Purchase BOM from single source? Experiences?

[nardev]

I'm preparing few prototypes and i have several BOM lists but i find it quite difficult to chase around cheap parts on ebay.

Is there any proper supplier which is affordable and easy going which can just take the list and send me the invoice easily? All parts that i need are available on ebay, not always affordable as on taobao.

I don't want to keep big stocks of parts and buy big kits of which i need only 2 values out of 100 different etc.

thnx

[mbest]

I've been trying to figure out this myself, for items from aliexpress or banggood, etc.

If it's strictly ICs and passives, you can probably get them from LCSC.

Otherwise I was looking at shipping aggregators that will purchase the items for you and then consolidate them and ship the final package to you.

edit: ICs and passives https://lcsc.com/

[nardev]

For example i want to test same board but one PCB is mostly 0603 caps/resistors/inductors... and same thing with mostly 0805 parts.

Also, some ICs but i often need 10-20 max 50 of those, i don't want to get 1000 as sometimes some suppliers require.

So, actually i wish to find someone who is in china and who can collect that for me so that i don't need to stroll around on ebay and wait sometimes 2 months etc.

[nardev]

well, lcsc looks pretty good, bit expensive than ebay but i guess that what i would save on time.. just hope i'll be able to get all i need.

[mbest]

It really depends what it is, but there are no clone parts I was told.

Some parts will be cheaper out of eg. Digikey especially ICs in my experience, but it's not universal.

[wraper]

If you buy from China, there will be massive amounts of counterfeits. I'm pretty sure you already got such, just don't realize that. I'd suggest TME (especially passives and common transistors, ICs), Farnell, Mouser. Often components will be cheaper compared to genuine stuff from China. If you have order of decent value (depends on country), shipping from Mouser will be free.

to chase around cheap parts on ebay.

You should write - chase for cheap counterfeit parts. Even LM358 usually are counterfeit.

[mrpackethead]

I have bought a LOT ( tens of thousands of dollars ) of parts from LCSC and they are legit, real parts.   And they deliver on time. freight is easy. 

Ebay... you are in a whole differnet space!

[wraper]

I have bought a LOT ( tens of thousands of dollars ) of parts from LCSC and they are legit, real parts.   And they deliver on time. freight is easy. 

Ebay... you are in a whole differnet space!

Yeah but I don't think you'll get any overall savings compared to TME. BTW ebay/aliexpress parts even if genuine often are old stock or even old parts remarked with a new date code. Such parts usually just do not solder well. May be bearable if soldered by hand with additional flux but really suck for reflow.

[mrpackethead]

I have bought a LOT ( tens of thousands of dollars ) of parts from LCSC and they are legit, real parts.   And they deliver on time. freight is easy. 

Ebay... you are in a whole differnet space!

Yeah but I don't think you'll get any overall savings compared to TME. BTW ebay/aliexpress parts even if genuine often are old stock or even old parts remarked with a new date code. Such parts usually just do not solder well. May be bearable if soldered by hand with additional flux but really suck for reflow.

Never used TME.      I have done parts verification with the orginal manufacturers to make sure that they are the real deal.      I'm buying brands like Samsung, TDK, Panasonic,  NXE..   I dont' tend to buy Microcontrollers out of China, as they are more expensive.     

[wraper]

Never used TME.

It's cheap (like $2.5 for a reel of SMT resistors), and as I'm in EU, next day shipping and no customs (we have tiny EUR 22 limit). AFAIK it's decent if ordering from overseas too.

[mrpackethead]

Never used TME.

It's cheap (like $2.5 for a reel of SMT resistors), and as I'm in EU, next day shipping and no customs (we have tiny EUR 22 limit). AFAIK it's decent if ordering from overseas too.

I'll certainly look at them .  IN fact i think we might have used them once last year, when they had somethign that no one else had.     I had a look for a reel of 10k resitors and certainly did'tn find them for $2.5 though. More like $22.     Which puts them in the same price point as Digikey.

[wraper]

I'll certainly look at them .  IN fact i think we might have used them once last year, when they had somethign that no one else had.     I had a look for a reel of 10k resitors and certainly did'tn find them for $2.5 though. More like $22.     Which puts them in the same price point as Digikey.

They may have some components priced like digikey but the vast majority is at least a few times cheaper. Hmm, resistor price have jumped several times since the last time bought those. I guess worldwide passive shortage has something to do with this. Last time I made a large order MLCC were already expensive but resistors still remained the same as before. Interestingly some resistor networks still cost the same. What a weird time when a single resistor costs as much as res network  .

Hardly available product

Still $14, not $22. https://www.tme.eu/gb/details/0603saj0103t5e/0603-smd-resistors/royal-ohm/

[Jeroen3]

I prefer mouser, they ship in bags with the most information on it, and each text has a barcode if you're into that (eg: assisted assembly). Often the full product code, name and value fields. They also have a nice BOM manager on their website.

[nardev]

So far so good.

It took a while but i had an option to choose DHL if i needed parts sooner. So, i'm happy.

The best of all is that i was able to get some rarely available parts, some buttons, switches of unusual shape and soem relays that cost 3 to 5 times more on mouser, digikey etc.. if they have it..

[bd139]

I order piles of stuff from LCSC. Sometimes gets here before RS next day 

No problems with any parts here. I’ve actually been experimenting with the “no brand” stuff on there as well and it all does exactly what it says on the tin.

[nardev]

Next time i'll test www.tme.eu and www.arrow.com looks like they have good service too.

[KL27x]

Meh. Those resistor prices seem to be nearly identical with Mouser US. I think I paid 15 dollars per 5000 pieces on my last two orders. (9.00 per 3K reel of 0603)

One thing I notice with Mouser, if you sort by price, the first several components have the lowest individual unit price, but they almost always have a bad cost in quantity. You have to scroll down approximately 4 or 5 spots to get to the good stuff.

I also don't set out to buy exactly 10K resistors. For a pullup, Imma use a range of value and take what's cheapest. 

[Jeroen3]

I just thought how nice it would it be if you had an option to choose for shipping option "manual assembly", where they ship all parts in labeled small sealed tray bins.
 
We did once receive an horrible inefficient package from Wurth, so there are trays on the market.

[SMTech]

To be honest, in our experience as a manufacturer RS/Farnell/whoever are already far too heavily geared towards serving "Ted in his shed" who orders tiny quantities of things and cares nothing for production compatibility. This has an adverse affect on everyone else, so I might want for example 200 SO8 parts, which is rather less than the 2500 on a std reel, a cut tape would be perfectly acceptable, but no, because of "Ted in his sodding shed", RS has chopped that entire 2500 reel, that represents their entire stock, into strips of 1 and put them in stupid little bags. Frankly they all need to move that kind of service to another tier, make it the exception not the rule its drives me up the wall. You can theoretically bypass the issue some of the time by liaising with a specific desk/service area for some of these suppliers, but that stops you ordering online and adds the delay of a human processing your order.

[bd139]

That pisses me off no end that does and I am Ted in his shed

It's either that or get buggered for re-reeling. CPC are the worst. Bought 100 1N4004's to carry future stock and every one was one diode neatly cut off ammo pack and bagged. And some of the bags were empty where they had cocked up.

I think RS / Farnell / CPC are "dumbass optimised" i.e. the lowest pay grade people they can pile into the packing floor.

LCSC ship quantity cut off reels for low quantities. I haven't tried production quantities (yet) but I assume if you buy 5Kpc they just throw a reel in a bag and ship it.

[nardev]

That pisses me off no end that does and I am Ted in his shed

It's either that or get buggered for re-reeling. CPC are the worst. Bought 100 1N4004's to carry future stock and every one was one diode neatly cut off ammo pack and bagged. And some of the bags were empty where they had cocked up.

I think RS / Farnell / CPC are "dumbass optimised" i.e. the lowest pay grade people they can pile into the packing floor.

LCSC ship quantity cut off reels for low quantities. I haven't tried production quantities (yet) but I assume if you buy 5Kpc they just throw a reel in a bag and ship it.

In my order i had about 70 different items 3 to 300 quantity and everything nicely packed... Even, more than needed. One chip they put in paper box and than in an anti-static bag.

They didn't make issue if i ordered 3-4 kinds of caps sometimes 2pcs and sometimes 30pcs. They treated it all same... Usually in local electronics shop if i say 3pcs of some kind of transistor and 10 x 10k resistors, they look at me as if i'm wasting their time... So, i'm pleased with this.

[mikeselectricstuff]

To be honest, in our experience as a manufacturer RS/Farnell/whoever are already far too heavily geared towards serving "Ted in his shed" who orders tiny quantities of things and cares nothing for production compatibility. This has an adverse affect on everyone else, so I might want for example 200 SO8 parts, which is rather less than the 2500 on a std reel, a cut tape would be perfectly acceptable, but no, because of "Ted in his sodding shed", RS has chopped that entire 2500 reel, that represents their entire stock, into strips of 1 and put them in stupid little bags. Frankly they all need to move that kind of service to another tier, make it the exception not the rule its drives me up the wall. You can theoretically bypass the issue some of the time by liaising with a specific desk/service area for some of these suppliers, but that stops you ordering online and adds the delay of a human processing your order.

As long as you remember to select the production packaging option, RS are usually OK, but if they've already cut their only stock of a part into bits that's a pain.
IME Farmell are usually OK, barring the very occasional crushed tape in a bag.
But for production I tend to default to Digikey simply because the website is the least painful.

 

[bd139]

Do digikey handle VAT / customs properly? I am forever afraid of getting mugged by the parcel monkeys.

[mikeselectricstuff]

Do digikey handle VAT / customs properly? I am forever afraid of getting mugged by the parcel monkeys.

Yes, Digikey and Mouser now work just like Uk suppliers - VAT charged at time of order, no surprises later.

[bd139]

Thanks. Good news. That gives me an excuse to order a couple of Hammond transfomers I wanted.