Itead lead times?

[deephaven]

I just wondered what the typical lead time people have experienced with Itead these days for a 2 layer board, shipping to the UK?

[JJalling]

I just wondered what the typical lead time people have experienced with Itead these days for a 2 layer board, shipping to the UK?

I live in Denmark, but I think the time is comparable to UK.
The fastest time i have experienced, from uploading the files, to the PCB's lying on my desk is 13 days with their cheapest delivery method, but it usually takes a little longer.
I usually plan for 2,5-3 weeks.

BR Jonas

[Dagon]

I'm in Ireland and generally have the same experience

They turn around the boards pretty quickly. My last order took five days from placing the order to shipping. It is the shipping that can vary though. 10-14 days seems to be average but I've had stuff take longer.

[deephaven]

That doesn't sound too bad. Thanks for the replies guys.

[westfw]

My first order got "returned" to iTead during the recent HK postal crackdown, and ended up taking six weeks :-(
On the bright side, I did get a note at just about the time I was going to complain, that the boards had been re-shipped.

[deephaven]

My first order got "returned" to iTead during the recent HK postal crackdown, and ended up taking six weeks :-(
On the bright side, I did get a note at just about the time I was going to complain, that the boards had been re-shipped.

Was that crackdown effectively a glitch which is passed now, or is it on-going?

[Bored@Work]

Was that crackdown effectively a glitch which is passed now, or is it on-going?

HK Post seems to be serious about it. Yesterday they even partly or completely suspended mail service to several countries, including the UK:

http://www.hongkongpost.hk/eng/publications/notices/2013/20131029a/index.htm

29 October 2013
Suspension of Postal Services

Mail services to the following countries have been temporarily suspended until further notice :
Destination              Type of Services Suspended
...
United Kingdom     All insured parcels services

Previously they warned that PCBs are accidentally caught in the crackdown
http://www.hongkongpost.hk/eng/publications/notices/2013/20131025a/index.htm

All air mail items must pass x-ray screening before dispatching to overseas. Rejected items may be opened for further examination It was observed that some articles which are neither lithium batteries nor contain any built-in lithium batteries, are difficult to be differentiated as their shapes or materials bear close resemblance to lithium batteries during x-ray screening. Typical example of these products include:
...
Circuit board (difficult to distinguish the material during x-ray screening)

[deephaven]

Thanks for the info, BOW. I assume that the Itead boards aren't insured and so would make it through - as long as they weren't mistaken for batteries!

[FrankBuss]

With UPS it was 11 days for some big two layer boards to Germany. For some other projects I used their cheapest shipping service, which needed 3-4 weeks.

[Dagon]

Just to complete the picture I used DHL on a recent order just because I wanted the boards quickly. Three days from shipping to my desk. No complaints there.

[deephaven]

That's excellent feedback guys, I appreciate all the helpful replies. Many thanks.

[Smokey]

The big one to watch out for is Chinese holidays.  Tack on up to an extra month if it's around new year especially.

[deephaven]

Thanks Smokey.

[poorchava]

For cheap mail the best was 15 or 16 days IIRC and the worst was like 3.5 weeks. I've ordered fast DHL (or whatever they use) shipping only once and they came after 10 days from placing the order.

[deephaven]

Thanks  poorchava

[daedalus]

I order from itead to the UK regularly, and using UPS its normally in my hands between 10-12 days later. I would love a faster turn, but you just cant beat the prices.

[deephaven]

I order from itead to the UK regularly, and using UPS its normally in my hands between 10-12 days later. I would love a faster turn, but you just cant beat the prices.

Thanks daedalus. 10-12 days aint bad, especially considering how far they have to come!

[Smokey]

I have to admit I completely don't understand international shipping sometimes.  For some stuff it seems like you pay a huge amount for shipping and it still takes forever.  Other times it's super cheap and gets here in a couple days.

The most ridiculous was when I bought an international edition of a text book off ebay.  It was in India and had free 2 day shipping.  We are talking 600 pages of dead trees, so it's pretty heavy.  The total cost to me was 15 USD and it showed up 3 days later.  Blew my mind.

[westfw]

A lot depends on the country of origin.  China seems to actively encourage shipping things out of the country, while the US actively discourages it.  The cheapest I can mail a 4oz package to China is about $10, whereas I can get PRODUCTS shipped to me from China for less than that.

[wraper]

Chinese somehow manage to sell things on ebay for $1-1,5 including shipping, ebay fees, product price itself, whatever...