The ultimate list of surplus electronics suppliers!

[Rob]

Experimenters have a long established tradition of having a "junk drawer," a stash of components you keep on hand for when you need to do some impromptu wizardry. Having access to a good list of surplus suppliers is key for building up your junk drawer, or even just for finding that widget you need for your project at a reasonable price. Remember though, if you need one, buy a pair and have a spare.

Here's our list of surplus electronics suppliers. These are mostly places that buy up inventories and sell them off piecewise. So stock in hand changes, and you can get some crazy stuff (or just crazy cheap) by being in the right place at the right time.

UPDATE - justDIY
If you know of any other surplus vendors (especially those outside North America), please add them to this list, in a similar format to what we have here.

Please do not add any other messages to this thread, your post will be deleted.

[Rob]

http://www.allelectronics.com/
http://www.resellerratings.com/seller4854.html

888-826-5432
818-904-0524

payment terms
Visa, Mastercard, Discover and all American Express cards, no COD
Sales tax applies in CA

shipping policies
$6 minimum S/H fee, no minimum order

catalog request (also downloadable as PDF for the impatient)

All Electronics is one of my "go-to" sources. They have been around a long time, and have a good stream of new items arriving, so check the front page often. The online shopping cart works well, and orders are shipped promptly and packed well.

[Rob]

http://www.bgmicro.com/
http://www.resellerratings.com/seller2772.html

800-276-2206
972-205-9447

payment terms
MasterCard, Visa, Discover, check, money order or PayPal

shipping policies
$6 S/H for orders under 2 pounds. Orders over 2 pounds will be charged according to weight and zone.

catalog request

BG Micro is another of my favorite sources. They have a printed catalog that is a lot of fun to read. Their online shopping cart is a little quirky, but works properly. Orders are shipped promptly and packed well. This place has also been in business a long time.

[Rob]

http://www.hosfelt.com/
http://www.resellerratings.com/seller817.html

800-524-6464
888-264-6464
740-264-6464

payment terms
check, money order, Visa, Master Card, American Express, Discover, or Fed Ex COD. Sorry, no U.S. Mail COD. No COD from first-time customers. Sales tax in IN and OH. $5 minimum order, $10 minimum for COD.

shipping policies
Actual Shipping + $1.00

catalog request

Sadly, you just about have to have a paper catalog in hand (request one, they're free) to get the best from Hosfelt. Their website is almost unusable. Orders are shipped very promptly and well-packed, and the shipping terms are superb, plus the minimum order is really low.

[Rob]

http://www.mpja.com/
http://www.resellerratings.com/seller4675.html

800-652-6733
561-848-8236

payment terms
American Express, Master Card, Visa, Discover, check, money order. Sales tax in FL. $15 minimum order. $100 minimum for intl. orders.

shipping policies
UPS integrated to shopping cart.

catalog request

MPJA is a nice supplier for a beginner, since they offer a great selection of breadboards and related gizmos.

[Rob]

http://www.excesssolutions.com/
http://www.resellerratings.com/seller4995.html

408 573-7045
408 557-8895

payment terms
Visa, MasterCard, check, COD. $25 minimum order. Sales tax in CA.

shipping policies
UPS shipping intergrated with shopping cart.

no catalog request link, sorry

[justDIY]

http://www.meci.com
-not registered with reseller ratings-

800-422-3525 (national)
937-461-3525 (local)
937-461-3391 (fax)

accepts credit cards (unspecified) through online store

Terms and conditions
minimum order $20
actual shipping costs + $5 handling fee

There is no catalog that I know of.

MECI sells a lot of "heavy duty" electronic and electric components - great stuff for building robots or industrial machines.  Their online store is functional but a bit quirky.  They are located in Ohio.

[justDIY]

http://www.cascadesurplus.com/catalog/index.php
eBay store with feedback

503-762-4365 (tel)

payments accepted:
visa, mc, amex, novus, paypal

shipping policy
No minimum order.

There is no printed catalog that I know of.

Cascade has a nice online store, with your general assortment of surplus parts.  They are located in Portland, Oregon, where they also have a retail store.

[Rob]

a couple more for the list:
http://www.surplussales.com/
http://www.fairradio.com/
http://www.herbach.com/

These need writeups...

[sprocket]

This company appears to have some decent deals and is geared more towards education.http://www.elexp.com/index.htm

[BVnursery]

A good site to check availability and pricing is     http://www.findchips.com/avail