Why is it so hard to find MicroSD cards? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Starlord
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 30, 2015, 05:26:16 am
content: Why's it so hard to find MicroSD cards?And I don't mean, it's hard to find MicroSD cards. I mean, why is it I can buy 100 2gb cards from an AliExpress supplier in Hong Kong for $2 a pop, and I can find them on ebay from questionable sources for a little more, but I can't for the life of me find a legitimate wholesale distributor of name brands like Sandisk at reasonable prices?If I go to Digikey for example, there's Sandisk cards there, but they're more retail price than wholesale, and the cheapest card they have is an off-brand ATP 1GB for $14 ea @ qty 1000.What gives?Google's no help either. You'd think if you searched for "Wholesale MicroSD cards" or something that you'd get some places to buy them, if not actual manufacturers but their search algorithms are obviously crap in this area because all I get are amazon results.And I can find the cards cheap on Ebay, and AliExpress, and Amazon. I don't need help with that. But damn... my supplier for the cards on AliExpress that I trusted in Hong Kong stopped selling them so I have to find a new supplier now, and I went through two other sellers who sold me cards that were 20% fake and the rest of questionable quality before I found that guy selling real cards where maybe 1 out of 100 would have an issue. So I was hoping to find a more legit source for the things before I go wasting money on more fakes.It should not be this hard for suppliers to find the manufacturers of things. Though I suppose I'm lucky we have the internet these days. I can't imagine how much it would have sucked trying to find sources for anything in the days before the net./end rant

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 30, 2015, 06:29:34 am
content: A quick search on aliexpress found 8GB cards that say genuine for $7.95http://www.aliexpress.com/item/100-Original-Genuine-SanDisk-NEW-Version-64gb-32gb-16gb-8gb-Ultra-micro-SD-Card-sandisk-TF/1984890685.html

author: Towger
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 30, 2015, 07:07:17 am
content: CoughingSent from my GT-I8200N using Tapatalk

author: coppice
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 30, 2015, 07:24:11 am
content: The smallest card any name brand supplier makes seems to be 8GB these days, and they won't last much longer. Anything smaller will be old stock or from someone obscure.

author: justanothercanuck
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 30, 2015, 07:35:35 am
content: Have you tried computer stores, or consumer electronics stores like Best Buy? Hobbyist electronics shops probably aren't likely to carry this kind of stuff.

author: Starlord
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 30, 2015, 09:44:54 am
content: Did any of you even read what I wrote?I know how to use AliExpress. I can find cards in AliExpress. But the people selling cards on AliExpress aren't manufacturers, they're just random people in China usually, getting them from... god knows where. Random shops in Shenzen selling used cards? I don't know/Now sometimes you find a good supplier who provides cards that work and at least appear to be new.But a lot of the time you end up with someone selling you cards where 20% of them are fake, and some may even be physically damaged. One customer of mine received a card that literally had a hairline crack down the middle of it that caused it to work intermittently. The quality of the SD adapters also varies a great deal, with this one particular type being hard to get the cards into, having a write protect tab that's hard to slide, and in that batch 30-50% of the things didn't work.> Have you tried computer stores, or consumer electronics stores like Best Buy? Hobbyist electronics shops probably aren't likely to carry this kind of stuff.I'm trying to buy 2-4gb cards at wholesale prices for $2 ea, not $20 each.

author: dexters_lab
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 30, 2015, 09:51:52 am
content: i know what you mean, its hard to buy genuine but not pay retail price.maybe no use to you being in the USA but 7dayshop stock lots of big brands at reasonable prices and are all genuine products, no fakes.http://www.7dayshop.com/brand/sandiski'm sure there are similar outfits local to you

author: G7PSK
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 30, 2015, 10:00:26 am
content: These people are good. Says UK but most of their stuff comes from Switzeland.http://www.mymemory.co.uk/Micro-SD

author: nali
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 30, 2015, 10:12:33 am
content: Just go to Sandisk's website and look on their "Find a Retailer" page - they have commercial as well as retail. Here in the UK I buy them from Peak Development.If you need 2Gb then choice is limited. One of our systems does and Sandisk seems to be the best performing but they're EOL now. For now I'm buying some used from eBay (normally removed from phones) but will need to switch to industrial grade such as ATP... I can't remember the exact pricing but they are something like £10ea more expensive

author: opty
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 30, 2015, 10:17:01 am
content: It looks like they are not produced anymore (most probably due to a lack of demand).I could buy 4GB Sandisk cards 6 months ago and now it is only 8GB+.I only need only a small FAT16 partition for my projects. Yes, I know I can make a partition smaller than total card capacity but that just feels like a waste...

author: electr_peter
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 30, 2015, 10:44:16 am
content: Low capacity SD cards are not sold anymore, except old stock. Previously low capacity cards were expensive, so price is still high.Low capacity cards have similar costs to manufacturer and retailer, while consumers want bigger and bigger capacities (because of new megapixel cameras, video recorders and music layers). Selling low capacity cards makes little commercial sense these days.Just buy a box full of cheap 1-2Gb cards and call it a day.

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 30, 2015, 10:47:07 am
content: The $2 2GB cards are all old stock, that's why they are so cheap. They are being sold below cost just to get rid of them.You're not going to find newly manufactured cards for $2. The 8GB i posted for $8 is about as good as it gets. Or maybe $5 if you buy a lot of them

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 30, 2015, 10:49:30 am
content: When I need large quantities I buy them from a computer (parts) wholesale firm. But don't expect to get big discounts. The margins on these products are not big to start with.

author: dannyf
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 30, 2015, 11:56:45 am
content: QuoteBecause you are not looking hard enough?They are practically everywhere.

author: han
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 30, 2015, 12:00:34 pm
content: They don't bother to make distribution link.Micro SD is very cheap, why bother to protect seller with distribution link.In very cheap item Quantity is more important the after sales service, and protecting from clone.simple answer. Quantity is more important then Brand Image (ruined by clone/imitation)

author: han
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 30, 2015, 12:02:40 pm
content: Is the OP mean. "why it's so hard find the micro SDOfficialdistributor shop???"

author: Starlord
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 30, 2015, 11:20:08 pm
content: Quote from: han on January 30, 2015, 12:02:40 pmYes.

author: miguelvp
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 31, 2015, 04:54:27 am
content: Less than 2 miles from my house:http://www.microcenter.com/search/search_results.aspx?N=4294966791&NTX=&NTT=&NTK=all&page=1&sortby=pricelowIf you don't have a Micro Center, you probably have a Fry's electronics.But get a Class 10, the cheap ones are very slow.

author: Starlord
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 31, 2015, 08:56:24 am
content: Quote from: miguelvp on January 31, 2015, 04:54:27 amOkay, but where's Micro Center getting them? A retail establishment usually marks stuff up by 200% at a minimum.I want to buy wholesale, in bulk.

author: hamster_nz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 31, 2015, 10:08:11 am
content: Quote from: Starlord on January 31, 2015, 08:56:24 amI think you will be very unlikely to by them at less than Micro Center's retail price. How many thousand will you need each week?Will it really be worth the distributor's time to deal with you, when they could be selling them to Micro Center?For example I can get a 4GB ADATA Class 4 from a country level distributor, for about US$3.50, excl sales tax and freight.I would suspect that the retail prices at MicroCenter are pretty much the same as wholesale, unless you are a *really* big customer.

author: dannyf
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 31, 2015, 12:19:36 pm
content: QuoteDepending on what you mean by "bulk".If you are talking about millions a month for the next 5 years, lots of people would love talking to you about it.If your "bulk" is 20 in 2015, well, you have just experienced it.

author: AndyC_772
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 31, 2015, 12:58:42 pm
content: Quote from: Starlord on January 31, 2015, 08:56:24 amA couple of results local to me, found by typing "sandisk industrial distributor uk" into Google.:http://www.peak-uk.com/industrialproducts/subsec.asp?secid=347http://www.ssd.gb.com/index.php/products/manufacturer/sandiskI've designed memory cards into industrial products before, and found continuity of supply to be a problem... unsurprising, since they're a consumer product with inherently short life cycles.If you want a product which will change and need re-qualifying less frequently, go for a card that's specifically marketed as an industrial product. They'll cost a bit more because they're lower volume items, but you'll get some guarantee that each batch is the same as the previous one, and you'll get advance notification of changes and obsolescence.

author: miguelvp
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 31, 2015, 04:55:48 pm
content: Quote from: Starlord on January 31, 2015, 08:56:24 amI guess electronics distributors is not your answer, unless you want to pay more:http://www.findchips.com/search/microsd%20sandiskNo bulk discounts, maybe computer distributors or office equipment?Or maybe there is such a thing as memory wholesalers

author: SeanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 31, 2015, 05:00:36 pm
content: I bought some 512M cards on clearance for US20c each, and bought a few packs. Gave a few to Jerry Pournelle as his favourite camera uses them, and he was looking for some. Still have a few for old cameras and photo frames that have old non updateable firmware on them.

author: tom66
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 31, 2015, 05:23:40 pm
content: Why not use eMMC. Same interface as SD card, managed on-chip wear levelling, and solders to a board. Do you really need it to be replaceable?

author: Starlord
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 01, 2015, 07:21:00 am
content: Quote from: tom66 on January 31, 2015, 05:23:40 pmNever heard of it. Multimedia Card? Actually, I have heard of it. I thought that was an old name for a kind of SD card that was never used in the US.QuoteSounds interesting... let me Google it.Hm. Okay, let's see what Digikey has.Erm... two offerings that are over $200 each. *cough*Mouser?Well, I see some chips that are $25 each for 512M and $33 each for 4GB. That's more reasonable, but I wouldn't use a chip with that little ram that's that expensive in well, anything, if there's a much cheaper alternative. I'm not building devices that require high reliability for years. I'm making stuff that needs to be cheap.And what's with the 100 pin BGA? I thought these were supposed to work just like SD cards? That's something you could stick in a 12 pin QFN package.Hm... Ah, it appears they can be wired in parallel? That's nice. Man this datasheet is sparse. Why'd Mouser link to the product brief?http://www.mouser.com/ds/2/176/06-01-357137.pdfQuoteWell, for one product I'm designing, yes. Imagine an art piece that plays soothing music, and which you can buy new music for. There needs to be a way to add new music to it that can be sold alongside it. Plus the guy is trying to meet a certain price point and $25 for the memory alone would leave no profit for me.And for another product, the end user needs to be able to add new music. That could be done with USB, but again, not willing to spend $25 to store 2Gb of data when there is a solution that is 10x less expensive. If I could find flash memory chips that were reasonably priced then I'd consider going that route. But it would have to be able to function like a flash drive and allow firmware updates over the same USB interface, and that's difficult to engineer.