Where To Buy Electronic Components

Where To Buy Electronic Components

Close-up photo of a circuit board
Whether you’re sourcing for production or repair, where you buy electronic components can have a major impact on the price and quality of your final build. Depending on where you are in the supply chain, you may buy directly from the manufacturer or a distributor. Both options have advantages and disadvantages. Another challenge today is determining where to buy electronic components online. Depending on the source, you may mistakenly purchase counterfeit parts. Here, we’ll cover considerations for where to buy electronic components, how to find the lowest prices, and how to verify authenticity to ensure the quality of your final product.

Factors to Consider When Buying Electronic Components

Engineers in a workshop discussing in front of a computer There are many options when selecting a supplier or distributor. But before choosing where to buy electronic components, consider checking through these factors to help you determine the best choice.  These general guidelines will ensure you get the best parts you need.    

Availability of Parts

While physical locations have advantages, many lack access to the range of electronic components that online options often have. Some online distributors have access to millions of parts, making it easier to locate hard-to-find components. Another advantage to this level of access is that you can compare several options for where to buy electronic components online. You will also be more likely to find hard-to-find parts from such an online distributor instead of a smaller distributor or supplier.

The Quality Control Process

Even after you’ve found the part you’re looking for, you’ll want to determine that it’s in good working order and that the part itself is genuine. Buying knock-off parts can cause compatibility issues and could be an early failure point in your final product. When deciding where to buy electronic components, look for suppliers or distributors that extensively test their products for quality with testing types like X-ray, XRF, solderability testing, hot solvent testing, die verification, and microscope inspection. Every electronic component we provide at Part Locator is top-notch quality because we’ve invested more than 1 million dollars in testing equipment to ensure that we extensively test the quality of the products and eliminate counterfeit parts. These efforts will ensure you don’t mistakenly source low-quality or counterfeit components that could cause extra losses or costs for your business down the line.

Value-added Services

Some suppliers and distributors offer multiple services as additions to ordered parts. These services may include programming, bar-coding, vendor-managed inventory, and asset recovery.  These added services can help you save a lot of time and money in inventory management. Consider choosing suppliers that offer this when determining where to buy electronic components.

Fast Lead Times

A single missing component can delay your entire project. Find a supplier or distributor that will get you products in days, not months. It’s also best to compare lead times since they vary based on where the components come from, their sizes, and more.

Check For Reviews

Ensure that past customers are satisfied with the services of the place where you are to buy electronic components. Many more happy customers than unhappy ones mean a high chance you’ll also be pleased with the service. The opposite is also true.  If possible, discover the nature of their connections to their suppliers. Such relationships indicate a healthy business and can also be passed down as savings to you due to the nature of these relationships.

Where To Buy Electronic Components Online

While there are several distributors online, not all of them will be able to meet these important considerations. That’s why we recommend buying your electronic components with us here at PartLocator.com. We have access to over 70 million electronic components through 5000+ suppliers and their inventories. These connections mean that even if we don’t have the part you need, we will find a supplier who does as quickly and inexpensively as possible. As a result, we have built strong relationships with our suppliers and customers. The connections with our manufacturers mean that we often get excellent deals on parts, which saves us a lot of money. We then pass those savings on to our customers.

Connect with Part Locator Today

Find the components you need using our search tool or submit an RFQ. We will get back to you shortly with a cost estimate and time of delivery.

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