The shortage of these and other components stems from strong demand for cell phones, portable devices, and networking equipment, Varma said. People are waking up to the fact that it's getting close to planning for the Christmas season, Varma said. Usually, people start pulling together their fourth-quarter forecasts late in the third quarter, and this is when they start looking for materials. Traditionally, buyers looking for parts on allocation would call a trusted broker or independent distributor and say, 'Can you tell me where to find these parts,' Varma said. Now, we can virtually reach into other countries.
People are able to source parts from suppliers around the world.
You just have to know where the bones are buried. But international sourcing and buying in a spot-market situation has its challenges as well. They have to do that because the alternative is they won't get the parts. While the current allocation of certain components has brought online marketplaces some success, it also has created some headaches. We're not always able to find what they want.