Honestly, if price is 10 times lower than from reputable source, most likely it is counterfeit or salvaged crap. Also it's good to google "counterfeit DS1307" or "counterfeit LM2596" to realize there ain't free lunch when buying cheap modules/parts.
If you go to somewhat reputable source in China, component price won't be that much different.
My experience has been a mixed bag. Some of the very cheap parts out of China are great, either genuine or clones that are as far as I can tell bang on. Other stuff not so much, every Dallas battery backed RAM I've tried is either a re-marked pull or an obvious counterfeit confirmed by X-ray. One of the re-marked parts actually came with data on it, 3 out of 4 counterfeit parts were faulty in various ways. All sold as new genuine parts. In at least one other event I wasted a considerable amount of time trying to debug a project before I realized the IC was not what it was labeled as. Another time I bought some EEPROMS that turned out to be obsolete mask ROMs.
I still buy certain types of parts this way but one does need to be vigilant. Some types of parts like those Dallas SRAMs and a lot of more esoteric transistors are fakes. Other parts are used pulls that have been blacktopped and sold as new. The annoying thing is I would buy an aftermarket compatible battery SRAM or or some other used part assuming it actually works, but when I buy something presented as new genuine I feel cheated if it turns out to be something else.
Where did you get them though? I find that most of the folks complaining about this are talking about shady ebay sellers or alibaba.
Yes, where else do you get ridiculously cheap components and modules from China? Cheap parts from ebay, aliexpress, etc is what this thread is about.
Where did you get them though? I find that most of the folks complaining about this are talking about shady ebay sellers or alibaba.
Yes, where else do you get ridiculously cheap components and modules from China? Cheap parts from ebay, aliexpress, etc is what this thread is about.
Reputable OEM component sellers are not going to sell 20 DS1307 breakout boards for $20.
The thread that started this post "I saw some crowd selling 20 ds1307 breakout boards on banggood for $12. How do they do it? I can't buy 20 ds1307's for $12 not to mind add a crystal and put a PCB under it."
Reputable OEM component sellers are not going to sell 20 DS1307 breakout boards for $20. Just because the title of the thread has the word "Shenzhen" in it doesn't mean he's asking about the entire city. He is obviously talking about Banggood and similar sellers of insanely cheap components and breakout boards.
It's fairly common to see this discussion happening: if an IC costs, say, $5 at qty 10 on Digikey, or $2 at qty @10000 at Digikey, how a finished module can cost "only $1" on Ebay - "it must be fake".
I'm buying only genuine Chinese parts from China.Works well for semiconductors since there isn't much profit in counterfeiting inexpensive parts already made in China. Bird seed (caps and resistors) can be problematic, especially when too cheap. Also be cautious about the quality of electromechanical stuff like plugs and connectors.
I'm buying only genuine Chinese parts from China.Works well for semiconductors since there isn't much profit in counterfeiting inexpensive parts already made in China. Bird seed (caps and resistors) can be problematic, especially when too cheap. Also be cautious about the quality of electromechanical stuff like plugs and connectors.
Really? How about ebay/ali full of fake fake LM358 which you can buy genuine for <10 cents/piece QTY of 100 from reputable distributor?
And why are you buying fake crap from eBay? Nobody is disputing that it exists, so I don't see why so many people have the need to point at junk being sold by eBay sellers that no serious person would buy and expect genuine stuff.
The point is that this does not mean that everything being sold from Shenzhen is fake only because it is cheap or comes from Shenzhen! Ever heard about an implication and its converse? (aka that A => B being true does not mean that B => A is!).
These claims about things that must be fake only because they are cheap while neglecting the vastly different supply chain and resources available in China (labor costs, various environmental regulations, loads of manufacturing capacity) vs. what we have in the EU and generalizing from junk sold by mom-and-pop stores on eBay in single quantities is being really ignorant.
The only magic in China is that you can buy 1 off parts at 1kpcs price. Nothing more. If you see an AliExpress seller sells a $10@1kpcs part for $1, then it is bound to be fake.
Paying a genuine price usually gets you genuine parts, but there are exceptions. Rarely, but it happens, that an unethical seller will sell you fake parts even if you paid the genuine price.
In China, there is a special job called purchasing engineer, this job does this thing -- to save cost from buying from a reputable distributor, while trying to avoid getting fake parts from gray market.
I'm buying only genuine Chinese parts from China.Works well for semiconductors since there isn't much profit in counterfeiting inexpensive parts already made in China.
Really? How about ebay/ali full of fake fake LM358 which you can buy genuine for <10 cents/piece QTY of 100 from reputable distributor?
I don't intentionally buy fake crap. Occasionally I buy parts from there for different reasons, not ultra cheap and still often get some sort of crap. I see that, because I inspect the parts meticulously. The point is, most of those stupid buyers think it's a real deal when part/module is sold for 10x less.
The point is, if it's 10 times cheaper, there is 99% chance there is something fishy with that part.
These claims about things that must be fake only because they are cheap while neglecting the vastly different supply chain and resources available in China (labor costs, various environmental regulations, loads of manufacturing capacity) vs. what we have in the EU and generalizing from junk sold by mom-and-pop stores on eBay in single quantities is being really ignorant.Quote from a Chinese person who knows better what's going on there:The only magic in China is that you can buy 1 off parts at 1kpcs price. Nothing more. If you see an AliExpress seller sells a $10@1kpcs part for $1, then it is bound to be fake.
Paying a genuine price usually gets you genuine parts, but there are exceptions. Rarely, but it happens, that an unethical seller will sell you fake parts even if you paid the genuine price.
In China, there is a special job called purchasing engineer, this job does this thing -- to save cost from buying from a reputable distributor, while trying to avoid getting fake parts from gray market.
BS, most of the well known brand parts are more expensive than at Mouser or Farnell, except passives. But then you also have TME with cheap passives.I said non-Chinese brands, not western brands. I'm talking about the Japanese and Korean stuff, for example u.fl connectors (genuine hirose ones) cost 1/5 the price compared to digikey, surface mount TCXOs, SAW filters, and other precision components that are too low margin for the western manufacturers to care about but still don't yet have local alternatives.
I don't intentionally buy fake crap. Occasionally I buy parts from there for different reasons, not ultra cheap and still often get some sort of crap. I see that, because I inspect the parts meticulously. The point is, most of those stupid buyers think it's a real deal when part/module is sold for 10x less.Don't buy components of ebay, period. You pretty much always get ripped off, even if it's expensive and not from China. Most of us learn that after the third order.
The point is, if it's 10 times cheaper, there is 99% chance there is something fishy with that part.Depends, having seen volume pricing for genuine parts straight from the manufacturer I can say this statement is BS.
Now you talk about volume pricing directly from manufacturer.
Now you talk about volume pricing directly from manufacturer.
I saw some crowd selling 20 ds1307 breakout boards on banggood for $12. How do they do it? I can't buy 20 ds1307's for $12 not to mind add a crystal and put a PCB under it.