Finally JRC4558D's for a realistic price

[ExpAnonColin]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3710550885&category=22669



-Colin

[javacody]

I'd bid as high as $5 for em.  

[ExpAnonColin]

Speaking of which, anyone have a source for some decent (don't have to be mindblowingly OP27) dual op amps for really cheap, IE less than 20c?  I've been parusing ebay but it's a bit bleak.

-Colin

[Brian Marshall]

i've found ebay to be more of a waste of time for buying components.


really how much money can you save on opamp, and caps, and resistors?  how much time are you going to spend looking for the stuff.

I order stuff like opamps, resistors, caps, and many other things 100+ at a time.  also get what i am looking for instead of a bunch of other junk that "might" be worth something.

I'll admit sometimes i look, but most of the time it seems like most of the stuff up for bid is stuff i would have to MAKE  a use for, rather than actually already have a use for.

I dont know.  my best friend (not a musuican) tells me about all these great deals he gets on stuff at garrage sales, and flea markets.... but most of it is crap.... sure it was really cheap, but still crap.

ugh

no offense meant


bri

[javacody]

There is a trick to finding good stuff on ebay. It's a secret though.  

[ExpAnonColin]

really how much money can you save on opamp, and caps, and resistors?  how much time are you going to spend looking for the stuff.

Let's see...  I've saved hundreds.  For example, I got a large lot of .1uf capacitors from eBay (1000 of them).  Had I bought components of equal quality through smallbear, it literally would have been over $100 more.  I also recently got an assortment of 50 potentiometers through eBay for about $10 shipped.  Find me a place where you can get pots for that cheap out of eBay and I'll be amazed...  I recently got one larger sized enclosure from eBay that out of eBay would have cost about 15-20$ more.  Yes, I spend about 15 minutes each day looking at eBay, but it's worth it...

-Colin

[Transmogrifox]

If you want a large quantity of OP27, I don't know where you can order them that cheap...but if just for experimentation purposes and you want only two to four or so, go to www.analog.com and register for free samples.  Request the OP27 and they'll send them free of charge...only, they don't sell them cheaply if you are to buy.

[ExpAnonColin]

If you want a large quantity of OP27, I don't know where you can order them that cheap...but if just for experimentation purposes and you want only two to four or so, go to www.analog.com and register for free samples.  Request the OP27 and they'll send them free of charge...only, they don't sell them cheaply if you are to buy.

Hahahaha, I already raided analog for free op amps just a week ago

-Colin

[Brian Marshall]

Let's see...  I've saved hundreds.  For example, I got a large lot of .1uf capacitors from eBay (1000 of them).  Had I bought components of equal quality through smallbear, it literally would have been over $100 more.  I also recently got an assortment of 50 potentiometers through eBay for about $10 shipped.  Find me a place where you can get pots for that cheap out of eBay and I'll be amazed...  I recently got one larger sized enclosure from eBay that out of eBay would have cost about 15-20$ more.  Yes, I spend about 15 minutes each day looking at eBay, but it's worth it...

-Colin

Those caps are a really really really good example of how you didnt save money.... at least from a pure business stand point

1.  you got way way more than you will probably ever use, or at least stagnant inventory.

2.  if you buy 100 (which would still probably last you a while) you should be able to get them down to $0.15 or 0.10 each.  circuitspecialists has them for .13 each...  that is $13 for 100.  

3 i work in the electrical surplus industry (though i dont deal with much electronics)  i can tell you this .... buying small lots is almost never worth it.  the only time it is, is if you are the only bidder, AND there is something in the lot you NEED, and the seller doesnt know it's value.  the general business rule is NEVER spend more on a lot that you will sell within 30 to 90 days... buying any further ahead than that.  the general rule is a lot isnt even worth it unless it has to be brought to you in a truck.  

4.  sellers should be coming to you.  not the other way arround.  that is the only way to buy surplus and make money.


maybe i am just a little jaded.... i have paid $500 for stuff at work that was worth over $100,000 or more... Some times i can turn arround the same day and move $5000 right away.  i get my money back +, and still have inventory to spare.

now let me give you a really good example.... I have about 200 Used TJK436400 circuit breakers in stock at work... we bought them for basically nothing.  we might sell one once a week at the most.  wee sell them for about $500.  

some guy comes in and buys one...... the next week he comes back and wants to sell us an identical unit that he found in his shop and forgot he had....  I tell him "HELL NO"   i have 200 more on my shelf i need to sell before i sell that one.  the guy walks out all mad, but it is the plain honnest truth.


ok... gotta go to band practice....  

Not trying to offend... just trying to show you how business works... if you just want to split stuff with your friends then that's great.  that is a different story, but i still say you saved no money on those caps.

[ExpAnonColin]

Well, I've already used or sold at least 1/5 of them and I've only had them for a month.  Honestly I bought them knowing that it's the cap value I'm going to use the most (the PU contains 4 out of something like 11 on board components) and that it's the cap value everyone needs.  I did do well.  The only time I regretted bidding on a lot was just once, the last assorted lot I've bid on.  I got the lot for 60, picked what I wanted, and re-ebayed it for 100.  I've never gone under, and I've never regretted a purchase I made.  I'm not doing this to make large profits-I'm doing it to benifit these guys, I don't make very much money off of it at all.  You need to realize I'm not a big business, and I don't plan on being a large surplus source anytime.  Perhaps when I do this sort of thing on a larger scale, I'll consider that sort of thing-but like I said, I haven't lost any money, I've just got a really large inventory of stuff for my personal use, and if anyone wants any, sure.

I'm not going to buy things I don't need, or any excess I won't be able to use within a year.  Recently I was offered a lot of R5101's, which I'm sure I could sell for $30, for about $1.50 each.  I could have made a couple thousand, but I didn't, because I knew that I didn't personally need that many at all, and nor would many of the people on this forum.

I'm saving money.  I'm coming out even.  I'm not being gigantic, I'm getting a very large inventory of parts...  Don't see any reason that I should buy less for more, anytime.

-Colin

[javacody]

Wow Brian, you are sounding pretty jaded. I get 100 metal film resistors on ebay for about $3 shipped. I only buy common values that I know I'll use. As a hobbyist, I don't mind having extras as I know I'll use them, or maybe I can help someone out who just needs a part or two. I also got a decent multimeter on ebay for $5. I also get caps, transistors, diodes, jfets, and MOSfets. Yeah, I bought in small lots, maybe more than I'll ever use, but I still saved money over buying at Radio Shack, got better quality stuff, and when I see a pedal I want to build, I don't have to wait for an order from Small Bear or Mouser to come in. I still buy some stuff from Steve mind you, becuase I feel like he offers some really great products, is a great guy, and really performs a great service to our community.

It all depends on your perspective I guess.

[ExpAnonColin]

I still buy quite a bit from Steve, but honestly I'm going to get the best price I can for whatever there is to get. You can't get a ton of stuff Steve carries anywhere else.  I don't feel bad not having steve as my main guy, because he has every audio DIY market cornered now.  I buy enclosures from eBay and web tronics since they're cheaper, I buy LM386's, other ICs, and pots from futurlec, but when I need a CLM6000, I go straight to steve, and he can charge whatever he wants, because it's still a good price.

-Colin

[Brian Marshall]

the other thing is that if you buy stuff from ebay, and need to replenish your supply, an identical item may be hard to find.  My stupid box uses 1 .1uf cap, and if i had designed it arround a cap i couldnt redilly replace i'd have to cheese it on to the board, or redesign the pcb due to it's size.

I understand that you want to keep some stuff arround for prototyping, and that makes sense to some degree.  I guess i should explain where i am coming from.  Let's say i have a bill of materials that i need/want, with say 25 items, and i want enough to build 10 boxes.  will i go to ebay and try to get random quanities of stuff, and spend days trying to see what i can get there, and then order everyting elswhere.  now some of those items are going to be resistors, and if i can get away with 5% (which i usually can) i'll just buy 200 or 1000 from mouser or circuit specialists.  any other parts that cost under .25 i buy some extras, but not many, unless i think they would be good for some new idea.  anything under .10 i usually buy a bunch 50 or 100 if i think i might use it for something else.  anything over a dollar, or close to it.... switches, pots, enclosures, i buy exactly what i need... the only exception is jacks... i keep a lot of jacks arround, i probably shouldnt from a business stand point, but i got a good deal for buying 50 each rather than 10.

for me, i like to get good prices, but if it is something i am going to keep needing i try to find a source that is something that is repeatable.  I buy almost everything from 3 places mouser, small bear, and circuit specialists.  the only thing i dont get from those sources is enclosures, and that is only because they are so so so much cheaper.  when ever i place an order with small bear i usually try something new.... my last order i bought a couple pt2399's, and some cd4000 series ic's

to me my time is worth more that the $5 i can save here or there.  I would rather spend more time designing and building, and playing guitar.  I've also been spending a lot less time on the computer lately, and feel much better,  (brain wise) for it.

so jaded?  yeah, i guess i am... if i were 16 or 18, or 20, and had little money to work with, i suppose i'd spend lots of time trying to get something for nothing, but if that 'something' isnt really what i want, it isnt worth much to me.

later

[Fret Wire]

Speaking of which, anyone have a source for some decent (don't have to be mindblowingly OP27) dual op amps for really cheap, IE less than 20c?  I've been parusing ebay but it's a bit bleak.

-Colin

NE5532's, but the best you could do would be 33 cents apiece.

http://search-desc.ebay.com/ws/search/SaleSearch?basicsearch=&ht=1&sosortproperty=1&sotextsearched=2&satitle=NE5532&from=R9

BTW, the guy selling the JRC's used to have 2000 yr production pretty cheap. He is also the one who had the $50 JRC chip. The lot he's selling now was the "50 for $250" lot he tried to sell after the $50 JRC. Guess he gave up trying to make a killing.

[Brian Marshall]

what do you want to use these opamps for?  I use a lot of TL072's, and havent had any problems with them.  granted, I dont saturate the opamps in anything i have designed though.

[Jonas]

you want only two to four or so, go to www.analog.com and register for free samples.

will they really send me some samples? I don't own a company...

[smoguzbenjamin]

Are you a student of some kind? That's what I fill in whenever I order samples.

[Jonas]

errr... you can say that, I'm in a pause between studies... well I'm working but I intend to return to school. And we're always students of life :wink:

[smoguzbenjamin]

Well I am in highschool, student is as close as it gets I guess semiconductor-producing corporations don't count on youngsters like me needing anything

[javacody]

Hey Brian, different perspectives right? If I were selling stuff like you are, consistency would also be a big priority, so I get where you are coming from. By the way, I am not 15, I'm 30.  I have two kids and my wife is a stay at home Mom, so I've kind of made it a challenge to find stuff for cheap when I can on ebay. I'd like to be able to pay for my kids to go to college when the time comes.