Buying anything these days can be done in so many ways and from so many diverse places. When trying to determine where to buy electronic components there are a number of questions to ask yourself that will help making that decision.

Questions to Ask When Buying Electronic Components

1. How Quickly Do You Need the Components?

2. Is Brand Manufacturer Important?

3. How Important is Price?

4. Is the Country Where It is Made Important?

5. Are There Alternative Compatible Parts?

6. How Many of Each Component Do You Need?

How quickly you need the components will have a major influence in the decision-making process of where to buy.  Online options with quick delivery can be one solid source. Local distributors with a close physical option can offer same day pick up options if the orders are not too extensive. Remember also to ask your local seller if they have the quantity you require. This quantity question should be at the top of your questions list when communicating with your purchase options. Most online distributors will have the quantity they have in stock and information on how long getting more from the manufacturer will take.

Obviously, you can buy direct from the manufacturer but in many cases they either hand off sales to their distributors, or they charge more with no discount or free shipping. Like pharmaceuticals, many electronic components are made by numerous companies and prices vary. Knowing how important it is to use a specific brand of a components should be a factor when determining where to buy. There are price comparison tools like OEMSecrets that can show you who carries a component, how many they have in stock, and what the individual component price is. If you are buying in bulk, I suggest you check the sites for their bulk discounts. Many companies vary the discount for bulk purchases.

A recent article shows some of the more well known electronic component distributors, but remember pricing and availability is always in flux.

Sometimes, there are restrictions on what countries you can buy from - just as there are restrictions for companies in the United States of countries they can sell to. These sanctions “can be either comprehensive or selective, using the blocking of assets and trade restrictions to accomplish foreign policy and national security goals,” the Treasury Department notes. The site also gives details on what countries are on the prohibition list.

When looking for alternative component options there are sites like SilicoExpert that can give you some of the options for a different brand’s part that works as well as the specific one you were searching for. When going this route you should find out prior if your company has any agreements with the manufacturer or distributor. And you might want to ask the person who gave you the list of components to purchase. You should also check that the alternative part uses the same voltages etc. and meets any and all requirements your build may have.

You should also develop relationships with the distributors and manufacturers, as this may get you a “preferred customer” rate. This is also important if your parts discontinue and have an end of life date set. Good distributors will inform their buyers of this information so they can pre-order more before they are gone. Here the availability of alternatives becomes an issue, as you may not want to replace the entire machine your parts are needed for.

For information about ordering your components from OnlineComponents the video below is worth a quick watch.