Arrow.com: Spend $20 get a free Raspberry Pi 3 Model B and Free Overnight Ship

[PedroDaGr8]

As the title says, Arrow.com is running a special where if you spend $20 on parts you get a free Raspberry Pi 3 and free overnight shipping. I picked up a case, power supply and a small neopixel board for $23 and got the free Raspberry pi and overnight shipping.

[aargee]

Looks like Arrow.com has crashed. Too much pi and not enough exercise.

[Macbeth]

Thanks for this - but while the Arrow website is quite happy to take my order, everything goes bad when it comes to paying for it (credit card or paypal)!

Also the 800-8000-1010 number on the website puts me through to an auto insurance company. 

Finally got in touch with a rep through chat and she says their website is overloaded and she can't do an order in chat. 

This is just an annoyance for a freeloader like me, but there must be businesses relying on the payment gateway working for regular bread and butter stuff! 

[PedroDaGr8]

Looks like Arrow.com has crashed. Too much pi and not enough exercise.

Thanks for this - but while the Arrow website is quite happy to take my order, everything goes bad when it comes to paying for it (credit card or paypal)!

Also the 800-8000-1010 number on the website puts me through to an auto insurance company. 

Finally got in touch with a rep through chat and she says their website is overloaded and she can't do an order in chat. 

This is just an annoyance for a freeloader like me, but there must be businesses relying on the payment gateway working for regular bread and butter stuff! 

It sounds weird but try it with IE or Edge. I had huge issues trying to get my order to go through on Firefox and Chrome. Went through immediately on IE on my work laptop.

Sent from my LGLS992 using Tapatalk

[TheSteve]

Ordered a connector, getting a free Pi3 and shipping with it, whee!!!

[julianhigginson]

well, the website seems to work today! I had some things I needed anyway, and with free shipping it was an OK deal, so I bought there.

Though it claimed I'd get email confirmation of my Pi (after giving me a website confirming I will get one) but the Pi email hasn't shown up as fast as the purchase confirmation email did.

edit: Pi confirmation email received now.

[bitseeker]

Thanks for the heads up, Pedro. My first Arrow purchase. Their site is pretty poor on usability and quite buggy, but I suppose a free Pi is worth the trouble.

[julianhigginson]

oh... looks like you just missed it... 
http://connected.arrow.com/raspberry-pi-3-giveaway-post-signup-en

[TAMHAN]

Total bastards. I urgently needed components and their fucking web site was down. Lost me another day.

Thanks for NOTHING.

 

[ElektroQuark]

I need this relay: G5NB1AE12DCNA
They have 71180 of them in stock, but the only want to sell in lots of 500 units

[stevelup]

I suspect they haven't got 71180 in stock, rather Omron have, and 500 is probably the MOQ from Omron.

[ElektroQuark]

I have tried the checkout system.
With a 12€ item in the cart, it shows shipping as 0€ and taxes 0€ too. I'm in Spain.
How is that? No taxes? The item ships from USA.
Anyone can share the customs experience with Arrow shipments from USA?

[wraper]

I have tried the checkout system.
With a 12€ item in the cart, it shows shipping as 0€ and taxes 0€ too. I'm in Spain.
How is that? No taxes? The item ships from USA.
Anyone can share the customs experience with Arrow shipments from USA?

In theory you should not be taxed unless price (including shipping) exceeds EUR 22. AFAIK Arrow won't pay taxes on your behalf, therefore you will be taxed at import, and not only VAT bat also customs broker fee (if you cannot deal with customs directly).

[Po6ept]

I can't help but wonder if these things backfire.  I may be shallow, but I am less inclined now to try Arrow simply because I missed the offer by a few minutes yesterday. 

[TheSteve]

Just got my Fedex tracking #, should have my connector/adapter and my pi3 tomorrow.

[Macbeth]

Funnily enough all my efforts including using Edge vs Chrome and clearing cookies, Incognito mode etc. failed to work for me in the early hours - I was redirected to the "sorry!" page.

I installed Opera on my laptop that allowed me to choose a foreign VPN and the whole process of ordering and paying went smooth.

Got my Fedex tracking a few hours ago... damn, I forgot about their stupid broker fees... £12 + 20% VAT... 

[bitseeker]

My order got split. The Pi and related items are on their way. The roll of solder is pending. Does solder have shipping restrictions?

[TAMHAN]

Hello,
might be some RoHS related shit. If you are based in the EU, that is...

[julianhigginson]

My order is also split in 2. and the Pi is coming in the first.

I wonder how much this whole deal is costing them?  Even without the Pi, the free international fedex shipping for any purchase over US$20 has got to dent their bottom line a bit. For my smallish order they are doing two free international shippings.

[bitseeker]

I can imagine it's costing quite a bit. However, traditional advertising is also expensive. The promo got me to order some stuff for the first time and in the process I saw that they do have good prices on some things. As a result, I will check them again for comparison when I need parts.

However, they really need an overhaul of their online shopping experience. Browsing for stuff takes way too long. Unless you already know the part numbers of what you want, some things are nearly impossible to find and any useful specs are buried on individual product pages. It simply requires too much clicking to find what you want and then manipulating search results for things like sort order can completely lose the filtering that was in place. I'm actually surprised I was able to complete the process in time to get a Pi.

I'd rate their site 1.5 out of 5 stars for shopping functionality.

[TheSteve]

My "free" pi3 arrived. The free is in quotes as I still had to pay tax on the retail price of the pi based on how they declared it coming in to Canada, and the $10.00 Fedex brokerage fee. So in the end the pi3 cost me about $15 USD - still cheap but not free.

If Arrow has something I really need and offers free shipping I'll consider them but when using Digikey or Mouser there are no additional fees when delivered to Canada and shipping is free over $100 CAD.

[julianhigginson]

yeah I realise it's a marketing cost, and I guess other marketing hasn't got me to buy anything from them till now...

I agree with your take on their prices and the website - some prices are quite good, and if they keep shipping free over $20 I'll look at them first for small things I need outside of a bigger order. But yeah... it's not so easy to navigate or find things. you basically have to know exactly what you want before you open their website.

[Macbeth]

I also got mine today. Unfortunately the invoice that came with it shows full price and so I imagine I will soon be invoiced by Fedex for the VAT and handling fee

[TheSteve]

Yes, the invoice with mine indicated I paid 34.99 for the pi3.

[sokoloff]

This was a great promo on behalf of Arrow. I missed it, but you can be sure that I'll try Arrow the next time I catch an offer like this and, if they come through, they'll get into the supplier rotation.

As a hobbyist, my order volume probably doesn't mean squat to them, though.

[thm_w]

My "free" pi3 arrived. The free is in quotes as I still had to pay tax on the retail price of the pi based on how they declared it coming in to Canada, and the $10.00 Fedex brokerage fee. So in the end the pi3 cost me about $15 USD - still cheap but not free.

If Arrow has something I really need and offers free shipping I'll consider them but when using Digikey or Mouser there are no additional fees when delivered to Canada and shipping is free over $100 CAD.

Yep, assuming the website prices were the same, there is zero reason to shop with Arrow.
Its better to see this stuff up front and not be surprised at the door.

[Macbeth]

My "free" pi3 arrived. The free is in quotes as I still had to pay tax on the retail price of the pi based on how they declared it coming in to Canada, and the $10.00 Fedex brokerage fee. So in the end the pi3 cost me about $15 USD - still cheap but not free.

If Arrow has something I really need and offers free shipping I'll consider them but when using Digikey or Mouser there are no additional fees when delivered to Canada and shipping is free over $100 CAD.

Yep, assuming the website prices were the same, there is zero reason to shop with Arrow.
Its better to see this stuff up front and not be surprised at the door.

Did Fedex actually demand payment at the door in Canada? That seems off.

In the UK the normal mail (Royal Mail / Parcelforce) get to hold your delivery to ransom, but commercial courier companies just deliver ASAP and then invoice you later.

[TheSteve]

My "free" pi3 arrived. The free is in quotes as I still had to pay tax on the retail price of the pi based on how they declared it coming in to Canada, and the $10.00 Fedex brokerage fee. So in the end the pi3 cost me about $15 USD - still cheap but not free.

If Arrow has something I really need and offers free shipping I'll consider them but when using Digikey or Mouser there are no additional fees when delivered to Canada and shipping is free over $100 CAD.

Yep, assuming the website prices were the same, there is zero reason to shop with Arrow.
Its better to see this stuff up front and not be surprised at the door.

Did Fedex actually demand payment at the door in Canada? That seems off.

In the UK the normal mail (Royal Mail / Parcelforce) get to hold your delivery to ransom, but commercial courier companies just deliver ASAP and then invoice you later.

Yes,it is standard practice in Canada to demand payment on delivery with UPS, Fedex, DHL etc. When I get Fedex from overseas and there will be taxes due Fedex often calls to try to get payment in advance of delivery.

[Macbeth]

Yes,it is standard practice in Canada to demand payment on delivery with UPS, Fedex, DHL etc. When I get Fedex from overseas and there will be taxes due Fedex often calls to try to get payment in advance of delivery.

What if you don't have any means to pay at the doorstep? Surely they can't just take your goods you have paid for away?

I'm in UK and I've had deliveries from USA manufacturers like Texas Instruments for example that are over the ludicrously low 22 EUR limit and never had to pay brokerage or VAT/Duty. I notice Dave gets a AUD $1000 limit before all that tax shenanigans.

Ultimately I am not legally in a contract with Fedex and while I will pay the VAT (legal requirement) - I will just deduct the £12 as I never asked for them to do my customs brokerage for me 

[TheSteve]

It's simple - if you don't pay, they don't give you the package. This is how everyone operates here including Canada Post.
You can refuse the package and tell them you'll do the customs clearance yourself. But that generally means a lot of driving around which uses more $$$ in fuel then the brokerage charge.
With couriers such as Fedex/UPS/DHL they charge the tax and a brokerage fee on anything over 10 dollars. With Canada Post they seem to let most items under $200.00 enter tax free. If I physically bring something across the border they seem to let anything $400.00 or less enter tax free depending on their mood and what it is you're bring into the country.
I assume the couriers could probably let more then a 10 dollar item enter tax free but then they couldn't charge a brokerage fee.
99% of the packages I receive go to a US address and then I cross the border to pick them up.

[thm_w]

It's simple - if you don't pay, they don't give you the package. This is how everyone operates here including Canada Post.
You can refuse the package and tell them you'll do the customs clearance yourself. But that generally means a lot of driving around which uses more $$$ in fuel then the brokerage charge.
With couriers such as Fedex/UPS/DHL they charge the tax and a brokerage fee on anything over 10 dollars. With Canada Post they seem to let most items under $200.00 enter tax free. If I physically bring something across the border they seem to let anything $400.00 or less enter tax free depending on their mood and what it is you're bring into the country.
I assume the couriers could probably let more then a 10 dollar item enter tax free but then they couldn't charge a brokerage fee.
99% of the packages I receive go to a US address and then I cross the border to pick them up.

Yes. The actual legal limit is $20, so they can't charge if its less than that.

[Macbeth]

In the UK it was only the actual Royal Mail (and particularly Parcelforce, their "commercial" offshoot) that actually hold items to ransom. This has always been illegal, something to do with "interfering with the Kings/Queens mail" and was a hanging offence back in the good old days. Unfortunately nobody got hung drawn and quartered in the past century and so they got away with it for a long time. Apparently with the privatisation of Royal Mail they have finally got statute law to give them the unique ability to hold goods to ransom, the commercial carriers don't have that.

[amitchell]

It's simple - if you don't pay, they don't give you the package. This is how everyone operates here including Canada Post.
You can refuse the package and tell them you'll do the customs clearance yourself. But that generally means a lot of driving around which uses more $$$ in fuel then the brokerage charge.
With couriers such as Fedex/UPS/DHL they charge the tax and a brokerage fee on anything over 10 dollars. With Canada Post they seem to let most items under $200.00 enter tax free. If I physically bring something across the border they seem to let anything $400.00 or less enter tax free depending on their mood and what it is you're bring into the country.
I assume the couriers could probably let more then a 10 dollar item enter tax free but then they couldn't charge a brokerage fee.
99% of the packages I receive go to a US address and then I cross the border to pick them up.

Arrow is the worst for this I find, Fedex always collects the brokerage fee with them. Digikey and Mouser both ship fedex next day free(order over $100) to canada, brokerage paid by them.  Sure some prices may be a bit less at Arrow but I dont save in the end when Fedex knocks.

And to top it off, the last shipment arrow sent to me every line item was in a  seperate box and I got hammered with 6 different fedex bills all at $10 each plus duty and taxes, almost the same values as the items i purchased!!!!

[Brumby]

And to top it off, the last shipment arrow sent to me every line item was in a  seperate box and I got hammered with 6 different fedex bills all at $10 each plus duty and taxes, almost the same values as the items i purchased!!!!

Ouch.

[TheSteve]

It's simple - if you don't pay, they don't give you the package. This is how everyone operates here including Canada Post.
You can refuse the package and tell them you'll do the customs clearance yourself. But that generally means a lot of driving around which uses more $$$ in fuel then the brokerage charge.
With couriers such as Fedex/UPS/DHL they charge the tax and a brokerage fee on anything over 10 dollars. With Canada Post they seem to let most items under $200.00 enter tax free. If I physically bring something across the border they seem to let anything $400.00 or less enter tax free depending on their mood and what it is you're bring into the country.
I assume the couriers could probably let more then a 10 dollar item enter tax free but then they couldn't charge a brokerage fee.
99% of the packages I receive go to a US address and then I cross the border to pick them up.

Arrow is the worst for this I find, Fedex always collects the brokerage fee with them. Digikey and Mouser both ship fedex next day free(order over $100) to canada, brokerage paid by them.  Sure some prices may be a bit less at Arrow but I dont save in the end when Fedex knocks.

And to top it off, the last shipment arrow sent to me every line item was in a  seperate box and I got hammered with 6 different fedex bills all at $10 each plus duty and taxes, almost the same values as the items i purchased!!!!

At work I generally alternate between Digikey and Mouser - I compare prices as they have a lot of similar stock. Many times I place orders at both the same day to save a few bucks(sometimes we can save hundreds). Sometimes when placing orders for a single part with a value over 1K we shop around and 99% of the time end up back at Digikey or Mouser because getting quotes is too much hassle/delay and prices are rarely more then a percent or two cheaper - if at all.
For personal orders I also use both. The smallest order from Digikey was for 8 dollars, and another 8 dollars for overnight shipping. So for less then 20 bucks tax in I was able to gets the parts needed to fix something - I hate waiting.

[bitseeker]

Yeah, I find that DigiKey and Mouser are usually pretty close on item prices. Sometimes shipping can be sufficiently different to tip the choice to one over the other.

[julianhigginson]

Well it all showed up in Australia yesterday. well packed, and no import duty surprises here.

I'm normally going between digikey and mouser (and sometimes element14) for my stuff, so I'm happy to have another option for things that is low hassle and fast to get deliveries from.

I really wish they would do something about their interface though - I had a go at searching to discover some new parts with specific parameters yesterday and it's next to impossible to search for new things... I often use digikey mouser and e14 that way when in parts research for a project - so Arrow are always going to be at a disadvantage to those 3 if I only find new things on their sites. My new things will already be in someone else's shopping basket before I even consider Arrow.

[gmb42]

I really wish they would do something about their interface though - I had a go at searching to discover some new parts with specific parameters yesterday and it's next to impossible to search for new things... I often use digikey mouser and e14 that way when in parts research for a project - so Arrow are always going to be at a disadvantage to those 3 if I only find new things on their sites. My new things will already be in someone else's shopping basket before I even consider Arrow.

Have you tried using Octopart when searching for parts?  They show a lot of distributors and variations on parts if you enter a "base" part number.

I find Octopart quite useful although I do regard it the same as other search\shopping engines, they only show you what they want you to see, so they might not be showing better deals available elsewhere.

[Macbeth]

...Did anyone else get a Raspberry Pi Zero W from Arrow for free this week? It was given as a bonus because they cocked up their ledger for the original Pi 3 giveaway and demanded accounts payable for it? 

Oh yes, I also disputed FedEx and got them to credit the ludicrous £12 customs brokerage fee. 2 emails. Though I still paid the VAT on the "free" Pi 3.

I'm a tight-arsed bastard when it comes to stuff like that.   

[bitseeker]

My Pi3 was free of ledger-malfunctions, so no bonus PiZW for me.

Aside: I did order from Arrow again for some components. Eight different items, mostly passives, but a few ICs and transistors. They were sent in three separate overnight shipments, which ended up all arriving at the same time anyway. I don't yet grasp those logistics.

[PedroDaGr8]

No ledger malfunction for me, though it took a week for to get it. No free Pi W.

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