Where do you get your parts?

[Mike6158]

Just curious about where folks buy their electronic supplies.<p>I currently use Digikey and Jameco.<p>Digikey is my preferred source but ordering a long list from them is not fun. Their website sucks from a customer ordering perspective.<p>Jameco is a company that I probably won't use again. I recently placed an order and paid about 20% of the price of the order for overnight shipping because I needed the stuff to get here today. I suspect that when they get around to shipping the order I'll get it overnight. So far... day two.. the day that I expected to received the order... no shipped notice. So much for overnight. I'll return the favor via my wallet.<p>What other options are out there?

[Dave Dixon]

My two primaries are DigiKey and Newark-In-One. Newark offers "Delivered to you in 2 days or less or we pay the freight" on in-stock items. I've had the same cust. service rep for years, and she is a sweetheart and bends over backwards to help me on my small prototype qty. orders.
I've also had good luck with Mouser. I HAD excellent dealings with a local Arrow Electronics dealer until the main company decided we should deal with another service center out-of-state (To better serve us). We don't use them any more. Many years ago Future/Active made all kinds of promises they couldn't keep. They lost all of our business, but supposedly have restructured (Too late to get me back).
Allied Electronics is pretty good. Garrett Electronics is great for small quantities as well. McMaster Carr is great for bigger stuff i.e. motors, hardware. Hope my opinion helps, but it's like you-know-what, just my opinion!
Dave

[Chris Smith]

All electonics carries many great things, electronics, nuts, and volts.

[Enzo]

It really depends on what you are doing, and your volume. If you are a hobbyist it is tough to get the great prices at a house that has a $50 minimum order. Or worse yet, a line by line minimum.<p>I run a maintenance and repair for pro audio gear. For general parts I use Mouser a lot - good selection and good prices, no minimum. I like Allied a lot too, but I mainly buy bulk from them. I use Digikey only when I can't find it at the other guys. Nothing against them, but it is a chore wading through their catalog and they don't cover me enough of the time to be on my A list.<p>Jameco comes through now and then, and I keep them handy. I use MCM often, especially for Japanese number transistors for repair. The above general suppliers have very few Japanese types. MCM reasonable, but not as cheap opn common items. Parts Express has all kinds of speaker related things - drivers, crossover parts, cabinet parts.<p>Antique Electronic Supply has a great catalog if you are into guitar amps or old radios.<p>I don't use them so much, but I keep a number of surplus houses on the shelf - Hosfelt, MECI, Fair Radio, All Electronics, M.P.Jones, among others.<p>McMaster Carr does have a little of everything - that odd screw no one has.<p>I usually do my hunting in the catalog and then order online. Browsing for parts is so clumsy online to me. Online you need to know what you want first. In the catalog you can leaf through and see what they have, you can learn about other options than what you started with. It also makes it easier to find out what they call something you might want so you can find it online.<p>Once in a while I get bailed out by Radio Shack. I admit it. They no longer have a catalog, so I have no idea what they carry any more.<p>I also buy right from the OEMs I represent, and from some wholesale only suppliers like MAgic Parts and CEDist.<p>Not so much for me any more, but WW Grainger has outlets all over the country and that is the place for motors and industrial stuff. I no longer service the stuuf I used to support there.

[k7elp60]

Sorry to hear about your problem with JAMECO. Perhaps it wasn't their fault. Could be the shipping company. As I recall, JAMECO ships via UPS.
I have used JAMECO, DIGIKEY, MOUSER, ALL ELECTRONICS, CIRCUIT SPECIALISTS, PARTS EXPRESS, NEWARK, and others. Any time that I have had a problem(which is rare,can't remember the last time) with any supplier, I would call and they seemed to bend over backwards to make things right.

[Mike6158]

No... They just shipped it today. What bugged me is that they showed all items in stock (Wednesday evening). I paid for overnight shipping figuring that it would take Thursday to package it and ship it. I hoped to receive the package by Friday. I got a ship notice today. It had a tracking number. My stuff is 90 miles away, sitting in a FedEx warehouse. I'll get it Monday after paying through the... body part... for overnight shipping. That's just not right.<p>That said, after doing some research, their prices are pretty darn good on some things. I could have saved some money with Digikey but I would probably still be trying to enter the order.<p>Jameco is alright I guess. If they would have answered my email I would have thought more of them. It wasn't a nastygram...

[Vincent]

I like Mouser. We have to pay tax since it's in Texas, but we get the parts in 1-2 days everytime with regular ground shipping.

[peter-f]

Yeah- express delivery- I remember...
Had an order (not from Jameco) - told vendor to ship via ANYONE BUT [--].
Vendor used [--] anyway... 3 days later, it was refused to send them a real message... follow instructions or get it BACK.