PCBcart prices doubled! - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: hcglitte
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 01, 2015, 08:32:00 am
content: Hi,I just quoted a design online at pcbcart, and their prices has doubled overnight!Anyone else who has experienced this? If not, try to quote an existing design as a new one with the same parameters and compare prices.Guess I am in the search for a new pcb house :-( Any tips is much appreciated!Best Regards

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: July 01, 2015, 08:38:45 am
content: I heard they just droppeda lotin recent times?I haven't used them for quite some time now.

author: hcglitte
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 01, 2015, 08:43:30 am
content: The stencil service is super now with respect to prices. Now suddenly the prices became normal again, I am sure I did not make a typo in the parameters - maybe there was some sort of bug with their new online form or something... Anyway, seems good! Sorry for the trouble!

author: hcglitte
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: July 01, 2015, 08:48:42 am
content: There must have been a bug, I had one tab open with the high price, and I changed the name only of the design which triggers a new request to their server, and the price halved!

author: rea5245
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 01, 2015, 11:51:54 am
content: Quote from: hcglitte on July 01, 2015, 08:32:00 amThere's a price-comparison site for PCBs atPCBShopper.com. You enter your board's specs and it shows you prices from 25 different manufacturers, including the best-known companies in Asia, North America and Europe. PCBCART is one of them. There are also Amazon-style reviews for many of the manufacturers that you can read (and write, if you have some experiences to share).- Bob

author: zapta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 01, 2015, 02:09:56 pm
content: Quote from: rea5245 on July 01, 2015, 11:51:54 amIt's getting better and better, the reviews for example.Minor suggestion, have the vendor links going to their PCB related pages. For examplehttp://imall.iteadstudio.com/open-pcb/pcb-prototyping.htmlAlso, I order PCBs from elecrow because they have reasonably priced metal stencils and I can combine the shipping cost. Would be nice to be able to compare stencils as well.

author: rea5245
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 01, 2015, 09:44:08 pm
content: Quote from: zapta on July 01, 2015, 02:09:56 pmHi zapta,I've wrestled over this issue and I finally decided that the company name should link to the company's home page. If the company wants to make their PCB quote form more prominent, they can put it on their home page or even detect referrals from PCBShopper and forward them to the quote page.- Bob

author: David_AVD
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 29, 2015, 04:50:40 am
content: I keyed in an example board into pcbshopper and the price from PCB Cart was much higher than when I key it directly into PCB Cart.

author: rea5245
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 29, 2015, 12:48:40 pm
content: Quote from: David_AVD on July 29, 2015, 04:50:40 amHi David,If you want me to look into this, please go toPCBShopper.com, click on "Contact Us" and send me a message with the details of what board specs you entered and which manufacturer's price you think is incorrect.If you tell me what problem you think you've found (and it really is a problem), I can usually fix it in one business day. But I need more information than what you've provided.- Bob AlexanderPCBShopper.com

author: David_AVD
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 29, 2015, 09:13:10 pm
content: Off the top of my head the board was 7.55" (19.2cm) x 6" (15.2cm) double sided and other options as default. Board qty was 50 pieces.

author: rea5245
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 30, 2015, 01:12:22 am
content: Thanks David. It looks like PCBCART had changed a couple of parameters in their query. I've modified PCBShopper to match it, ran a bunch of tests, and it seems to be getting the correct prices now.Remember that if you find any problems with PCBShopper, the best way to let me know is with the "Contact Us" link onPCBShopper.com. I happen to be subscribed to this thread but, in general, posting to a thread in a forum will not get my attention.- Bob Alexander

author: David_AVD
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 30, 2015, 02:02:02 am
content: No problem Bob. I'll be sure to try your site again.

author: Kjelt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 30, 2015, 05:30:54 am
content: Do you think prices can stay this low for the chinese based fabs? I mean do they make profit on it? I am amazed how cheap they are. Usually I pay more for shipping than for the boards which is ridiculous to say the least.

author: mswhin63
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 30, 2015, 05:50:02 am
content: The Chinese government fund a lot of companies to build up there status.Recently i saw a news report were the Chinese stock market hiccuped a bit. I think a few more of those may see some changes but not sure. Things are done very differently in China.Quote from: Kjelt on July 30, 2015, 05:30:54 am

author: Kjelt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 30, 2015, 07:41:00 am
content: As long as they make a profit there is no problem but if it is government sponsored ouch.You have to ask why they are soo much cheaper than other fabs that also are located in low cost countries.Hey I do not complain and do make use of it while it lasts

author: IconicPCB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 30, 2015, 08:02:10 am
content: Hey I do not complain and do make use of it while it lastsYou ought to have a broader outlook on economy.Support Your local shop otherwise You will loose more than just the shop. You will loose Your job.Sounds pathetic does it not.Well it is happening in Australia. Australia and China have signed a FTA and under the agreement Chinese companies working on projects in Australia can now bring in their own work force to do work Australian workers would have done in the past.So get ready to be better, smarter and more stressed out than You are over Your job security or... as I said .. support Your local pcb shop while it lasts

author: Kjelt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 30, 2015, 09:56:06 am
content: This is for my hobby and although I did use my "local" pcb shop in the past I am only using them for high tech boards from now on since they are more then 5 times as expensiveSo for the common hobby boards I use the china fab.It is the same with food, you are not always buying the $100/ounce Wagyu steak are you ?

author: IconicPCB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 30, 2015, 09:48:10 pm
content: No it is quite true. i do not buy wagyu at all..i get local grass fed steak at $14/kilo. Accent being on LOCAL.But i digress. It takes a certain mass to keep local industry going. Once that mass is lost maintaining whats left over becomes very difficult, almost impossible.Restarting it may be possible only on war footing. But more immediately loss of a particular industry you require to keep your work going will eventually lead to your work being devalued and replaced just as the previously lost industry has become.The government and so called experts tell us new industries we have not dreamt of yet will come up. Well that is OK it may and then it may not. In the mean time our dot inductry is going the way of dot com and nothing is replacing it.That is the gist of my comment; that and only a war can save us from perishing of poverty.

author: rea5245
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: July 30, 2015, 10:04:05 pm
content: Quote from: IconicPCB on July 30, 2015, 09:48:10 pmLong before we perish from poverty, wages will come down. Meanwhile, wages will be rising in China, so manufacturing will move back towards us.So the worst case scenario is that standards of living around the world equalize over time (assuming free trade and free economies). It's a shock to those of us in the First World who've spent the last 100+ years being rich while everyone else was poor. But overall I think it's for the better.- Bob

author: Kjelt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 31, 2015, 06:47:06 am
content: Ironic enough it are the local people themselves that for convenience sake goto supermarkets and buy everything, small local specialized shops close, competition is out and farmers get pressured in to extreme low prices. Still government is not doing anything, that is capitalism at work.I am not rich I look around where my euro can get more bang for the buck and so are the companies YOU for instance buy your clothes from. They are most probably manufactured in India or some other low paid country. I respect your opinion but unless we go back in time close our borders for any foreign product and vice versa we are all in a global economy.Don,t forget you,re country is exporting a lot of products, in your ideal world that will also end right there and then.

author: IconicPCB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 31, 2015, 11:41:16 pm
content: While the supermarket argument points to a problem , it is irrelevant to the issue of sourcing locally and supporting local providers. You do not go to Bruge every time You fancy chocolate.You purchase it locally. The point which needs to be addressed isHow much capability should an economy be allowed to loose on the altar of outsourcing?As an economy looses one layer of capability, will it knock down the next domino? More to the point who next in the chain now that PCB shops are endangered? Certainly the chemicals suppliers no longer carry relevant chemistry.