Cheap components.

Thread Starter

Rbeckett

Joined Sep 3, 2010
208
Been on Ebay and trying to locate various components. Unbelievable!!! China has the best price around. Yes, I know it is possible to get knock off parts, but name brand stuff that is small and inexpensive is pretty unlikely to fall into that arena. So I have been looking for stuff to refill my experimenters box and maybe add a few things along the way. I have stumbled on a vendor that has free shipping, great prices and puts everything in little "tackle box" type trays for ease of selecting a part. 200 3904/3906 NPN/PNP transistors in a box for like 5 bucks. All the little boxes are the same outside dimension so labeling the ends of the boxes makes finding exactly what you are looking for a snap. So far it's been Diodes, Transistors, Electrolitic, Polymers, zeners, leds and IC's. Less than a hundred bucks all told, and a plethora of values and basic parts at my fingertips. Ship time is about the only issue, and since it is for stock expansion that isn't even an issue. My search was "Electronics Component assortment" and had over 8000 hits. Happy shopping!!!!!!
WCB
 

bertus

Joined Apr 5, 2008
22,270
Hello,

I never buy on eBay.
There can be some curlpits there.
The combination od eBay and chinese can be unwanted.
There are a lot of counterfit parts around.
These can be rebranded or even empty parts that won't work at all.

I always buy my parts from preferred suppliers of the parts.

Bertus
 

absf

Joined Dec 29, 2010
1,968
I think it depends on where you live. once I used to buy parts from JDR and digi-key using credit card. The postage cost is higher than the parts I bought. And one time I bought some DS26LS31 and DS26LS32 SMD chips and they wanted me to declare the purpose of usage and my company profile before they sold the chips to me...:(

Now there are eBay and cheap local spare parts houses. I used to order sparse from eBay China and Thailand with very low postages. For parts like PIC and AVR I found it not too expensive and faster to get it from my local Farnell and RS Spares. As for quality the parts that I get from the parts stores where I live are the same source from China or Hong Kong so what do I have to lose? :D

Allen
 
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mcgyvr

Joined Oct 15, 2009
5,394
Yes, I know it is possible to get knock off parts, but name brand stuff that is small and inexpensive is pretty unlikely to fall into that arena.
Worst assumption ever.. Its exactly the small name brand stuff that gets knocked off...

You get what you pay for..
 

Sparky49

Joined Jul 16, 2011
833
Yeah... But sometimes you do get bargains too.

I order from Ebay on a basis, that if nothing arrives or works, then I am not that much worse off. 100 transistors for £3 is great. If they arrive and work, fantastic. But if they don't then I've only wasted the money for about three or four from a normal supplier.

Simple thing to do is check seller reputation. If it's anything less than 96% positive, I won't even consider buying from the company. If it's under 99% positive, then I'll check the reviews to see why they are not 100%.

The very best thing you can do as a buyer from Ebay is to give lots of feedback. If parts arrive which don't work, write it down in their review. You'll save someone else the bother you went through.
 

BSomer

Joined Dec 28, 2011
434
Another thing about ebay stuff is the "buyer protection". If the seller lists something as new or working or whatever, it has to be that way when you get it. If it isn't you can open a claim with ebay and you will get your money back.
 

Thread Starter

Rbeckett

Joined Sep 3, 2010
208
Well I spent about an hour and a half yesterday checking parts values from Chinese suppliers that I had recieved. Every part was exactly i spec as described by the markings on the component. I am pretty happy with that outcome, I expected at least 10% of the parts to be out of tolerance but the majority were nearly perfectly on the called out spec. Keep in mind I did not test the large pin count chips because they require a special set up, but I am 100% confident in these parts. I bought nearly all of them from the same seller at a slightly higher price than rock bottom and paid an extra 3 dollars for postage with a tracking number, but overall I am very happy with the results so far. I know I can still get bit by a junk dealer, but have not had an issue like that yet. You simply have to consider tha value of a part and it's relative scarcity and decide from there. I have nearly tripled my parts selection well within my max allowable parts budget. I dont buy critical parts, just caps, resistors, transistors and misc connectors and ribbon cabling. The IC's I do buy are generally well supported and readilly available for cheap so I have been very succesfull at not getting anything DOA or empty. I will definately keep doing it this way to continue to increase my bench stock for current and future projects.
Wheelchair Bob

Ladies and Gents do not take this as an I told you so or a gloat, I merely was looking for a cheaper way to support my hobby and found this to be an acceptable substitute, your mileage may vary, so make the decision based on your circumstances. But above all have fun exploring the hobby whichever way you decide.
 
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billbo

Joined Jan 25, 2010
12
colleting rubish eletronics and taking left overs to scrap dealers and selling excess parts online can be a good way to make money tvs are a good earner with the cooper yoke fetching good bucks in new zealand ive herd u get 8 bucks a tv size and type independant if u desolder it the lead is worth a bit to
i make money out of recycling
 

strantor

Joined Oct 3, 2010
6,782
I have no idea about selling used parts, but I hauled 1500lbs worth of steel, copper, aluminum, motors, and electronics to the scrap yard a few months ago and got enough money to pay for the gas out there and back, a burger, and a carton of cigarettes.
 

radiohead

Joined May 28, 2009
514
Although counterfiet parts may appear to meet specifications, criminals typically cut corners and leave out key features that will shorten the life of the component and/or may cause severe damage to the end item you are repairing (one example is cheaply made CR123 batteries without the safety gasket/o-ring). R!f@@ had some run-ins with some counterfiet Philips transistors before. Use counterfiet parts at your own risk. I will also add that by purchasing counterfiet parts, you are contributing to perpetuating the crime.
 

Wendy

Joined Mar 24, 2008
23,415
Sometimes it is a choice of not being in the hobby and buying counterfeit (if it works).

Many counterfeiters are not criminals, but work out of countries that do not have the same rules.

We in the states and UK are spoiled, not everyone has the options we do.
 

shortbus

Joined Sep 30, 2009
10,045
And just because a supplier is from a foreign, to you, country does not always mean the parts are counterfeit. Other countries have legitimate suppliers too. On E-bay always check the reputations, not just the percent rating but the actual number of good and bad responses.
 

Thread Starter

Rbeckett

Joined Sep 3, 2010
208
Although counterfiet parts may appear to meet specifications, criminals typically cut corners and leave out key features that will shorten the life of the component and/or may cause severe damage to the end item you are repairing (one example is cheaply made CR123 batteries without the safety gasket/o-ring). R!f@@ had some run-ins with some counterfiet Philips transistors before. Use counterfiet parts at your own risk. I will also add that by purchasing counterfiet parts, you are contributing to perpetuating the crime.
RH,
Were not talking buying counterfit parts from knock off suppliers. We are discussing legit parts from legit Asian suppliers. I am like you about perpetuating a crime, but we are not discussing criminal activity, only cheaper, non critical components at lower prices. I would not buy a 40 pin chip from China, but I wll buy resistors, caps, led's and pots all day long. They can easily be tested (which should be done with any component prior to use) and questionable qualities or specs can be immediately discarded, while still remaining in my meager pensioners budget. 2000 caps for 15 bucks is hard to pass up, so are 500 LED's for 10 dollars, or panasonic trim pots 300+ for 5 bucks. 16f877A's come from US suppliers. Makes sense to me.. Just so you understand what the real discussion is...
Bob
 
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radiohead

Joined May 28, 2009
514
I was not implying that anybody is engaged in a criminal activity for buying electronic components. My apologies for not being clear. Many of us, as stated above, don't have a choice but to purchase copies and mostly are unaware that they are copies at all. I've actually seen some copies out-perform the real thing. My intention was more directed to manufacturers who buy components like that in bulk to cut corners and increase a profit margin. I will be more careful with my wording in the future.
 

takao21203

Joined Apr 28, 2012
3,702
Farnell is not expensive as such, and fast shipping.
I don't know if they do business inside US.

Also eBay, I only had good experience, fake parts no problem except these notorious Bourns potentiometers.

Can be a problem for power semiconductors, potentially, means the original parts can be maxed out 100%, and the fake parts will make "pop" at only 80%.

Cheap LEDs from eBay also might be in unsorted condition, the same for cheap 2n3904, there can be one or two among 1000pcs, which don't work actually.

If you buy a 1000pcs. bag from professional vendor (branded), you get guarantee they all have been tested!

Not to say, many parts these days are distributed on reels, not so much anymore as bulk bags.

As for myself I really know various ways to obtain components for good prices, I could run a business with that if I wanted to, and if the logistics requirements would exist here. Spent a lot of time searching vendors, ebay, websites!
 

lightingman

Joined Apr 19, 2007
374
I have bought thousands of pounds worth of components on Ebay, and only ever had one batch of bad electrlytic capacitors, for whitch the seller gave a full refund. Other than that, never a problem.

Check the listing again and again. Check the feedback, check the manufaturers data sheets to make sure it is what you require. If the ebay photo looks like a stock photo and not the parts actualy for sale, these could be a bit supect. Any doubt and it is up to you.

Dan.
 

strantor

Joined Oct 3, 2010
6,782
Many of us, as stated above, [...] mostly are unaware that they are copies at all. I've actually seen some copies out-perform the real thing. My intention was more directed to manufacturers who buy components like that in bulk to cut corners and increase a profit margin.
I've read, and I don't remember where, that these chinese factories who are producing the "counterfeit" "fake" parts are often the same exact factories that produce the "real" ones. People might think for example that International Rectifier (I don't know where IR parts are made, this is an example) owns a factory in China, staffed with IR employees making only IR products. The truth may be that IR farms the work out to some preexisting chinese semiconductor factory (NOT owned by IR) who makes parts for IR but also makes parts for IXYS, Jimmy Chang's semiconductors, and Cheap China's Cheap Semis. Due to the total disregard of the silly notion of patents in that country, there's a good chance they just take IR's superior design, manufacture it, stamp it Jimmy Chang and sell it to Jimmy Chang's. Cheap China maybe struck a deal and just had the IR logo stamped on theirs (it's an IR part after all) and try to sell it for IR prices, or slightly below, at which point it becomes a "great deal".

It's the same thing with a lot of the "fake" stuff. My wife can get these "fake" handbags and designer clothes in her country that are obviously made by the same people making the real ones. They just get the logos sewed on in America so the manufacturer can claim "made in America" or at least "assembled in America". Think about it, what happens when the chinese company who makes Oakley sunglasses has the capacity to make 500,000 pairs, but Oakley only orders 100,000 of them? are they going to sit idle for the remaining 4/5 of the year or are they going to manufacture another 400,000 identical pairs of glasses and sell them as "foakleys" for probably the same price that Oakley pays them?
 
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