Electronic component suppliers in UK

[akis]

I bought a bunch of components last evening. I was looking at digi-key, mouser and farnell. In the end Farnell was the second cheapest but they did not have one item in stock, so I ordered from digikey who were the cheapest of the three. Amazingly the order is being shipped from the US mainland. Just, does not make sense.

[tggzzz]

My last order from Farnell was delivered in three packages from three countries. One package, tracked UPS delivery from Belgium, contained capacitors worth £0.22.

[SeanB]

If I order from RS I might get 2 parcels, one within 2 days from local stock and then the rest on the next Wednesday of that that is ex UK or wherever stock. Often I will leave a note for them with the order to send all at same time. Nice is that if i have under the 'free delivery' amount the second lot is free.

[German_EE]

For 'standard' components try Rapid Electronics. They have a reasonably good range but if you are looking for one special chip or component then Mouser are the best by far (unless you have access to an RS Trade Counter).

[sca]

My last order from Farnell was delivered in three packages from three countries. One package, tracked UPS delivery from Belgium, contained capacitors worth £0.22.

It's amazing how often the package from Belgium gets here quicker than the one from Leeds - about 30 miles up the road!

sca

[tggzzz]

For 'standard' components try Rapid Electronics. They have a reasonably good range but if you are looking for one special chip or component then Mouser are the best by far (unless you have access to an RS Trade Counter).

I've never used Rapid, but I do look at their "new components" page. My impression, formed without justification, is that the number of new components sort-of implies they get whatever's cheap today. Good, useful, but a different marketplace to Farnell/Mouser/RS.

As for RS, my nearest counter is 4 miles away, but normally I have to order the components before I can pick them up the next day. No problems so far.

Farnell? I'm curious about statements on other threads to the effect they pick/ship the wrong component.

[janoc]

If I order from RS I might get 2 parcels, one within 2 days from local stock and then the rest on the next Wednesday of that that is ex UK or wherever stock. Often I will leave a note for them with the order to send all at same time. Nice is that if i have under the 'free delivery' amount the second lot is free.

Yeah, that's the way RS operates in France too. If I order a bunch of parts from them today, I get one box full of foam peanuts and a buried baggie with three resistors tomorrow, another large box full of bubblewrap and two tiny SMD chips in two days, and the rest arrives in a third box in three days ... Sometimes two packages arrive on the same day - but at different times! I don't think I have ever had a shipment arrive in one package from them yet.

They don't ship everything from the same warehouse and their packaging policies are really nuts. On the other hand, they charge only 10EUR shipping+handling and it goes by TNT, can't complain really.

[akis]

I almost always buy from Farnell, convenience more than anything else. However sometimes they do not have specific components so I have looked elsewhere. Farnell have also shipped packages from EU and multishipments where components arrive from different countries.

In the last order from Digi-Key however, I was very surprised when I had to fill in an export form (only used in the US as far as I know) asking the typical "what is it for, who is the ultimate user" and then looked at tracking so the package left Minnesota, then Kentucky, then Philadelphia ... This is crazy. I would have expected that Digi-Key would have warehouses in EU if not in UK since they are doing business in the UK.

The next item to consider is that if they almost beat Farnell in prices, and definitely Mouser, whilst shipping from the US, imagine what the profit margins are for all of them.

[jc101]

Interesting thread.

People in the UK who order from Mouser/Digikey, what is the procedure regarding VAT and import duties etc. ?  I've looked at their websites but it isn't exactly clear.

[akis]

Yes. I had to press "back" and "forward" many times thinking they might, sneakily, add VAT and other charges AFTER I had inserted my credit card details. But there was on the first screen I think, the first screen of the Checkout, the total amount, and a statement "we will pay all duties". So I took a leap of faith. I kept the order to over 50 pounds to get the free shipping. I just added to the quantities.

[jc101]

Yes. I had to press "back" and "forward" many times thinking they might, sneakily, add VAT and other charges AFTER I had inserted my credit card details. But there was on the first screen I think, the first screen of the Checkout, the total amount, and a statement "we will pay all duties". So I took a leap of faith. I kept the order to over 50 pounds to get the free shipping. I just added to the quantities.

Even more interesting, was that Mouser or Digikey?

[akis]

Digi-Key.

[jc101]

Digi-Key.

Thanks, I'll do some digging. 

[tggzzz]

Interesting thread.

People in the UK who order from Mouser/Digikey, what is the procedure regarding VAT and import duties etc. ?  I've looked at their websites but it isn't exactly clear.

For a $199 order from Avnet (eventually) shipped by FedEx, FedEx paid the import duties on my behalf and presented me with the bill to paid later, The bill included the duties (reasonable) and a >£10 handling charge (annoying).

[German_EE]

I cannot speak for the UK but because Mouser have a German sales office German VAT is added to my order if I qualify for free shipping. The rest is up to FedEx.

[grumpydoc]

I cannot speak for the UK but because Mouser have a German sales office German VAT is added to my order if I qualify for free shipping. The rest is up to FedEx.

Mouser add VAT if you order from the UK. I presume they handle duty if they ship from the 'states as I've never been charged any.

TBH if I go to a web site called mouser.co.uk (OK , it redirects to uk.mouser.com) order in GBP and have VAT added to the total as though I were ordering from a UK web site I'd be pretty effed off if I found I had to pay import duty!

[mikeselectricstuff]

Both Mouser and Digikey have now sorted out the mess they used to have re. VAT - it just gets charged at order time like it does from a UK supplier.

[Wilksey]

I think the main issue that people have is not going to the .co.uk site, I have ordered many times from DigiKey and Mouser and never been hit with added charges, likewise with Ebay China

[Rick Law]

My last order from Farnell was delivered in three packages from three countries. One package, tracked UPS delivery from Belgium, contained capacitors worth £0.22.

I think they are trying to provide best service possible by sending the stuff they have on hand as quickly as possible...

[tggzzz]

My last order from Farnell was delivered in three packages from three countries. One package, tracked UPS delivery from Belgium, contained capacitors worth £0.22.

I think they are trying to provide best service possible by sending the stuff they have on hand as quickly as possible...

Of course, and I have no complaints. Merely a wry smile and raised eyebrows.

[janoc]

In the last order from Digi-Key however, I was very surprised when I had to fill in an export form (only used in the US as far as I know) asking the typical "what is it for, who is the ultimate user" and then looked at tracking so the package left Minnesota, then Kentucky, then Philadelphia ... This is crazy. I would have expected that Digi-Key would have warehouses in EU if not in UK since they are doing business in the UK.

I had to pretty much give up in Digi-Key for this reason. They couldn't process my credit card ("but we can process it over phone for $xx extra fee for you!") and then these stupid export forms - for a few PICs. I told them in no uncertain terms where they could stuff those forms and went to order the parts from RS instead, with no hassle.

They ship everything from US, neither DigiKey nor Mouser have warehouses in EU. So depending on which country you are in, you get hit with those export forms, VAT and duty on import, etc. Or nothing - like when I lived in Denmark, there I had no hassle from them.

[mikeselectricstuff]

In the last order from Digi-Key however, I was very surprised when I had to fill in an export form (only used in the US as far as I know) asking the typical "what is it for, who is the ultimate user" and then looked at tracking so the package left Minnesota, then Kentucky, then Philadelphia ... This is crazy. I would have expected that Digi-Key would have warehouses in EU if not in UK since they are doing business in the UK.

I had to pretty much give up in Digi-Key for this reason. They couldn't process my credit card ("but we can process it over phone for $xx extra fee for you!") and then these stupid export forms - for a few PICs. I told them in no uncertain terms where they could stuff those forms and went to order the parts from RS instead, with no hassle.

All the form filling in the world is better than the pain of trying to find stuff on the RS's joke of a  website

They ship everything from US, neither DigiKey nor Mouser have warehouses in EU. So depending on which country you are in, you get hit with those export forms, VAT and duty on import, etc. Or nothing - like when I lived in Denmark, there I had no hassle from them.

Given they have to live with stupid US export regs, Digikey's way of doing it is better than Mouser. With DK, you just enter the same thing you always do on the form & it adds no delay. With Mouser, it adds a couple of days' delay to turn round the form  if there is something naughty on the order

[G0HZU]

My last order from Farnell was delivered in three packages from three countries. One package, tracked UPS delivery from Belgium, contained capacitors worth £0.22.

One of my Farnell orders included a couple of small metal fasteners. They chose to send these separately to the main order and they arrived in a huge box about 50cm x 50cm x 50cm that was full of cardboard packing and in one corner of the box there was a little plastic bag with the two (3mm x 12mm?) fasteners in.

[Precipice]

I've always assumed that nightshift at the Farnell and RS warehouses was a 'biggest box wins' contest.

That said, I've not had a bollocksed order for a while from either - although I'm still fuming from an RS 'order for Saturday delivery for a weekend build - one unavailable part slips the entire order until Tuesday' episode.
How is that a sensible result? I paid extra for a Saturday morning delivery, deliver... on... Saturday!...
Grr.
That said, my stock control is far, far worse than theirs, and there's only me messing with things, not an army of dispatch and packing guys.

[Tac Eht Xilef]

One of my Farnell orders included a couple of small metal fasteners. They chose to send these separately to the main order and they arrived in a huge box about 50cm x 50cm x 50cm that was full of cardboard packing and in one corner of the box there was a little plastic bag with the two (3mm x 12mm?) fasteners in.

I've always assumed that nightshift at the Farnell and RS warehouses was a 'biggest box wins' contest.

Might be a UK thing - a recent orders had parts from AU, SG, US, & UK stock. The Aus & US stuff was in an appropriately sized box, and IIRC the Singapore shipment came in a padded bag. The one from the UK was in a box about 30cm x 25cm x 15cm.

Contents? 4 x 0805 SMD inductors.