(1) Buy individual parts, by mail order, or at computer shows, or other sources and put it together yourself.

Advantage: Frequently you can get the best price this way, and get exactly what you want, but you need to have the technical expertise to do it.

Disadvantage: If you don't have the technical expertise to pull this off, you have no one to blame but yourself, and you may never get it working correctly.

(2) Buy a computer mail order from a reliable company like Micon or Gateway

Advantage: You may be able to substitute larger drives or more memory or a larger CRT to get exactly what you want, and still save money over buying it locally.

Disadvantage: If it breaks you may need to ship it back to the manufacturer. Some mail order companies have arrangements with local service outlets to provide warantee service, or they may be willing to cross ship you replacement parts if you have the expertise (or know someone who does) to install them and ship the bad parts back.

(3) Buy a computer from someone local who buys individual parts piecemeal and puts them together in their garage.

Advantage: If they know what they are doing, you may benefit from having the computer configured to your exact requirements, rather than buying a standard product off-the-rack at discount store.

Disadvantage: If you are lucky you may get good support, but since you are probably dealing with just one or two people, you run the risk that they may be sick, or out of town, or busy building systems for others, and not give you good service. They also usually don't carry much inventory, so you may have to wait for them to order in a replacement part when your computer needs fixing.

(4) Buy a pre-packaged computer from a local discount store

Advantage: If the computer is exactly what you need, you may save money, but you usually won't have the ability to configure it to your exact needs.

Disadvantage: Most discount stores usually have one or two fairly experienced people in their tech support department (although there is no guarantee of that), however the sales force on the floor are frequently not very experienced (there are some that know what they are talking about, but they are definitely in the minority), and hence their free advice may not be worth what you are paying for it.

(5) Buy a computer configured to your exact requirements from a local store.

Advantage: Usually the experience level of the sales force in a local computer store is better than that in many discount stores, but there is no guarantee of that, so pick your store wisely, usually buying only from a store where you get more positive comments from friends than negative comments. And buying from a local store gives you some place where you can take the machine back, with out having to mail it in, or worry whether the guy that built it for you is feeling well, or is in town, or is not to busy to help you.

Disadvantage: There are good stores and not-so-good-stores in town, just as there are good mail order outfits and not-so-good mail order outfits. I have heard more good things than bad things about the stores that advertise in the I/O Port, and I have certainly heard more bad things than good things from some of the other stores, so make sure you check a store out before doing business with them.

There may be minor variations with other ways of buying a computer, but most alternatives probably fit in one of the above pigeon-holes, at least until now.

Hand Technologies has just introduced a new twist in computer marketing. Through a technique which in some ways looks like a multi-level marketing plan (because of several levels for commissions: Consultant, Team Developer, Team Manager, Regional Director, and National Director, with special additional commissions for Sponsors and Coaches) anyone can become a Hand Sales Consultant by paying a $100 fee, and then they can go out and begin selling preconfigured IBM Aptiva Computers (or other brands), and various brands of accessories and software. The sales consultant makes a certain commission on the sale (about $170 on the sale of an Aptiva desktop bundled with an inkjet printer), and the sales consultant is expected to provide a couple of hours free training to the purchaser of the machine, but if the purchaser needs additional training he is free to hire the sales consultant to train them on the use of various hardware and software products. Hand Technologies may or may not become as big as Avon or Fuller Brush, but if the sales consultant knows what he is doing technically, and if he is a good salesman, he can make a decent amount of money selling PCs in his spare time. The problem is how many people are both good technically AND good salesmen. Frequently someone good in one area, is not necessarilly good in the other area.

I checked the Hand Technologies prices, and while it was difficult to compare the big machines like the preconfigured Aptivas, because there are so many model numbers, and the ones in the catalog are not the same as the ones Hand uses, most of the software prices I checked were higher than a mail order catalog I had, but probably not higher than many local computer stores, and with Hand you have the advantage of dealing with a local person rather than someone over the phone. Frequently in MLM situations the products are priced two or three times more than comperable products in stores, but I am happy to see that that is not true with Hand Technologies.

For more information see http://www.handtech.com

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