How reputable are Winsource these days ? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 19, 2023, 11:58:39 am
content: Wondering what Winsource are like these days - looking for a part that Digikey have in stock, but not in an ideal package.Winsource list the packake I'd prefer at slightly less than Digikey with 62K stock.I've heard various stories of price hikes after ordering - adding to card does show a message about prices being subject to change.

author: Leo Bodnar
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 19, 2023, 12:34:34 pm
content: They did not impress me.WinSource took the order (and money) for something they said was in stock and ready to ship.Even Octopart showed they had stock - this is how I decided to buy from WinSource in the first place.After a few weeks of nothing happening I had to ask them why they are not shipping anything.They said they were off on a [single day] national holiday but now will ship real soon.Then few days later WinSource came back saying the price meanwhile has almost doubled and they can't find it on the market at the old price. This is for the product they already sold me two weeks ago and that they were supposed to have plenty of stock of.So I had to tell them to cancel the order.After waiting a week for the refund and nothing seemingly happening I had to resort to opening a PayPal dispute.Luckily, and thanks to PayPal, I got my money back.Never again for me, but your experience might be better.Leo

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 19, 2023, 09:08:39 pm
content: There is a whole thread on sourcing parts from brokers. From that I get the impression Winsource is to be avoided. I've seen them listing huge quantities they seemingly have in stock while others have none or just a few. That is a red flag.

author: AndyC_772
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 19, 2023, 09:20:39 pm
content: I've also had a relatively recent bad experience and now avoid them.I have noticed that, even though I couldn't buy everything on my last BoM from franchised suppliers, I was able to find more parts ex-stock that are similar enough to be usable with very minor circuit mods. I'd much rather issue an instruction that says "use <alt part> and join pins 3-4 with a solder bridge" than pay over the odds for parts that a broker has found somewhere.Looks like the days of double-it-and-add-a-zero pricing may now, finally, at last, be coming to an end.

author: thm_w
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 19, 2023, 10:19:47 pm
content: You can see my post here:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/manufacture/win-source/25/The prices on the site can't be trusted, so email one of their sales contacts for a quote, and see what number they respond to you with. I assume at that point its an "up to date" quote, but I haven't tried that yet.If its only slightly less than Digikey, I can't see it being worth buying outright, but you could give them a target price and try to haggle down more.

author: danielbriggs
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 20, 2023, 08:05:49 pm
content: Quote from: Leo Bodnar on January 19, 2023, 12:34:34 pmExactly this happened to me with the exception of me cancelling the order.I've used them several times "pre-pandemic / shortage times" for fairly sizeable orders, and they were brilliant. Low cost, prompt delivery, fairly comparable service to Digikey / Mouser / Farnell etc.However since the shortages it's just a money grab.I placed an order for a whole load of IC's + paid. Perhaps a week later "pay $100's more or we'll cancel your order, as the price is no longer the price".The fact they now charge 10x for most IC's is shameful behaviour.This has happened twice now, so I will never use them again; even if they change their price gouging tactics.

author: KE5FX
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 20, 2023, 09:51:29 pm
content: I've had decent luck with them, for what it's worth. The last order I placed a week or two ago shipped immediately despite the CNY, which surprised me. The parts arrived well-packed in a sealed bag, appeared genuine, and worked fine.This was a small order but we've placed larger orders in the past (US $50K+) that have gone OK as well. Maybe that explains the free mouse pad they threw in with this one, although this was a personal order and not a company order.