Bad time for product design (prices) - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: muris
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: November 02, 2021, 02:49:45 pm
content: Hi,Check these crazy prices outSTM32F103CBT6 -LCSC product page with current price of $52.6613-August-2020: $2.66 (Web-Archive screenshot)27-October-2020: $5.16 (Web-Archive screenshot)19-January-2021: $7.06 (Web-Archive screenshot)2-November-2021:$52.66(Web-Archive screenshot)I thought it was an error, and I reported it to LCSC. They say that the price is correct.edit: this should have gone into: EEVblog Electronics Community Forum » General »General Technical Chat

author: Kleinstein
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 02, 2021, 02:57:45 pm
content: The chip shortage sometimes leads to crazy prices. The regular shops may just have 50 weeks (or more) lead time. The STM32... are among thus with no so great availabilty. For design you now better avoid such chips and plan a bit flexible.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 02, 2021, 03:03:11 pm
content: Use STM32 clones or other chips with better availability. Not to say placing STM32F103 in your design is not the best idea. It's a very old chip, released in 2007, far from the best bang for the buck. So for new design it's smarter to use something more modern.

author: ataradov
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 02, 2021, 03:29:59 pm
content: LCSC instead of removing the devices scaled up the prices. This is actually great. They have a limited stock, and the price is acceptable if you need one or two devices to fix something or for a prototype, but high enough that scalpers will not bother. So they ensure availability this way.

author: SilverSolder
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 06, 2021, 11:29:23 pm
content: Quote from: ataradov on November 02, 2021, 03:29:59 pmThis is the way the free market is supposed to work when supplies become scarce, but people get upset about it... e.g. when gasoline prices go up due to some issue somewhere, the talk is of "price gouging"...

author: PlainName
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 07, 2021, 10:30:08 am
content: QuoteThat's usually when the prices go up straight away on existing stocks, which were bought at the cheaper market price, and then don't come down with market price drop for several weeks, if not months.

author: SilverSolder
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 07, 2021, 12:53:36 pm
content: Quote from: dunkemhigh on November 07, 2021, 10:30:08 amBut, existing stocks instantly become more valuable when there is a market shortage... right?And conversely, if the supply situation eases, any existing stock instantly becomes less valuable (no matter what was paid for it)?

author: PlainName
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 07, 2021, 02:54:40 pm
content: QuoteMaybe.Around here we get the odd garage selling pretty cheap, and some (typically motorway services) selling well over the odds. But most are all at the same price. I would expect that a price rise at a competitor would be a good time not to raise prices, thus undercutting them and taking much more market share. Profit per unit would be the same but many more units sold. That seems not to be what happens, though.

author: wizard69
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 07, 2021, 08:07:23 pm
content: It is part supply and demand and part gouging.Just look at what Tesla has gone through to keep production up and running. They have been vocal about it and claim that it has lead to the rise in prices on their cars. Possibly true but I don't see prices coming down until the tax benefit is repealed.Quote from: muris on November 02, 2021, 02:49:45 pm

author: PlainName
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 24, 2021, 09:42:32 pm
content: Quote from: dunkemhigh on November 07, 2021, 10:30:08 amCase in point:https://www.dailymail.co.uk/money/cars/article-10239421/Petrol-prices-fail-fall-despite-lower-wholesale-costs.html

author: Kleinstein
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 24, 2021, 10:15:36 pm
content: For a new design the changing prices are not so bad. One can still react. The problem is more with an older, or just fished design that uses parts that get long leed times of a high price.

author: SilverSolder
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 24, 2021, 10:48:49 pm
content: Quote from: dunkemhigh on November 24, 2021, 09:42:32 pmInflation's a b!tch

author: station240
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 25, 2021, 02:15:02 pm
content: Quote from: muris on November 02, 2021, 02:49:45 pmAh LCSC are a special case.See EasyEDA has direct links into LCSC for which parts you can use in your projects, and JLCPCB for ordering the boards.So you can order all the components and the boards seamlessly.Not having the parts in stock, would annoy people with existing boards designed in EasyEDA, and those using JLCPCB's PCBA service.So they just pay the scalper fees, and pass on the prices.