Dealing with electronics dealers - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: mindentropy
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 10, 2023, 08:27:41 pm
content: Hi,I would like to know how do you people deal with electronics dealers. In my country generally the dealers are interested in selling higher volumes. For small quantities their response is not so well or are just silent sometimes. How do I handle such responses and move on to the next dealer without getting dejected? Do you people also face such difficulties or is it just me? Would love to hear your experiences and how do you get them interested to ship parts to you.

author: TimFox
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 10, 2023, 10:08:59 pm
content: Please add details:What country do you live in, and where do you do business?Are you looking for components (resistors, ICs, etc.), equipment, finished products, etc?In the US, the two easiest large dealers for components (and other things) are probably Mouser and DigiKey, both of which will sell small quantities to individuals.Larger customers can get lower prices from other dealers, or in large quantities from these two.Of course, any dealer will need to charge higher prices for low quantities to cover their expenses.

author: Benta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 10, 2023, 11:55:31 pm
content: Well, if you walk into a sweets shop and ask for a lollipop and the guy next to you asks for 100 lollipops, who'd be the most interesting to the proprietor?

author: Black Phoenix
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2023, 02:29:02 am
content: Quote from: Benta on March 10, 2023, 11:55:31 pmMate I'm OK with that. I'm OK if my parts are a little more expensive (per part) than the one who request an order of magnitude higher than mine.I'm not OK about denying me selling the parts because I'm not going to buy a ton of it, if there was not previous indication that they only sell to the ones who want large orders.I see the same type of approach when I go to the Shenzhen electronics markets and they get annoyed by my requests when I state that my order is small, in the range of 5 pieces for example.I know they want to sell a ton more per order (specially now after years of lock down and low business returns, they look like pack wolfs around a prey when they see you are a foreigner, as if you have a neon sign on your head with $¥€£ on it), but if they don't want to deal with small orders just put a paper or a sigh on the shop door or counter saying such. If they don't have such I suppose that they will sell even one if needed by the buyer.

author: mindentropy
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2023, 03:16:41 am
content: Quote from: TimFox on March 10, 2023, 10:08:59 pmI live in India. I don't have a business.I am looking for components and equipment.Quote from: TimFox on March 10, 2023, 10:08:59 pmMouser and Digikey are very costly due to high import taxes here. Element14 in India sells only for businesses and requires a business number called TAN. I still have no option for FPGAs, debuggers and other ICs and have to go through Mouser and Digikey. I want a better deal for capacitors, resistors, cables, connectors etc.

author: mindentropy
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2023, 03:55:10 am
content: Quote from: Black Phoenix on March 11, 2023, 02:29:02 amExactly this. That annoyed looks or not selling really starts wearing me down and starts making me nervous as the list of dealers start getting smaller and smaller. As you said atleast mention it clearly the minimal volumes that you will entertain.

author: MT
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2023, 02:48:53 pm
content: Register a company you will be better served.

author: jfiresto
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2023, 04:09:39 pm
content: That would be my suggestion as well. One thing to keep in mind, however, if you purchase goods as a company (as a freelancer?), you are expected to be competent. If you order the wrong parts, for example, and want to return them, you may very well have to compensate the vendor for their costs for the return – assuming they agree to one. (I do not know how things run in India.)

author: jonpaul
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2023, 04:56:27 pm
content: As an American manufacturer a few pointsWe loose money on any order under a,few,hundredsExport out of USA is more and more complicated due to VAT, tarriffs, required documentation ( new EORI number in EU, Brexit, etc)Export to countries like India encounter huge barriers, tarrifs VAT, due to government policy.So, we no can longer sell to South East Asia, Africa, UK, or India.Advice the OP to get shipments sent outside of India and a friend or colleage to bring in.Just my opinionJon

author: coppercone2
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 11, 2023, 06:45:15 pm
content: Quote from: Benta on March 10, 2023, 11:55:31 pmwell you need to always consider that1) people that do electronics are eithera) employed in the industryb) have some kind of internet/club/etc presencec) have friends that are employed in the industryd) involved in school/science2) every success story about a part is good advertising. The more people talk about a part the higher confidence and the higher the adoption and desire for the part is.Things get popular because alot of people are talking about them and solutions/adoptions occur when everyone has a good vibe about the part.The 'im bigger then you' thing has been a counterproductive nuisance since like, ancient greece? You are talking about mythological levels of fail to ignore the above.And basically the fat kid buying 100 lolipops is gonna die of a heart attack then no one will have a good word about them anymore

author: mindentropy
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2023, 08:19:05 am
content: Quote from: jonpaul on March 11, 2023, 04:56:27 pmInteresting. I am very interested in supply chain and how can someone secure it.Generally how can I go about finding out the retail distributor for a product? Does the manufacturer have an idea of who their retailers are? If yes, can asking the manufacturers give memore info on where to find their products?Also I am curious as to why not quote at a higher cost and sell the product rather than not sell anything at all?Asking a friend/colleague all the time is not always feasible. One off request is fine.

author: jonpaul
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2023, 02:20:57 pm
content: hello again1. Neither manufacturer nor distribution will respond to individuals or DIY.2. we loose hours of time on small orders and government requirements for certain countries, regardless of cost charged.3. Certain countries discouraged any imports to favor local manufacturers. India is particularly severe on any imports.4. Suggest that you network with local DIY, amateur radio, or maker groupes in India for best resources.Bon chanceJon

author: ebastler
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2023, 02:53:49 pm
content: Quote from: mindentropy on March 11, 2023, 03:16:41 amI don't think it is the import taxes which make Mouser and Digikey expensive. (How would other vendors get those FPGAs or microcontrollers into Indiawithoutpaying import duties?) Rather, it is the fact that they both keep a very large inventory and run a labor-intensive operation to grab, package and mail parts, often in small quantities.In Germany, I find myself in a similar situation as you describe. For "exotic" parts I do order from Mouser, since the only sources in Germany are distributors who cater to business customers and are not interested in selling small quantities. (And I don't think there is any point in trying to convince them otherwise.) So I bite the bullet and order enough stuff to meet Mouser's 50 Euro order minimum to at least qualify for free shipping.But the more common parts are available from local dealers here, who have a limited inventory, sell to private customers, in small quantities, at relatively low prices. What I can get from them I buy locally; only what they don't offer gets ordered from Mouser. Reichelt (reichelt.de) is my low-cost favorite; TME (tme.eu) is somewhere halfway between Mouser and Reichelt, both regarding price and inventory choice.Those company names won't be of much help for you in India, I'm afraid. But I would expect that you have similar companies in India? Google find quite a few, e.g. robu.in, evelta.com; but you don't want advice on this from someone in Germany...I think you just have to be prepared to use different suppliers and "mix and match" your orders. Expecting a supplier with a complete inventory, selling small quantities to private customers, and at aggressive prices is unrealistic. How would they make money?

author: mendip_discovery
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 12, 2023, 04:48:10 pm
content: The one that gets me is the companies that sell a specific part but they put in a expensive minimum order value and require bank details etc so they can setup and account. Which is annoying when you are testing out an idea and only just want a few parts they they specifically make.Even at work we got annoyed when we wanted to order a service kit for a shadowgraph and its was a sensible £40 but they had a min order of £300. But we didn't need anything else from them.