Sourcing Parts - How times have changed

No - I'm not getting a kick back from Mouser though a voucher would be welcome.

Well it's certainly a turbulent supply chain at present. I was going to make a throw away comment within my conclusion to 4:1 transformers about sourcing ferrites. However, I realised that since the supply disruption began my perception of where to source parts has changed greatly. If I thought 2 years ago that Mouser would be my preferred source I'd have checked myself into the mental hospital. But for good reasons Mouser presently does justify having a look.

The supply chain issues also impact my plans. In the past I have held PCB's and some parts for those wanting them. But freight to me, and then to you, meant I was moving towards using a PCB assembler and having them send direct to you pcb's populated with surface mount parts. But they can't fit parts that are out of stock, and I can't continually have to make substitutions to overcome this. It is awkward all round.

So let's look at some outlets in the order in which I once used them.

Aliexpress - Avoid

Many reasons: 

1. Fakes. Fakes. Fakes.
   
2. You can't find what you want without wading through pages of rubbish.  I don't know how a search for "ferrite" returns results like diodes, transistors and electrolytic capacitors. 
3. In general it is now expensive
4. No consistency from one order to the next.
5. Chinese sellers rarely meet specifications
6. It was posted so you must have got it scam.
   
7. Disputes rarely amount to a refund.
   

I recommend ignoring Aliexpress at this time. Occasionally I buy a plastic project case or hand tool but that's about it. At the very least they really need to fix their website search engine before  it becomes worthwhile again.

LCSC

Still a reputable source for jellybean parts like chip capacitors and resistors and low cost semiconductors. However, move away from generic and prices have become too expensive. eg the STM8S003 purchased for $0.30 two years ago at one stage was quoted as $3, though the price is easing now. But they rarely have them in stock. And the filters when searching for parts, while adequate, is not as useful as Mouser, Digikey etc.

Mouser

While prices at Mouser have risen, the increase is not as great as say LCSC. Yes, Mouser started from a higher base but today I find:

• many parts outside jellybean status are available at Mouser but not LCSC,
• Mouser pricing is competitive
• Mouser holds many more stock items. eg I couldn't find any ferrite toroids at LCSC but Mouser has  a large range. 
  

 

Arrow, Digikey etc.

I still look at other tier 1 suppliers but I haven't found a compelling reason to choose them over Mouser. Arrow would be my least preferred alternative because their filter function when searching is cumbersome. 

It might simply come down to freight costs where you live.

Freight

This is perhaps the game changer. If you can find it on Aliexpress the cost with freight is too high. The free post bargain we used to enjoy has gone. 

LCSC freight costs have also increased. Must be a great time to be in logistics.

Occasionally you find "freight free" items at Mouser and this really does push Mouser into the lead at this time. Get the order value high enough and freight free becomes a possibility. With prudent purchasing I have not paid much, if anything, for freight for my last few orders. 

Conclusion:

Lead times are a big issue for items out of stock for all outlets. I run a cart at both LCSC and Mouser. Mouser are surprisingly competitive now and have a much wider selection outside the jelly bean range. Freight costs tend to see parts in my LCSC cart getting dropped in favour of sourcing from Mouser. The overall result is that today the ratio of Mouser to LCSC deliveries here is about 2 to 1 in favour of Mouser. That's a large change from  perhaps 3 to 1 in favour of LCSC a few years ago.

Happy to hear where your preferred source is. I'm always looking at alternatives.

 

73's

Richard