Which main line supplier best for small orders? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: Rick Law
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2014, 04:34:52 pm
content: Folks, I like your suggestion:Unlike my typical projects, I am trying one that require quality parts. My "goto" supply house (Tayda) doesn't have those (shopping for a good OpAmp and a quality slider switch).Not that $5-6 S&H is that much, but it is kind of a mental block. I keep telling myself "I am not going to spend $6 S&H for a $5 thing. So I keep ending up not doing it... Perhaps if I know that is the lowest it goes, I may decide different.I know places like Mouser, Digitkey, Newark, Farnell are places that many recommends. Which of the above (or other known quality house) has the most reasonable shipping/handling cost for small less than $10USD order? (Shipped within lower 50 states of USA)ThanksRick

author: rdl
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2014, 07:32:43 pm
content: I pretty much only buy from Mouser and I usually accumulate needs until I have enough for a $50 or so order. I normally have stuff shipped by Priority Mail because it's cheap and I don't have to worry about UPS just leaving the box on my doorstep. The do offer that economy shipping where DHL or somebody ships your package to the local local post office who then delivers to you. It's pretty slow (typically 7 days for me, vs. 2 days for Priority Mail) but it only costs like $4.50 or so.

author: Rick Law
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 19, 2014, 09:04:53 pm
content: Quote from: rdl on June 19, 2014, 07:32:43 pmThanks, RDL!Now I will choose the right precision OpAmp I want to experiment with, and order the darn things. I've been thinking about it for a long time, but kept on putting it aside as said before "I don't want to pay $6 for $5 item."Knowing you feel Mouser is reasonable with the S&H. I can now rationalize - I am good to go!

author: David Hess
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 21, 2014, 08:53:02 pm
content: The widely second sourced OP-07 is the least expensive precision operational amplifier at this point. The LT1013 (dual) and LT1014 (quad) are the least expensive precision single supply operational amplifiers serving as high precision replacements for the LM358 and LM324 respectively. They are also now second sourced.

author: Rick Law
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 21, 2014, 10:42:56 pm
content: Quote from: David Hess on June 21, 2014, 08:53:02 pmGood tip, thanks!

author: Legion
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 22, 2014, 02:24:23 am
content: I've never used Mouser, but I use DigiKey regularly. They allow you to save your shopping cart. This way I can keep adding parts to my order over a few weeks. Here in Canada shipping is $8 and it's overnight by Fedex.

author: David Hess
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 22, 2014, 04:40:03 am
content: I use both but Mouser is my first choice because Digi-Key's web interface is very poor. Their paper catalogs were better.

author: kolonelkadat
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 22, 2014, 08:59:19 am
content: I shop at both mouser and digikey, shipping is within a dollar between the two so here's what I do.I wait until i have about 50 usd worth of stuff I want to get, or I tally up what I need *now* and then get a bunch of stuff i will probably need later to bulk up my order.step2, I duplicate my mouser order at digikey. Which ever one has the cheaper total wins the bid. My last BOM (~$70) wound up being $10 cheaper at mouser than at digikey, which, in a way, you could almost consider free shipping lol.i guess my point is, dont limit yourself to one place. shop around. it takes like 2 minutes extra.eta: as an american, I dont even mess with element14. Its been my experience that their stock is far more costly (as much as +30%) than mouser or digikey and the shipping was brutal to boot.

author: Rick Law
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 22, 2014, 10:58:18 pm
content: Thanks for all the info.As I said, not that $5 or $10 is that much, but I just get this mental block about spending more on shipping than the item itself. I just want to make sure their S&H for small orders are within reason and they appear to be from the experiences you folks so generously shared.So I am good to go once I am done with my current project. Another time waster as all hobby projects are...Rick

author: jlmoon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 23, 2014, 02:22:41 pm
content: Mouser is #1 in my book, but then they are right down the street literally. Allied #2

author: c4757p
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 23, 2014, 03:22:44 pm
content: I really prefer Digi-Key most of the time for the selection and the customer service*, though they are expensive. If you pay by check (yes, in 2014) you do get free shipping, which is nice if you don't mind the wait - usually not long anyway. For small orders, it's not unusual for this free shipping to cover the cost difference between them and a cheaper supplier. I also prefer their web interface, though that seems to be a point of contention.*Digi-Key are the only ones I've found to have customer service that's helpfully responsive to people with small orders. Anecdotally, I gather that a number of my classmates actuallycalled DK for adviceselecting a part for a school project, and they actually took the time to give good advice, complete with explanations of how the parts work. These were students, who spent probably $60. For the same project, I inquired a few of the suppliers about the silicon revision being sold of a particular AVR chip, and DK were the only ones who would even bother to check. The overall experience dealing with them for this project has gained them at least one long-term future customer.Mouser has an okay selection, though not quite as broad. I wish they'd get Linear. Generally cheaper, and equally reliable.

author: katzohki
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 23, 2014, 04:02:52 pm
content: I like Digikey myself. Check here for shipping rates:http://www.digikey.com/classic/Ordering/ShipCostEstimator.aspx?ReturnURL=/classic/ordering/addpart.aspxI generally use USPS First Class and it still tends to get here in only a few days. Pretty good!The other option is to save up 100s of parts for a big order. We tend to do that in the office, and a big order is generally only around $50-100, but we tend to pool whenever any of us need some stuff. You can't go wrong ordering a few 100s of surface mount caps and resistors of course!