I've been ordering from Farnell alot last times, and never actually had problems. I've placed an order worth about 8€, paid another 5€ for UPS shipping (and then VAT added to all this), but the package was at my door the next day. There were some screwups, but definitely on UPS's part (like courier losing the package in his van etc).
I got a credit-card just to be able to order from Digikey. Don't care much about the shipping costs as most of the stuff I build are prototypes.
Regarding footprints: some CAD software is pretty bad when it comes to making footprints. The package I use allows to punch in coordinates of the pads into a spreadsheet like form. Very handy. I recently had to do a footprint for an SD socket from page 2 of this PDF
http://www.molex.com/pdm_docs/sd/5035000991_sd.pdf Can't they put the dimensions in there with one reference?
-The amount of stuff/goodies/containerfinds that get's into the house because it is too good to throw away.
-The amount of stuff that inbetween projects clutter the workspace.
-The friends/neighbours/family that think you are an electronics wizzard and can repair/install/invent anything for them
-Exotic or EOL components that can not be ordered/found anywhere (for instance Maxim that make some terrific components but nobody sells).
-China sellers that promise to ship something again and again which never arrives and they do not return your money.
- Errata sheets on components which states: this is a known issue with this component but we are not going to solve it.
it is non working but you keep on selling it?
and the list goes on
As someone who's just starting out, electronics is the first subject I've studied where a given topic will be introduced and a core concept explained but the extensions to that concept are glossed over. This seems to happen to me constantly.
As an example, diodes will be introduced and described as a check valve, 0.7V drop, etc. The core idea of what a diode is in isolation will be explained quite well over a number of pages. But after that they throw a bunch of circuits with diodes in them at you with two sentences of description. Here's a voltage multiplier, a signal rectifier, a diode gate, a clamp, a limiter, etc with no more information about HOW it works, just what the net effect of it is. I find myself constantly having to find multiple explanations of the same thing.
I'm not sure if this is just a normal part of learning electronics or if I lack a natural aptitude for it. I still have fun when things are working. Sometimes it can be a bit overwhelming though when you're working your way through a 1500 page book and any given paragraph can spiral into hours of reading articles, watching videos, asking questions on forums just to understand how, say, a diode clamp works.
Farnell requires at least 50 euro's and paying upfront, which is a bit paranoia. But I guess OK (and Farnell stocks a lot, which is good).
Blimey! In the UK Farnell went batshit crazy - I have a "corporate card" registered with them for years (I'm an individual IT Contractor with a one man LTD co.). I couldn't believe it when I just needed a couple of components - cost less than £1 - and could order them with FREE NEXT DAY. Then I would find it wasn't even Royal Mail, but UPS tracked and signed for delivery.
Even though they had this insane facility available (obviously dreamt up by the marketing guys), I just couldn't bring myself to abuse it and would wait until I at least had £20 worth to order, or else would just pad out my order with other bits and bobs on the fly. I couldn't believe they would deliver from their EU warehouse to the UK via UPS for such a loss.
They have now changed it and I have to pay for delivery on anything less than £20 or £30 IIRC. But it is still a better deal than Joe Public gets.
Opposite here, Element14/Farnell upgraded me to free next day courier tracked/signature on any order. What is even more insane is that even the local warehouse is about 800km away and
I only only order a couple hundred dollars of parts a year, shipped to a residential address and paid with a personal credit card, who knows lol
Newark still charges me for shipping in the US. SO does Digi-Key.