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Newbie questions about component mail order houses

E

electronman

Jan 1, 1970
0
In my search for good component supply houses, I've found 3 local
places that are pretty good: the national chain Fry's, a local outfit
called Norvac, and the ubiquitous Radio Shack. But I just can't find
every comonent that I need at these businesses. So here are some
national mail order stores that I've run across in my web surfing (I
have not yet ordered from any of these yet, so I'm looking for your
advice here ... also, are there some other good stores that I don't
yet know about?)
Jameco
Goldmine
Allelectronics
Sciplus
Hosfelt
Two more questions: 1) Will these supply houses work with someone who
is only going to order $5 to $10 at a time? 2) How long of a
turnaround time should I expect from order date to receipt date?
Thanks for your advice in advance.
 
A

Anthony Fremont

Jan 1, 1970
0
electronman said:
In my search for good component supply houses, I've found 3 local
places that are pretty good: the national chain Fry's, a local outfit
called Norvac, and the ubiquitous Radio Shack. But I just can't find
every comonent that I need at these businesses. So here are some
national mail order stores that I've run across in my web surfing (I
have not yet ordered from any of these yet, so I'm looking for your
advice here ... also, are there some other good stores that I don't
yet know about?)
Jameco
Goldmine
Allelectronics
Sciplus
Hosfelt
Two more questions: 1) Will these supply houses work with someone who
is only going to order $5 to $10 at a time? 2) How long of a
turnaround time should I expect from order date to receipt date?
Thanks for your advice in advance.

I assume you are in the US. Jameco doesn't mind small orders AFAIK. I
don't think I've ever ordered from them, but they send me tons of
catalogues. ;-) You might like these:
www.digikey.com
www.mouser.com
and
www.sparkfun.com is pretty neat for a hobbiest.
Huge catalogues, giant inventory. I live in houston, mouser is in dallas, I
get stuff the next day usually without paying extra on shipping. I'm not
sure where digikey is, but they are good.
 
J

John Mianowski

Jan 1, 1970
0
In my search for good component supply houses, I've found 3 local
places that are pretty good: the national chain Fry's, a local outfit
called Norvac, and the ubiquitous Radio Shack. But I just can't find
every comonent that I need at these businesses. So here are some
national mail order stores that I've run across in my web surfing (I
have not yet ordered from any of these yet, so I'm looking for your
advice here ... also, are there some other good stores that I don't
yet know about?)
Jameco
Goldmine
Allelectronics
Sciplus
Hosfelt
Two more questions: 1) Will these supply houses work with someone who
is only going to order $5 to $10 at a time? 2) How long of a
turnaround time should I expect from order date to receipt date?
Thanks for your advice in advance.

I've had good service from Jameco, Goldmine, Allelectronics, &
Sciplus. All have limited offerings, though. Never used Hosfelt.

See also:

http://www.digikey.com
http://www.mouser.com
http://www.newark.com
http://www.alliedelec.com

Above have extensive product offerings, including unusual/hard-to-find
items & good web search/ordering systems. All ship quickly if items
are in stock; I've had products arrive as quickly as next-day, even
without expedited shipping.

JM
 
H

Homer J Simpson

Jan 1, 1970
0
In my search for good component supply houses, I've found 3 local

Alltronics.com too


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S

Steven Swift

Jan 1, 1970
0
Anthony Fremont said:
www.mouser.com
and
www.sparkfun.com is pretty neat for a hobbiest.
Huge catalogues, giant inventory. I live in houston, mouser is in dallas, I
get stuff the next day usually without paying extra on shipping. I'm not
sure where digikey is, but they are good.


add Ocean State Electronics, www.oselectronics.com. Only place I have found
subminiature tube sockets.
 
M

Matt J. McCullar

Jan 1, 1970
0
Two more questions: 1) Will these supply houses work with someone who
is only going to order $5 to $10 at a time? 2) How long of a
turnaround time should I expect from order date to receipt date?
Thanks for your advice in advance.

Hey, half the fun is looking through all the catalogs! I think you'll like
Digi-Key (they're in Minnesota) and B. G. Micro in Dallas. It's impossible
for one company to stock absolutely everything. Mouser is great, too.

Try drawing up a list of stuff you may be interested in so you can meet the
minimum order; this is how junkboxes grow. :)
Transistors; LEDs; resistors; capacitors; sockets; diodes; solder; etc.

Buying in bulk from a mail-order house is far cheaper than Radio Shack in
the long run.
 
C

Chris

Jan 1, 1970
0
In my search for good component supply houses, I've found 3 local
places that are pretty good: the national chain Fry's, a local outfit
called Norvac, and the ubiquitous Radio Shack. But I just can't find
every comonent that I need at these businesses. So here are some
national mail order stores that I've run across in my web surfing (I
have not yet ordered from any of these yet, so I'm looking for your
advice here ... also, are there some other good stores that I don't
yet know about?)
Jameco
Goldmine
Allelectronics
Sciplus
Hosfelt
Two more questions: 1) Will these supply houses work with someone who
is only going to order $5 to $10 at a time? 2) How long of a
turnaround time should I expect from order date to receipt date?
Thanks for your advice in advance.

Good morning. I'll usually deal with Mouser and DigiKey.

If you need to do the churchmouse routine and order in very small
quantities, you may want to stick with Mouser. They have no minimum
order. The last time I checked, they would ship as inexpensively as
you want, including Parcel Post if you're inclined wring out every
penny to wait for snail mail (note: haven't done that in a long time
-- call to check). That's ideal for a weekend warrior hobbyist, as
long as you don't really need it by next weekend.

DigiKey charges a $5 premium if your order is less than $25.

Typically, an order will be in the box and out the dock either the
same day or the next day with either of the above. After that, it's
up to the shipper and shipping method you choose.

Cheers
Chris
 
R

Rich Grise

Jan 1, 1970
0
In my search for good component supply houses, I've found 3 local
places that are pretty good: the national chain Fry's, a local outfit
called Norvac, and the ubiquitous Radio Shack. But I just can't find
every comonent that I need at these businesses. So here are some
national mail order stores that I've run across in my web surfing (I
have not yet ordered from any of these yet, so I'm looking for your
advice here ... also, are there some other good stores that I don't
yet know about?)
Jameco
Goldmine
Allelectronics
Sciplus
Hosfelt
Two more questions: 1) Will these supply houses work with someone who
is only going to order $5 to $10 at a time? 2) How long of a
turnaround time should I expect from order date to receipt date?
Thanks for your advice in advance.

FWIW, I've been to a place called "Whittier Electronics", which, oddly
enough, is in Whittier, CA. ;-) It was like the olden days - they seemed
to have every component you could possibly need - the boxes of heatshrink
and stuff were just kewl to browse. :)

And they have a website where you can order stuff, if you're interested:
http://www.whittierelectronics.com/

I found them very personable and helpful, in person. :)

Hope This Helps!
Rich
 
R

Rich Grise

Jan 1, 1970
0
Hey, half the fun is looking through all the catalogs! I think you'll like
Digi-Key (they're in Minnesota) and B. G. Micro in Dallas. It's impossible
for one company to stock absolutely everything. Mouser is great, too.

Try drawing up a list of stuff you may be interested in so you can meet the
minimum order; this is how junkboxes grow. :)
Transistors; LEDs; resistors; capacitors; sockets; diodes; solder; etc.

Buying in bulk from a mail-order house is far cheaper than Radio Shack in
the long run.

It's probably cheaper than RS even for a one-off. ;-)

Cheers!
Rich
 
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