Best Website to buy electronic stuff

[sanka1p]

Hi All,
Whenever I find a cheap dev board on any electronic buying website out there, at the end they ask me to pay shipping fee which can range from 10% of my product value to 500%. Is there any website where I can get the same board at nominal market price and not get ripped off for shipping fee? Recently I wanted a 5v and 3.3v power supply which takes USB as input power and the board was costing $2 approx but at the end the shipping fee was $11, so I had to cancel my plan and bought it from Ebay at $4.2 with free shipping. Any suggestion or reference is appreciated.

[PlainName]

shipping fee which can range from 10% of my product value to 500%

I think that's the wrong way to look at it. Shipping fees don't depend (much) on the value of what's shipped but what it actually costs someone to cart the stuff across country and drop it in your letterbox. Shipping of 1 resistor should be the same as for 10, and in both cases would be massively more than the resistors are worth. That's just how it is, and the moral of the story is for really cheap stuff, buy lots of them to spread the fixed costs.

Having said that, as you found you can shop around and find somewhere else cutting their own throat to attract sales. Unless the source is China and delivery is a month or two down the line, they are subsidising it somehow and not charging the real cost.

[Oilngas]

Digi-Key offers free shipping (US and Canada) if you mail them a check or money order.

See this post which includes links to the mail-in order form...

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/chat/digi-key-has-changed-and-it-is-not-very-good/msg3273588/#msg3273588

[SmallCog]

Simple option is visit a bricks and mortar store. Locally I find Altronics has most things that I want and pricing typically similar to online sellers. Added benefit is that you can see/touch/feel rather than guessing how things will fit together from photos.

If that's not an option then buy form one of the specialist sellers with free shipping like e14

If you're after trashy modules then there's always eBay. A seller I've had success with ordering from (cheap prices and free postage that doesn't take 3 months) is alice1101983

[Brumby]

Whenever I find a cheap dev board on any electronic buying website out there, at the end they ask me to pay shipping fee which can range from 10% of my product value to 500%. Is there any website where I can get the same board at nominal market price and not get ripped off for shipping fee?

Unfortunately, this is a very common tactic.  The eBay and AliExpress platforms are just two examples.  You will find a product at an amazing price when it comes up in a search, only to discover one or both of two things:
a) A cheap option was included in the listing that features in the displayed price.  It's only when you go into the listing you find the real products and real prices.
b) The quoted price of the product is really low - too low, in fact - and the shipping cost is inflated to make the total payment more sustainable for the seller.

My recommendation is to get used to it and focus on the total cost of acquisition.  Getting hung up on the breakdown is futile.

[Simon]

You have got the wrong end of one stick, the OP is only complaining about the cost of shipping an seems to want it to be cheaper than the product as they don't understand that shipping is just another thing you have to buy.

Ebay does have this problem of misusing the options listings lo list often totally unrelated products alongside much more expensive ones so that they come top in searches.

I charge for shipping, sadly it can be expensive compared to the product value but I have found that you get what you pay for. I aim to offer quality service as well as products and it is so much work to deal with dodgy shippers like royal fail that i will only use one I trust. If I did use cheaper less reliable shippers then I would have to load the price anyway to compensate for the time lost dealing with the issues.

While shipping is just a nuisance to everyone, it is necessary for dealing online and has a cost, not just in what the carrier charges but to the seller using labor time to pack it up and deal with the shipper including the issues.

I just sold an old GPU, my partner wanted to go and pick something up 40 miles away for only £20. I said sure, because that is the same town my GPU has to be shipped to and it will be so much hassle to pack that thing up safely and send it that I am glad of the excuse to be within a couple of miles of the buyer and just drop it off. This is of course a one off coincidence but it brought home to me what a hassle s-hipping is.

[BeBuLamar]

Simple option is visit a bricks and mortar store. Locally I find Altronics has most things that I want and pricing typically similar to online sellers. Added benefit is that you can see/touch/feel rather than guessing how things will fit together from photos.

If that's not an option then buy form one of the specialist sellers with free shipping like e14

If you're after trashy modules then there's always eBay. A seller I've had success with ordering from (cheap prices and free postage that doesn't take 3 months) is alice1101983

It's the best option especially if one only buy in small quanity like 1. Even if the local bricks and mortar stores have to have a higher price it would still be less expensive. However, due to the fact that the majority of people prefer online purchasing so few have the option like you have. I surely miss the old days when you can just run to the store and pickup a diode when you need it.

[Simon]

Electronics stores wend away years ago. one big name was bought and used for an online shop and another tried to carry some electronics stuff until it died. I think it has been discussed before, the reason these shops are no more is because of the sheer quantity of parts that we use these days. Oh so you want a diode do you? which one? even if you set out a sensible set of currents, voltages, types, and cases there will be lots, now do that for just the transistor types, soon you have more parts that a shop can hold.

[BeBuLamar]

A lot of time the answer is just about any diode will do.

[Simon]

For you maybe, but ask any hobbiest and they won't agree. Once upon a time there were mnot many parts and anything was a bunch of parts with long leads soldered between tags so sizes hardly mattered as there were no PCB's. In those days there was a company called radio spares. I don't think they had shops but they supplied what you needed by mail order, what are they today? RS Components.

[Solder_Junkie]

The “best” depends on whether you want a small minimal cost item often from a dubious source, or a quality item from a reputable seller. eBay can be useful, but you really need to be careful over who the seller is.

Almost all the big commercial electronic parts suppliers will supply home users, often in small quantities of each part.

I mostly use Mouser who ship from the USA to the UK by Federal Express in 2 or 3 days. Their stock levels of the obscure parts I use is incredible, while I would prefer UK suppliers, often they haven’t the parts I need. Minimum order for “free” delivery with Mouser is 33 GBP plus tax for UK delivery. They will supply small quantities of many parts, recently I have ordered SMD transistors, resistors, capacitors, ICs, etc in “one off” numbers for a project. I have also dealt with RS Components and CPC/Farnell.

SJ

[Doctorandus_P]

In the city I live here in the Netherlands, the last electronics shop has closed it's doors about 5 to 10 years ago. Back then there was a real onslaught and also in the rest of the country most of the shops closed, and you can pretty much only order parts via the internet these days. Most of the bigger shops have some kind of rule for free shipping for orders bigger then EUR 50 to 100.

There are some small shops around the country that sell small orders for around EUR 1 to EUR 2 as long as the order fits in an envelope. If an order has to be sent as a parcel, you usually pay EUR6.5 to EUR8 for shipping.

Maybe there are similar small shops in the US, but you will have to put some effort into finding them.

Here in the Netherlands it's also still common to buy stuff via Aliexpress with "free shipping", even for orders of 50ct.

[Simon]

again, shipping is never free. free shipping is the seller giving you a price break. It really annoys me on ebay that they want you to offer free shipping, but if it it normal that people buy multiples then you have to overcharge for shipping or set up price breaks, it's really silly. I know pe.op.le like free shipping but I bet the most used filter in the ebay search is to list by cheapest item price + shipping.

[EPAIII]

In case you haven't noticed the prices at the pump and the traffic situation, in most places where I have ever lived, "just running to the store" also has a cost. For me that would be at least an hour of my time ($10 US?) and a couple of gallons of gas ($6 US) for a total of, at least, $16. Many value their time at a higher rate and also pay more for gas. So no, it's cheaper to have most items shipped. And the shipping companies know it.

As for packing, most shipping companies have their own boxes which they provide for their posted prices. My last place of employment had stacks of boxes from all the shippers they used and the drivers made sure those stacks never ran out. I even have a moderate supply of such boxes here at home. And many sellers do not use any packing materials inside the box. So packaging is mostly a "no-additional-cost" item.

Simple option is visit a bricks and mortar store. Locally I find Altronics has most things that I want and pricing typically similar to online sellers. Added benefit is that you can see/touch/feel rather than guessing how things will fit together from photos.

If that's not an option then buy form one of the specialist sellers with free shipping like e14

If you're after trashy modules then there's always eBay. A seller I've had success with ordering from (cheap prices and free postage that doesn't take 3 months) is alice1101983

It's the best option especially if one only buy in small quanity like 1. Even if the local bricks and mortar stores have to have a higher price it would still be less expensive. However, due to the fact that the majority of people prefer online purchasing so few have the option like you have. I surely miss the old days when you can just run to the store and pickup a diode when you need it.

[liaifat85]

I don't know which components you're exactly looking for. For sensors,displays, ICs etc.you can consider sparkfun electronics. Their products are QC passed. I never got bad products from them.

[drkntz]

For modules like the DC power supply I'd check out MPJA. Shipping is $6.95 flat rate, so generally, you're better off getting a few things at a time.

[Simon]

Their products are QC passed.

Bullshit! box shifters!

[vk6zgo]

Whenever I find a cheap dev board on any electronic buying website out there, at the end they ask me to pay shipping fee which can range from 10% of my product value to 500%. Is there any website where I can get the same board at nominal market price and not get ripped off for shipping fee?

Unfortunately, this is a very common tactic.  The eBay and AliExpress platforms are just two examples.  You will find a product at an amazing price when it comes up in a search, only to discover one or both of two things:
a) A cheap option was included in the listing that features in the displayed price.  It's only when you go into the listing you find the real products and real prices.
b) The quoted price of the product is really low - too low, in fact - and the shipping cost is inflated to make the total payment more sustainable for the seller.

My recommendation is to get used to it and focus on the total cost of acquisition.  Getting hung up on the breakdown is futile.

It is particularly aggravating with eBay.

I ask it to look for "Australia only", but it exhausts that after a few items & goes worldwide.

I scroll down & often find nice old pieces of equipment for quite reasonable prices.
Then I look at the shipping costs---the best case scenario is that the total price to me is doubled, but there are a large number of
items that quote $1000 plus shipping.

Obviously the vendor doesn't want to ship to Oz, but why not just say so?

Then there are the Oz vendors who specify "pick up only (a "Gumtree" specialty).
What could have been a bargain isn't so much if I have to fly to Melbourne to pick it up.
Don't get me wrong, Melbourne is a nice old place, but I could buy a new device after I pay the return airline fare.

[jonovid]

Best Website? it all depends on were you are. your location, and or if your a professional vs hobbyist

[BeBuLamar]

If you're a business then it's one of these companies is good. Newark, Digi-key, Mouser, RS Online (formerly Allied Electronics) but all of them requires minimum order of about $50 I think.

[Veteran68]

If you're a business then it's one of these companies is good. Newark, Digi-key, Mouser, RS Online (formerly Allied Electronics) but all of them requires minimum order of about $50 I think.

Not at all, no idea why people still say this. Perhaps in the old mail order catalog days, but not for a long time. I've ordered from Newark recently and DigiKey for years, as an individual, no minimum order required. Same with Mouser last I ordered from them, though it's been a long time. If I'm ordering a cheap component I will usually order a few more than I need for shipping cost efficiency and have spares, but not because it's required.

To confirm that hasn't changed, at DigiKey I just added a single $0.41 comparator to my cart, and proceeded through checkout up to payment submission. For $6.99 shipping and $0.52 tax, I can order all day.

[BeBuLamar]

I think you are right! I never bought from them as an individual but always as a business with an account with them. I guess the minimum order applied only to buying as a business and paying later.

[PlainName]

o confirm that hasn't changed, at DigiKey I just added a single $0.41 comparator to my cart, and proceeded through checkout up to payment submission. For $6.99 shipping and $0.52 tax, I can order all day.

Minimum order value applies to free shipping. Note that you would have paid $6.99, whereas if the order was over some value it would be free.

From the RS website:

*   For business account customers, delivery is free on all orders over £30. For all orders under £30, a £3.95 delivery charge will be applied.

  *  A charge of £6.95 will be applied to any business account customers who do not log-in to their RS Account when placing an order.

  *  For private accounts and guest customers, delivery is free for all orders over £50. For orders under £50, a charge of £6.95 will be applied.

[Veteran68]

o confirm that hasn't changed, at DigiKey I just added a single $0.41 comparator to my cart, and proceeded through checkout up to payment submission. For $6.99 shipping and $0.52 tax, I can order all day.

Minimum order value applies to free shipping. Note that you would have paid $6.99, whereas if the order was over some value it would be free.

That's not the same as a mandatory minimum order though. A minimum threshold to reach free shipping is not at all unusual, nor what was implied here. Back in the day, before the internet, mail order houses that specialized in small or bulk products or that serviced businesses rather than individuals would often impose a minimum order amount, below which they would not accept the order. That's much less common these days.

[PlainName]

OK

[larsdenmark]

Nowadays I use digikey.com (or rather digikey.dk since I live in Denmark). They offer free shipping for orders over a certain (small) amount. More importantly they ship without you having to pay import duties. Shipping to Denmark takes 2-3 days).

I used to use taydaelectronics.com a lot in the past before EU startes to enforce cracy import fees. They shipped to Denmark in 7 days and had really good quality stuff and VERY good packaging.

I’m not using Ebay anymore seice about half the orders resulted in my getting fake stuff.

[Oilngas]

Since December I've placed 12 orders with DigiKey, ranging in cost from$4.81 to $38.57 and did not pay one cent in postage.  Go back and read reply #2 in this thread to see how.  Total savings in postage is $83.88 (12 X $6.99).  This only works for items stocked and shipped by DigiKey, no "Marketplace" items.  Average delivery in 7-10 days from my posting of the order.  This has been a great deal for me as a hobbyist.

[Veteran68]

Since December I've placed 12 orders with DigiKey, ranging in cost from$4.81 to $38.57 and did not pay one cent in postage.  Go back and read reply #2 in this thread to see how.  Total savings in postage is $83.88 (12 X $6.99).  This only works for items stocked and shipped by DigiKey, no "Marketplace" items.  Average delivery in 7-10 days from my posting of the order.  This has been a great deal for me as a hobbyist.

Great they have the option for those who want it, but I'd never go back to mailing checks for orders. It's not worth the time and hassle for me. If they offered the same service with EFT from my bank account, then I'd certainly use that. Otherwise it's easy enough to reach the free shipping threshold, or just pay the 7 bucks if I need something small now.

[Bud]

Since December I've placed 12 orders with DigiKey, ranging in cost from$4.81 to $38.57 and did not pay one cent in postage.  .

Ofcourse you did. You still had to buy mailing envelopes and postage stamps to mail personal checks.

[EPAIII]

I have purchased both professionally and as an individual from Newark, DigiKey, and Mouser for decades now. I have never encountered a minimum order amount from any of them. I have not used Allied/RS Online much, but I doubt that they have one.

And anyone can become a business in a minute or two. Just make up a name (XDR Electronics): bingo, you are a business. You can see my business name, "PAE" and logo in my avatar at the left of this post.

If you're a business then it's one of these companies is good. Newark, Digi-key, Mouser, RS Online (formerly Allied Electronics) but all of them requires minimum order of about $50 I think.