RS free shipping now only orders > $70 - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: BradC
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 16, 2021, 01:27:55 am
content: I've used RS for years. Free next day delivery for anything in stock in Aus, and ~5 working days from UK stock. It has been getting more and more common that stuff wasn't stocked locally, so there was pretty much always a 5 day wait.Last order I noticed it's now $12.95 delivery for any order under $70. It's probably not unreasonable, but I didn't see any announcement of the change.Digikey is always 5 days away, and shipping is usually $25 for anything under $60. So for any significant order it's now a bit of a wash between the two, but Digikey has a much broader stock base.I'm now far more inclined to use Digikey than RS unless it's a "need it yesterday", whereas previously I favoured RS.Did anyone see any publicity surrounding the change that I missed?

author: sleemanj
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 16, 2021, 01:53:50 am
content: Same in NZ, $9.95 now for delivery under 70 NZDhttps://nz.rs-online.com/web/generalDisplay.html?id=support/deliveryWayback machine still has the free delivery on 21st January, so must be quite a recent change.https://web.archive.org/web/20210120061655/https://nz.rs-online.com/web/generalDisplay.html?id=support/deliveryIt's not an outrageous charge, I'm surprised they managed to keep it free for so long really.

author: BradC
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 16, 2021, 03:13:13 am
content: Quote from: sleemanj on March 16, 2021, 01:53:50 amYeah, me too. I made a concerted effort not to take the piss, but when you needed a specific component ASAP and you could browse the list to find one that was in-country it was pretty convenient.I just find I'm tempted to pad out the order to > $70 (and it's $77 inc GST), and then Digikey has a much (much, much) better range, often lower MOQ (1 vs pack of 5) and at much lower prices, so I don't have to pad the order out as far. I get more bits for a lower price and I still get them in about the same time as if I'd chosen out of country stocked RS parts.I did order a specific lithium button cell through RS once, and it took 9 months to arrive.

author: johnboxall
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 16, 2021, 03:36:54 am
content: Quote from: BradC on March 16, 2021, 01:27:55 amNo, just seemed to quietly happen. Can't blame them, delivery isn't free so someone has to eat it.

author: Whales
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 16, 2021, 03:57:59 am
content: I've always wondered when this would happen. Makes sense.QuoteOoh, that's not what it has always said. I've gotten used to "next day" or "same day Sydney metro delivery" really meaning 1 week. I am very glad they there are now saying "for Australia stock", that's a LOT more clear and honest.

author: tom66
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 16, 2021, 08:23:45 am
content: Seems to have changed in the UK. I too never 'took the piss', always would make a £10-15 order, but it worked out cheaper than Farnell (and unlike Farnell they wouldn't screw up my order repeatedly.)Alright, back to getting parts from eBay or building up a big enough Digi-Key order. If I'm going to order a lot of parts it might as well be via DK given they have a wider selection and generally better prices.