When you pay shipping charges at Mouser / Allied / Digikey.......

[Praying_V]

...Do you save money on shipping charges by ordering a lot of things at once?  Or can I just order what I need, when I need it, no matter how small the order?  I THINK that some places have a minimum shipping charge, of say $5 or so.  Does anyone know?  I always lose A LOT of time before each project, as I stress over cramming EVERYTHING i'll ever need into one parts order, to save $$$...  It would be so much easier to just order a part as soon as I realise I'll need it, and NOT put it off for days, even weeks, waiting to see what else I'll end up needing!

[aron]

You have to order a certain amount or the minimum shipping charges from _USPS_ will get you. It doesn't make sense to order a 25 cent capacitor or transistor when the shipping will cost over a dollar. Digikey has a minimum order I believe.

[Zben3129]

If you are going to be serious about this hobby (IE more than a one month thing) Then after you make a few pedals, I suggest doing a large order of "normal" parts.

What I mean by this is to buy 100 of many values of resistors, a bunch of caps, and maybe get 10-20 of a few different opamps, pick of some transistors. It saves time in the long run, as often you will have everything you need besides offboards.

At least it helped bunches for me.

Zach

[rikkards]

+1.

I found that rather than buying 10 of some resistor and paying around $1.50, I would buy a bulk of it. To plug Small Bear, you can buy 200 of any of their resistors for $3.00.
If I were to recommend what you should buy in bulk, it would be:
Transistors
2n3904
2n3906
2n5088
JFets
J201
Capacitors
0.1uF
1uF
47uF
100uF
Resistors
470k
100K
47k
10K
1K
1M

Pots
1M Log

Maybe there should be a list of core components in the FAQ that is recommended , if anyone is starting out as should get if they are going to build any three pedals.

If you are going to be serious about this hobby (IE more than a one month thing) Then after you make a few pedals, I suggest doing a large order of "normal" parts.

What I mean by this is to buy 100 of many values of resistors, a bunch of caps, and maybe get 10-20 of a few different opamps, pick of some transistors. It saves time in the long run, as often you will have everything you need besides offboards.

At least it helped bunches for me.

Zach

[Praying_V]

Guys, I'm not starting out, I've been doing this for about 4 years, I've probably completed 20-30 projects

Lets say I need to restock a lot of various caps & ICs.  I'll be doing this at Mouser.  But I also need a large power transformer from Parts Express.  And some LDRs from Allied.

I'm not really ready to restock the various small parts, since I gotta sort through my inventory and make a list, and go through my upcoming projects & make sure I'll have everything I anticipate needing.  Should I just go ahead and order the transformer & LDRs, then get the rest from Mouser later?  Or would it probably be wiser to try to consolidate everything into the same 1 or 2 orders, and get as much as I can from Parts Express or Allied?

What would you guys do?  (I realize no one can really say what the actual price differences will be, but maybe someone has a feeling on a advantage one way has over the other).  If you guys think that it won't be a significant price difference in doing three orders from three separate suppliers, then that would make things a lot easier............  But money is tight, so let me know

[tcio]

You always save on shipping the less separate orders you place. Say if I need 3 or 4 of a specific value of a resistor I'll order 10 or more because they are inexpensive. If it is a value I seem to run into using a lot I'll order even more. I try to at least triple my order and the more commom the part, the more I'll order but the more pricey the part the less I double or triple up on unless I need a specific amount for a certain task.

I try to keep a log in Notepad as I am looking at schematics that I plan on building and try to wait as long as I can until I am certain I have everything saved in Notepad before I place an order. Unfortunately a lot of the time you cannot get everything you need from just one company but it still helps and save on multiple orders from the same company. Seems no matter how carefully I plan though I always remember something I forget once a day or two after I place an order lol!

[mdh]

On the other hand, you might save on anti-anxiety meds if you don't stress too much over optimal ordering behavior

[bluesdevil]

On the other hand, you might save on anti-anxiety meds if you don't stress too much over optimal ordering behavior

Ain't that the truth!!! I'm guilty of over obsessing on that stuff as well.... starts taking the fun out of building a bit.

[drewl]

Pretty sure there's a handling fee on orders under $25.
Since I'm always fixing or building stuff I'll order a bunch of something....if it broke once, it'll probably break again on a different unit.
You can really save if you make the price break.

[gutsofgold]

I find myself ordering resistors and capacitors from digikey and everything else from small bear. Yes I could probably save if I got my transistors and ICs from digikey too but they have so many options for similar products. With small bear I know I'm getting something that is useable in a guitar pedal.

[(doug harrison)]

One thing about Mouser's credit department is that they put an estimated hold on your credit/debit account which is higher than what the final charge will be. And while this estimated hold is still on your bank account, Mouser puts the actual charge through. So to your bank, it LOOKS like two separate charges. If your account is low and other charges are pending, look for overdraft fees.

[(doug harrison)]

P.S. Not all banks do this, but mine does.