Where do you buy your stuff?

Forum 2005-2010 (read only) General Bar Sport
41

Arduino-specific items, mostly at moderndevice.com.

PCBs mostly at seeedstudio.com.

Misc stuff at:
mpja.com (good selection of power supplies for cheap)
dipmicro.com
electronicsgoldmine.com

These "surplus and junk" stores are my favorites. I haven't seen many of them posted in the thread so far but would love to know if there are others out there.

Off the shelf components almost exclusively at mouser, but once in a while will use digikey, arrow, newark, or future if prices are significantly better or mouser doesn't have something.

No local stores except a Radio Shack that's about 40 minutes away. And at that point, I might as well order online and save the gas.

42

This is a wonderful post. The things given are unanimous and needs to be appreciated by everyone.

vernon getzler

smart card
Does anyone know where I can find really hardcore technical information about smart cards?. I'm doing a report for the company I'm working for so it's kinda important.

43

As some of you may know, I post about a local (Phoenix, Arizona) store I frequent, Apache Reclamation and Electronics. They don't have a web site or online store. Here is something I find interesting, though:

http://www.manta.com/c/mmjpnsb/apache-reclamation-elctro

Supposedly 1-2.5 million in sales? If you have ever visited it, you know they aren't putting it into making the place look "better" (although they did recently get a newly painted sign, and they recently put up aisle numbers).

They have another shop (which I haven't seen) called "Surplus City" - which is located in Albuquerque, NM:

http://www.manta.com/c/mm85zxk/surplus-city

Sales of $500,000 - 1 million.

So - according to these numbers, about 1.5 million on the low end; their staff at the Apache Reclamation shop is typically 3-4 "main" people (people that I have seen there for many years), and maybe 2-3 extras that come in (appear to be family members of the others?). Unless there is somebody else behind them and they are hired staff...

I guess you have to go to see what I mean - Apache Reclamation is located in one of the poorest areas of the city, in an old warehouse of sorts. It is literally an "indoor" electronics junkyard (they also have an outdoor yard with large items located elsewhere - it used to be located on the same grounds, but according to them, the city made them clean it up and move it - which was really a shame, it was fun to explore).

From what I can gather, they do most of their business buying and selling electronic surplus in bulk quantities - that's the only way I can figure they can make that much and stay in business year after year. I only go on weekends, mostly; spending a few hours there, you see maybe 3-4 other shoppers. They probably get maybe a top-end of 20 shoppers on a Saturday, probably only clearing a couple thousand at most on a really good day, with most days probably less. If they are bringing in the dough claimed by those numbers, it has to be because of bulk b2b sales, not sales to the public.

Unless the numbers are completely wrong, of course...

No matter what, though - they've been great for me; I'm hoping to go there again this weekend and pick up some more crap I don't need!

;D

44

I don't think the is anything like that this side of the pond, hell, I don't think I have ever seen a surplus electronics store here at all.

45

I don't think the is anything like that this side of the pond, hell, I don't think I have ever seen a surplus electronics store here at all.

A simple google search of "surplus electronics britain" found these:

http://www.surplus-electronics.co.uk/
http://www.distel.co.uk/

Deeper searching would probably uncover more. Believe me, they are there if you know how and where to look; now, I can't say whether either of the above have an open store front for the public to wander in or not (they may both just be web presences) - give them a call and find out!

Typically, these kinds of places (the real grungy and cool ones, ya know) are going to be in areas where you might say to yourself "self, perhaps I shouldn't park my car here at night" (or sometimes the day!). You know, the areas where there are poor people, junkies, bums, etc (ie, people who may roll you). A lot of times, even immigrant communities. Basically, these places are either forced by one reason or another to locate in areas where the citizens of that area won't make a stink about it to their local government representatives because they can't (maybe they aren't legal residents?) or they have other issues (crime, poverty, etc), or they just don't care.

Sad - but the truth. So, you need to be looking in those areas when you do your research. These places also tend to be home to a lot of other similar business (anything involving steel and dirt - autobody shops, welding shops, scrap metal shops, junkyards, etc). I know you guys have those places (Scrapheap Challenge, anyone?)...

:wink:

46

Thanks AlphaZeta. I thought dipmicro only has an ebay store. Their own site is more orgainzed. I bought from their ebay store once. Good stuff for cheap price. Fast shipping also. They're in Canada (right?) but my package was shipped from US. Guess they just hop in a car and brought their packaged to the US side of Niagara Falls and shipped them. Waiting for my second shipment from them.

47

cr0sh: When I was stationed in San Diego there was a warehouse that had scrap electronics, mostly military stuff. It was really cool, never in my life have I ever seen so many vacuum tubes in one place! Really old stuff, like giant fireproof resistors (darn near the size of your pinkie). It was really neat, but I never had the heart to rip apart any of the old gear.

48

I just ordered something from Itead and I must say they have very good customer support.

http://iteadstudio.com/store/

Others I use:

Dipmicro: on ebay or their site: Electronic components - dipmicro electronics
Bitsbox on ebay and their site: http://www.bitsbox.co.uk/

Dutch sites:

http://www.elektronicaonderdelen.eu/