where is the best place to get good brand new laptops at good prices, in lagos
ur input is needed,

The 105,000 Naira HP Centrino available at Pacific Access limited, 01-7929770 (Ikeja) should be good.

ok thanks.pls give me the specs of the system n the exact location.
thanks

Disclaimer: I've bought an HP 510 laptop before, but I didn't buy it from the above people o. Shine your eye.

@ EarthRealm

You can't afford to miss this super offer.

Dell Inspiron 1501,
AMD Athlon, Core duo processor, 1.7 Ghz, 1 GB RAM,
120 GB Hard Disc, 15.4" Screen, DVD/Cd-rw.
For just 135k.

Hurry while offer lasts because limited stock available.

If you are interested then holla me

Cheers

ok thganks.i need intel/pentuim processor, n allthe config urs has
with blue tooth, wifi n card reader, n com port.
can u come up with that my war chest is 140tops

Earthrealm,

Are you really camped out in siberia? If so how do you plan to receive your laptops from all the way out there?.

I have a couple HPs coming in hopefully in 2weeks or less. Here are the specs JIC you are interested and you havent already purchased something else :-

1. HP Pavilion dv6000t
- Intel(R) Pentium(R) dual core processor T2130 (1.86 GHz, 1MB L2 Cache, 533MHz FSB)
- 15.4" WXGA High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1280 x 800)
- 1GB DDR2 System Memory
- Intel(R) Graphics Media Accelerator 950
(224MB Shared video memory)
- Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection
- 120GB 5400RPM SATA HDD
- SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
- 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
- Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium (32-bit)
- Microsoft(R) Works 8.0

Sale Price : =N=137,500

2. HP Pavilion dv6000t

- Intel(R) Core(TM) Duo processor T2450 (2.0 GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 533MHz FSB)
- 15.4" WXGA High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Display (1280 x 800)
- 1GB DDR2 System Memory
- Intel(R) Graphics Media Accelerator 950
(224MB Shared video memory)
- Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 3945ABG Network Connection
- 120GB 5400RPM SATA HDD
- SuperMulti 8X DVD+/-R/RW with Double Layer Support
- 6 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
- Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium (32-bit)
- Microsoft(R) Works 8.0

Sale Price : =N=143,500

As well, I have 2 Dells that hopefully should arrive 2nd week in september with the following specs :-

Dell Inspiron 1501
AMD Athlon™ 64 X2 Dual-Core Mobile Technology TK-53(1.7Ghz)
Windows Vista Home Basic
15.4 inch Wide Screen XGA Display
1GB DDR2 SDRAM at 533MHz, 2 Dimm
120GB SATA Hard Drive (5400RPM)
24X CD Burner/DVD Combo Drive
ATI RADEON® Xpress1150 256MB HyperMemory
Integrated Audio
53 WHr 6-cell Lithium Ion Primary Battery
Dell Wireless 1390 802.11g Mini Card (54Mbps)

sale price =N=120,000

Important Note: All laptops are brand new

Let me know if you are interested in any of the laptops.

enjoy,


brume2020

Check this site for good configuration and unbeatable prices too
http://shot-africa..com/

Important Update!.

[list]
[li]HP #1 (1.86ghz) will be available for sale as from tuesday. It is currently in Lagos awaiting clearing at customs.[/li]
[li]If all goes according to plan, HP#2(2.0Ghz) will be available the following tuesday(1 week thereafter).[/li]
[/list]

Anyone who wants any of the HPs please contact me. My email address is listed in my profile.

Brume
your prices are not bad, wish you the best in your endeavor.

Hey Mazia,

Thanks for your candid comments. Most appreciated. By the Grace of God we shall all succeed.

Thanks,

brume

I started shipping cell phones,laptops and computer accessories and I try to provide this goods at an affordable price for my fellow contri men back home.
Its hard enough to make money in naija and then be exploited.

Mazia,

You are so right. Speculatively buying laptops, etc and hoping to sell at an affordable price in Nigeria is no small feat. You have to do your homework carefully before committing any resources/funds. My research shows that the market at best remains quite competitive, but there is a very small open window of opportunity to differentiate yourself. Well I decided to take the plunge only recently. I am not greedy - not looking to rip off any one. At the same time I am not in a hurry to get my fingers burnt. After all, I'm funding this venture with my sweat and blood - my hard earned cash is at stake.

Your recent 4 day sale update was quite encouraging. Hoping to reenact a similar feat. Quick turnovers on modest margins are a good way to go.

By the Grace of God it will all work out.

All the best

brume

Brume,
Yes the homework is equivalent to a part time job. I did a lot of research ,but i found it quite amazing that I had to make my decisions based on incoherent and inconsistent information I gathered from several "reliable" sources.
I went with my gut and I am investing my hard earned money as well into it.

There is good opportunity for this sorta business. One of the bottlenecks I am trying to resolve is logistics as that is the brunt of the nightmares I encountered. I am exploring an option I discovered today and if it works out well , that will be a major breakthrough for me.

right now I am trying to figure out a way to introduce ordering the products via my website.There is a lot of trust issue back home. A few options are being explored to see how they can help mitigate the trust issues nigerians have with purchasing goods form Nigerian owned sites.

Turn over is the name of the game. are you hoping to go online as well?

Cheers

Mazia

Talking about homework: It seem to follow a resounding idea had just read in kiyosaki new book: before you quit your job- 10 real lifelessons, ' Home work is important. It forms the bedrock of your biz but nobody ever gets paid for doing homework, sorry this is an IT forum. but the book is a good read.

Back to business: It is a competitive terrain selling laptops no doubt, but there remains a lot of room to differentiate. while Nigerians are very price conscious service and support matters in the long run. I would say this is missing. A lot of business are corner shop -buy and go. again market segmentation matters- who are you selling too. My goal is to develop a word of mouth reputation in my community for good prices + better service and support= best value experience! I hope with some marketing I can take a big cut of the market share. I am building a company not just a shop.

Talking of being burnt: it is not just an experience for you guys out of the country, it happens within too. The issue with being burnt is bad business management and plain greed. There is always the need to clarify your business process with whoever you are dealing with and maintain effective check and balance.Alot of us in this country find it difficult to understand cashflow, simply keeping the business alive by maintaining a sizeable turnover of reinvested money. it is difficult but it is the only way out. i speak from experience just coming out a burnt finger process. I am putting things together to ensure that a repeat never hapens again. I guess is the dream within me that pushes one on.

earthrealm:

where is the best place to get good brand new laptops at good prices, in Lagos
your input is needed,

Earthrealm: what if the best place to buy a laptop was not in Lagos would you still buy? what is a good price? side kick: All brand new laptops are good! .

I can help: Send me an email and I would send you my free e-book on "How to Buy a Laptop at a Very Good Price" my email address: apmis28@gmail.com. We can take it form there

@Apmis

I applaud your pointing out a few distinguishing factors that will differentiate businesses in the same field or industry. I do have quite some startling offers,not just products but offers that will build relationships with my clients that they can NEVER, i repeat NEVER experience elsewhere regardless of who the merchant is.
I will not let the cat out of the bag until the due time. if i did i will give my competitors an early start on coming up with similar programs to counter mine.

Mazia,

I see you agree that generating rapid turnover is an intrisic component of a sucessful player in an otherwise intensely competitive commodity market. The key is the value you provide (over and above the commodity price). Why should anyone buy from you in particular?. If you can answer that question and you can make a good portion of your target market agree with your answer (they vote by buying from you) - you are in business.

Before I made my decision, I consulted with some of my friends/associates who already established reasonably successful businesses in this same product domain. I also got conflicting signals -

from the overtly pessimistic

"why would you want to do that now, too many people are bringing in computer products these days"

to the die-hard cheerleading

"with the right prices the sky is the limit, nothing can hold you back"

I think reality lies somewhere in between the two perceptions.

I must admit, I was initially sceptical about doing business in Nigeria - but with the passage of time (and the gradual change in business climate from extremely harsh to more conducive) I have no doubt been cured of that sickness now.

Like you, I am essentially a hands on person (i.e. show me, do it, what if, etc). I don't mind trying, stumbling, failing, learning from my mistakes and hopefully suceeding at the end. If you don't try you can't succeed. There are some risks worth taking and for me this is one of them.

W.R.T trust, I have come to the conclusion that the trust issue can only be fully addressed at the onset by establishing transparent mechanisms that show your prospects that they will certainly get their money back if the service is not delivered as previously agreed. i.e. eliminate their risk of unjustifiably parting away with any money. However, this is a two-way street - you the merchant also needs to be protected from nefarious/dubious customers. Well I don't know what a "viable transparent mechanism" is (certainly not an LC at this level). But the concept is still sound - I think.

Yes I hope to go online sometime in the future when I have established sufficient traction to justify that. As a matter of fact, I was in Nigeria
last July and went to interswitch to enquire about how to collect payments online - and so I have that information handy for when I need it.

I hope you find a way to iron the kinks in your service delivery mechanism, by the Grace of God you will succeed ultimatelty. Just keep going - you will get there.

All the best,

Brume

Brume,
Quite succinctly put. On the differentiating factor between my business and others, I did ask me that question and have come up with a few unique approaches that should build value in the products i will market. I am sure they will evolve as business needs and market demands change.

The major reason (albeit not the only) that was pivotal to my venturing into this project is the nature of the relationship I have with my vendors and the ability to transfer same values to my clients or consumers. The programs are designed to encourage loyalty not necessarily based on price but on the intrinsic value the customers receive.

I own a business here that is contracted to several small businesses here.Basically they source all their supplies from companies like mine. I have learned a bit about building,maintaining and re-enforcing customer loyalty.

Again , the Nigerian business scape is unique and I am taking gentle strides into it being optimistic as one of my favorite mentors will say " an optimist sees an opportunity in every difficulty'------Winston Churchil

About the "cheer leaders" and "overtly pessimistic views" ,I saw them as challenges. The more issues they present ,that provided me with significant information on how to design my business process workflow.

Cheers

Arnold

I sincerely believe that the market is big in Nigeria. the PC penetration is still very low compared to the general population. I also see dispensable income increasing. After a while service would become a key issue first among the upper class customers and then it would trickle down.

One key issue that i tend to agree with is the issue of trust. I have a premise that most people would buy from you based on trust rather than just price. I actually have started another post in the forum to test such hypothesis ( How to buy cheap laptop).

As a followup I believe that it is difficult to establish trust on the basis of you "Get your money back guarantee". I think that getting it right first time and a word of mouth/mouse might do a significant difference.

it is significant to know that you (mazia ) have a business setup doing supply contracting already. I believe that this is some leverage for you. Just for the asking what vendors do you deal with in terms of volume?

the key to Nigerian business is patience, patience, patience.

what kinks do you have in your service delivery I might be able to help. just send me a mail. apmis28@gmail.com. let talk

Whoa apmis,

Firstly I am not a proponent of a 100% money back guarantee for Nigeria. It is subject to a flagrant abuse even in the western world who are the progenitors of the concept it is frequently abused. And in Nigeria if you provide that, you will certainly have your hands full with many dubious returns.

Here is exactly what I said earlier :-

"the trust issue can only be fully addressed at the onset by establishing transparent mechanisms that show your prospects that they will certainly get the goods or their money back if the service is not delivered as previously agreed. i.e. eliminate their risk of unjustifiably parting away with any money."

And for whatever it is worth, here is what I meant by my idea:-

[list]
[li]at the onset - i.e. for your very first few transaction. before you even have a track record anyone can check. Thereafter your track record hopefully speaks for you and you may no longer require this.[/li]
[li]transparent mechanisms - i.e. akin to how a Letter of Credit operates - a trusted third party(TTP) adjudicates to establish if you delivered the goods per the agreement and ensures you are paid and the customer receives the goods (you are both protected). This however comes with a cost. So in that sense you are correct that it is difficult to protect the merchant/customers interests using a TTP without unduly increasing the price.[/li]
[li]not delivered as previously agreed. - i.e. it is not a blanket 100% money back guarantee. The only reason the merchant will not be paid is that the good/service was not delivered/rendered as previously agreed. The customer can't take a rain check for some other random obscure reason.[/li]
[li]eliminate their risk of unjustifiably parting away with any money As well the merchant can't take the customers money unless the service is delivered per the agreement.[/li]
[/list]

Now on the question of a viable (i.e. feasible and affordable) transparent mechanism I don't have the answer to that.

This is probably an overkill for a transaction involving a reasonably small amount. In reality at the end of the day the onus may lie on each party to assume whatever level of risk they can accept initially.

But if I were to conduct a transaction of considerable value with a party with no track record and I am one of the first few customers, I will be looking to protect my money - even if it costs a little more to do that.

You talk about getting it right the first time. But you didnt address how to get your foot in the door to the first opportunity. How in your opinion will you get the first opportunity without addressing your very first customers concerns about losing their money to an unknown entity (from their own point of view that is)?.

brume