How do I start a business that resells computers?

By Ramon Ray

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

I'm thinking of starting a small business through the reselling of Apple computers. Do I talk to Apple about it? I need some help starting this up.
There's two ways:

You can register as a reseller with any number of PC vendors (Dell, HP, Lenovo, and others) and start selling computers to customers online and/or from a retail location. Make sure you register with your local Department of State so you can not pay sales tax when you buy the PC's from the vendors.

Selling computers is not hard but it's a tough business as margins are low. It's best to also sell services along with the computers. Services such as network installation, email setup, and other things. You can even sell 3rd party services that others maintain but you simply sell or provide the lead for, such as a hosted email security service.

Ramon Ray,
Editor & Technology Evangelist,
Smallbiztechnology.com
Wavy Line

Ramon Ray is editor of SmallBizTechnology.com and author of Technology Solutions for Growing Businesses.

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