Doesn’t matter if it’s Lenovo or Toshiba…”

After listing a few of the latest brand-name PCs and big-name series, he took a drag on his cigarette and complained, “With this 5,000 yuan setup, if you want a big brand for less than 7,000, forget it—don’t even think about it.”

Next came the waiting.

Mr. Thompson went out again to drum up business, while Brian Carter, Adam Clark, and Eric Bennett sat in the shop waiting for the parts to be sourced, checked in, and assembled.

While waiting, Adam Clark took a sip of tea and said enviously, “This money is really easy to make.”

Eric Bennett was speechless. “We still have to check the goods.”

Brian Carter asked curiously, “What’s the difference between front-sealed and back-sealed, boxed and tray CPUs?”

Eric Bennett thought for a moment and explained, “Front-sealed means genuine, imported, with a three-year warranty. Back-sealed is smuggled, gray-market, no warranty. Boxed means it’s a genuine product from the factory, comes with a cooling fan.”

“Tray CPUs are made in the OEM factory, no cooling fan, just the bare CPU. After they leak out, the shop finds its own cooling fan and boxes it up with the CPU—no warranty either.”

“No matter which kind, they’re basically better than second-hand or refurbished goods.”

“There are several main parts to a custom PC, and the price difference for each core component is a few hundred yuan—from CPU to hard drive… There’s a lot to it. If you don’t know the business, it’s normal to get ripped off. But if you use it for two years without problems, that’s normal too.”

This was a brick-and-mortar shop, before laptops, tablets, and smartphones swept the world—the golden age of custom PCs.

Brian Carter half-understood, half in awe. “Looks like having you here is really worth it. Mr. Bennett, have a smoke. As long as it’s as reliable as a 7,000 yuan brand-name PC, I’ll give you 500 instead of the 50 I mentioned before, and treat you to a big meal.”

He was planning to use a budget of over 6,000 yuan to match a 7,000 yuan brand-name PC.

But it turns out 5,000 is enough?

Brian Carter might rely on his family, but aside from letting down his girlfriend, he treats his friends and classmates pretty well.

Eric Bennett glanced at Brian Carter and smiled. “Then I won’t be polite. I’m really short on cash right now—I don’t want to live in a basement.”

“And don’t say I’m ripping off classmates. If I ever have the means to rent in your neighborhood, I’ll definitely help for free if your computer has any problems.”

Brian Carter was delighted. “Deal! I don’t even know how to install the system, just play games. If you can fix things, it’ll be convenient living nearby.”

“I’ll see if any of my friends need this and introduce them to you.”

Eric Bennett, “……”

He didn’t say much more. Having crossed over in a daze and with a system of his own, he decided to lay low for a while and see how things went.

During the waiting period, every time a part arrived at the shop, he would check it himself, inspecting it to guard against second-hand or counterfeit goods.

When it was time for final assembly, Mr. Thompson popped up again, smoking and laughing, “This business, I’m just making a little on the case, speakers, power supply, and keyboard—nothing else, man. I’m counting on you for more sales.”