How To Sell A Gaming PC

Although plenty of gamers are out there, buying and selling gaming PCs is still a niche market. A hardcore gaming PC isn’t something a person can stroll into Walmart and buy for a few hundred bucks. It’s also not something someone wants to sell at a weekend yard sale, so how do people sell their top-of-the-line systems without losing money?

When selling a gaming PC, the first several essential steps happen long before any listing goes up online. The following are the things that owners need to do to get a PC ready to sell:

1. Clean the PC internally 

Cleaning computer parts.

Owners should never sell laptops or personal computers with files, data, and private information left on them. The same applies to all electronics, whether phones, smart TVs, or old-school DVD players

Even sellers who purchase PCs to flip them should be responsible and wipe the drives clean before reselling them in case the previous owner forgot to do so.

Here are some key points of things to prepare: 

  • Deleting or transferring files via File Explorer does not eliminate personal information or wipe a computer.
  • Uninstalling programs from a computer doesn’t eliminate the user accounts associated with those programs.
  • “Deleting” items from a PC doesn’t necessarily make those files irretrievable.
  • You can thoroughly wipe a PC by properly using the System Restore function under the Start and Settings menus.
  • Everything should be backed up beforehand because this function will completely wipe the machine, leaving it as clean as a new computer.

Once the computer is clean of all programs and information, it’s time for the next step.

2. Clean the PC externally

The next step also involves cleaning. You never want to try to sell an ugly, dusty, cobwebby PC. It’ll significantly detract from the PC’s overall value, assuming anyone even chooses to look at it.

That’s why a thorough cleaning of the physical machine is also necessary. 

You should spray everything with canned air, wipe down the case, monitor (if you’re selling it along with the PC), and any other external parts included in the listing.

Blowing out the inside of the case is also recommended. 

Furthermore, a few relatively inexpensive modifications can make your gaming PC more attractive to buyers and more likely to sell. 

For example, adding a few simple LED lights to the case will make the photos and listings so much more attractive to buyers. These kits usually aren’t that expensive, and they’re easy to install.

3. Find the right marketplace

As I said, buying and selling gaming PCs isn’t a mainstream market. Sometimes, sellers get lucky and can sell their systems to friends, relatives, or acquaintances with similar interests in the gaming communities they frequent. But, unfortunately, that’s not always the case.

That’s why finding the right place to sell a gaming PC or parts is so important. eBay is a natural choice.

It’s one of the largest markets for buying and selling directly between individual customers and sellers. However, it’s not the only place to sell them.

Other popular places for listing gaming PCs include:

For owners selling individual components or parts, these are also good options. Additionally, these sellers may want to check out one of the many Information Technology Asset Disposition (ITAD) companies online. I’ll talk about this in more detail later in the article.

4. Create the listing

You need to create eye-catching listings to get more traffic and potential buyers. They can’t have dull, hard-to-read listings with one or two shabby photos.

Creating the perfect listing is crucial to selling a PC (or PC parts). 

5. Take lots of high-quality, well-lit photos from different angles

It would help if you thought of your listings as dating profiles. As much as people say they want people with good personalities, they frequently pass by profiles with unattractive or missing pictures. The same is true for buying merchandise online.

So, any good listing starts with plenty of well-lit, attractive photos.

When it comes to pictures, more is always better. Buyers can always stop looking at the pictures if sellers have taken too many.

Most of the time, though, people will happily look through every last picture before deciding whether or not to buy something.

The main picture should showcase the whole setup (or at least 90% of it if it’s too large to fit in a single photo) in a way that shows as many of the bells and whistles as possible.

Whatever the most impressive features of the PC are, those need to be in the main picture. That’s the one that catches buyers’ eyes. 

If applicable, the photo should highlight the cool RGB lights, the multi-colored thumbscrews, and the lighted cables. Additional photos should show the PC from different angles, feature close-ups of some of the smaller components and extra features, and point out any flaws.

You should also be honest and include photos of any less-than-perfect aspects of your gaming PC.

This way, you’ll reduce the number of return requests you’ll get from buyers claiming, “There wasn’t any mention of a crack in the case!” 

Here are a few other things to remember about pictures:

  • The area around the PC should be clean; there’s nothing more unattractive than a seller’s photo that includes nasty backgrounds with dirty dishes and cat hair stuck to blankets.
  • The lighting should be good, and the PC should be highlighted.
  • The background should be solid but not the same color as the PC.
  • You should avoid taking pictures around mirrors; that can be embarrassing for underwear-clad sellers who accidentally get themselves in their photos.
  • If photographing glass-fronted cases, you should take photos at an angle to reduce the glare or open the case.

6. Craft a detailed headline

Whether eBay or Facebook, online marketplaces usually put a cap on the number of characters you can use in your headlines. Even so, you should make use of every one of those characters! 

Headlines like “Gaming PC” or “Custom PC” might catch someone’s attention if they’re specifically looking for that item and if a nice picture accompanies the headline.

However, buyers are likelier to click on something more descriptive, such as “i7 Custom Built Gaming Desktop w/SSD+HDD, Windows 10, 16 gigs, RTX 4080.” 

This headline gives the buyer much more information upfront and is more appealing than “Gaming PC.” So, it’s more likely to lead to a sale. 

7. Include a detailed description

Descriptions should be even more detailed than the headlines. They should include everything an owner knows about the PCs they’re selling. Some things to include are:

  • Type of processor.
  • Processor speed.
  • The PC’s operating system.
  • Motherboard information.
  • Amount of RAM.
  • Type of graphics card.
  • Display specs.
  • Connectivity options.
  • Type of storage.
  • Amount of storage.
  • Availability of additional storage.
  • Type of power supply unit.
  • Specs on the case, especially the dimensions.

You should also include information on how the PC operates, meaning you must try it before selling it.

Finally, if there are any software issues or hardware defects, you should mention them upfront. Again, this helps reduce the likelihood of buyers asking for their money back.

8. Set competitive prices

First of all, sellers should always list a price. On sites like Amazon and eBay, this isn’t an issue, but one of my biggest pet peeves when searching for products on Facebook Marketplace is people who list items as “Free” or “$1” and then include something like “Make me an offer!” in the description.

People want to see prices. If you’re willing to negotiate prices, that’s fine. You can note that the price isn’t set in stone in the description, but you should always start by listing an initial cost.

I can’t even count the number of times I’ve moved past a listing for an item I was interested in buying because the owner had listed it as “Free” with an “Open to offers!” tag in the description. 

Furthermore, you should set competitive prices. Don’t set outlandish, ridiculously expensive prices that no one will pay.

Sometimes, sellers do this because they don’t know how to price their items, and we tend to place an extra value on something we own, but others probably aren’t willing to pay that much. 

Other times, they do it hoping someone will say, “I can’t pay that much, but I can give you X for it.” 

Calculating how much you have in the PC would be best, including parts, upgrades, and time and labor. Then, you can tack on a small bit of extra to make more of a profit, but crazy expensive prices will only ensure your listings sit there for weeks without any buyers.

9. Be willing to answer questions

The best part about writing a detailed description is that it cuts down on most buyers’ questions. However, there will still be people who come up with questions. You should always be willing to answer them, even if the answer is in the description. 

You should do so politely and promptly. Being rude in responses to questions or waiting five or six days to get back to someone about a question they had is a surefire way to lose customers.

Sell your gaming PC on eBay

If you hope to sell your gaming PC on eBay, follow the above steps to prepare and list it. Additionally, there are a few other things to remember when selling on eBay. 

Consider offering refunds

With eBay, you can pick from various return options, including the option for “no returns or refunds.” Some sellers list their items and allow no returns.

However, gaming PCs are an expensive investment, and many buyers won’t take a chance on them if they know they can’t return them if they’re unhappy with what they get. For that reason, consider offering a return/refund policy.

Offer free shipping

When people pay several hundred dollars for an item, they often don’t want to pay shipping costs on top. Taxes are inevitable, but shipping is up to the seller. Many sellers don’t like to offer free shipping because it cuts into their profit margins. 

However, you don’t have to get burned on the shipping price. You can add it to the listing price. 

Either way, it’s not a good idea to charge shipping costs. It’s a massive turnoff for many buyers, myself included. So, nine times out of ten, I’ll choose the item with free shipping over the one with shipping costs, even if the two are the same price. It’s not logical, but it’s true. 

Enable the direct offer option

eBay has a great feature as part of its “Buy It Now” option that allows sellers to accept direct offers from buyers. It’s an excellent way for sellers to garner more interest in their items. Likewise, buyers enjoy being able to haggle and make lower offers to feel like they might be getting a deal. 

In most cases on eBay, “Buy It Now” prices must be 40% higher than the original auction prices people set for the items they’re selling.

In my personal experience, this often puts the item at a higher price than I wanted to list it. Unfortunately, in those cases, the buyers’ offers are sometimes the price I initially hoped for. 

Furthermore, sellers can also decline the offers, so it’s a win-win. 

Enable the Global Shipping Program option

Today, eBay offers the Global Shipping Program (GSP) that allows sellers to sell outside their home countries without worrying about the hassle and increased cost of international shipping.

The postage rate for the seller is whatever it would cost to send the item to the US-based shipping company (i.e., domestic shipping). 

All the extra fees get tacked onto the buyer’s price. It’s an easy, convenient way for sellers to widen their markets without additional fees.

However, although I’ve never experienced it, I’ve read about others who have had issues with returns for items sent via the GSP program, so you may want to research that more in-depth before jumping into it.

How to sell gaming PC parts

Everything I’ve mentioned for selling gaming PCs also applies to selling parts. I want to go into ITAD companies more in-depth, though.

For sellers selling computer parts and components piecemeal, especially ones that are out of date or nearly obsolete, ITAD companies can be a smart way to go. There are plenty of them out there. 

ITAD companies buy mostly outdated computer parts and recycle them or dispose of them in an environmentally safe way. Some of these companies include: 

  • Retire PC.
  • e-Cycle LLC.
  • Avnet.
  • Global Environmental Services, LLC.

However, it would be best to be careful when selecting an ITAD company because not all pay for computer parts. Some are recycling companies only. 

Amazon, eBay, computer-specific forums, Facebook Marketplace, and Craigslist are the best options for sellers with up-to-date, high-quality computer parts.

However, there are also trade-in sites for computer parts. These include: 

  • Amazon.
  • Best Buy.
  • Gazelle.

Instead of cold hard cash, these places usually give you store credit, gift cards, or money on PayPal.