Top / Best DIY Electronic Stores & Suppliers
Over the last few years I have ordered countless items online for various electronics and DIY projects. Ordering stuff can be a pain - tedious, frustrating, and often, overly expensive. This is the first Instructable you should read before beginning any electronics-centric project!
Each step has specific details about the stores.
These are just my opinions based on my experience. This is in no way definitive. I encourage you to leave comments about each store based on your experience so we can build a stronger evaluation. I can potentially add more stores upon request - I know I left many out.
ELECTRONICS
- All Electronics [USA, CA]
- Futurlec [Worldwide]
- Adafruit [USA, NY]
- Sparkfun [USA, CO]
- Sure Electronics [China]
- Newark/Element14 [Europe/USA]
- Digikey [Worldwide]
- Radio Shack [USA]
- Mouser [USA, TX]
- Octopart [ web ]
- Findchips [web]
- Pololu [USA, NV]
- Solarbotics [Canada]
- AliExpress [China]
- Seed Studio [China]
- Electronics Goldmine [USA, AZ]
- Alltronics [USA, CA]
- Tayda Electronics [Thailand]
- Electronics Surplus [USA, OH]
- DX [China]
- Jameco [USA, CA]
- Mammoth [USA, OK]
- LighthouseLEDs [USA, WA]
- HolidayCoro [USA]
- Monoprice [USA, CA]
MECHANICAL, MATERIALS & MANUFACTURING
- McMaster-Carr [USA, NJ]
- Ponoko [USA/Europe]
- Inventables [USA, IL]
- Shapeways [USA/Europe]
- Amazon Supply [USA]
This list is (as you can probably tell) North America specific.
Step 1: All Electronics (allelectronics.com)
The Good
- Amazing prices on tools and small components
- Good selection
- They have a storefront
The Mediocre
- Surplus parts are sometimes a bit odd
The Not-So-Good
- No datasheets and limited part descriptions
- Slow shipping
Step 2: Futurlec (futurlec.com)
The Good
- Amazing prices!
The Mediocre
- Site search and navigation is a bit odd
The Not-So-Good
- Some knock-off and bogus products
- Slow shipping to USA
- I have seen others leave terrible ratings and reviews
Step 3: Adafruit (adafruit.com)
The Good
- Great resources and code samples
- Unique products
- Strong community
The Mediocre
- Small inventory
- Customer service
- The Not-So-Good
Step 4: Sparkfun (sparkfun.com)
The Good
-
Great resources and code samples
-
Unique products
-
Strong community
-
Open Source
-
The Mediocre
-
The Not-So-Good
-
Some of the small parts and components are insanely expensive
Step 5: Sure Electronics (sureelectronics.net)
The Good
- Holy ■■■■ they have some cheap stuff
- Unique items
The Mediocre
- Very unusual inventory
The Not-So-Good
- Search and navigation is rubbish
- Expensive shipping to USA
Step 6: Newark/Element14 (newark.com)
The Good
- Customer service
- Fast shipping
- HUGE selection
- Rasberry-Pi
The Mediocre
- Pricing
- Searching and filtering
- DIY community
- The Not-So-Good
Step 7: Digikey (digikey.com)
The Good
- Holy ■■■■ they have fast shipping
- Good customer service
- HUGE selection
- Great prices for ICs
- Lots of datasheets
The Mediocre
- Searching and filtering
- Interface
- Photos of products
The Not-So-Good
- Some stuff is just insanely overpriced
- No community, resources, coding samples
Step 8: Radio Shack (storefront)
The Good
- They have a storefront! All over the country.
The Mediocre
- Selection is limited
The Not-So-Good
- Expensive
- Staff doesn’t know much about electronics
Step 9: Mouser (mouser.com)
The Good
- HUGE selection
- Many unique ICs
- Lots of datasheets
The Mediocre
- Searching and filtering
The Not-So-Good
- No community
- Unreasonable shipping rates
Step 10: Octopart (octopart.com)
Not a store, rather, a search engine.
Very handy when searching for specific parts!
Step 11: Findchips
Another parts search engine, similar to octoparts. Findchips.com tends to have better search results than octoparts at times. I use both equally.
Step 12: Pololu (pololu.com)
The Good
- Great selection of motors and motor controllers
- Lots of details and descriptions
- They offer laser cutting services
The Mediocre
- Shipping is a bit pricey
The Not-So-Good
- Searching engine
Step 13: Solarbotics (solarbotics.com)
…have yet to order from here yet but heard great things.
Please share your experiences in the comments.
Step 14: AliExpress (aliexpress.com)
…have yet to order from here. Appears you can get some amazing deals. I am planning to make an order very soon.
Please share your experiences in the comments.
Step 15: Seed Studio (seeedstudio.com)
…have yet to order from here. Looks like a great site!
Please share your experiences in the comments.
Step 16: Electronics Goldmine (goldmine-elec.com)
Step 17: McMaster Carr (mcmaster.com)
The Good
- HUGE selection
- Super fast shipping
- Great customer service
- Amazing website. The best online shopping experience I have ever had.
- Download almost every part (2D and 3D)
The Mediocre
- A bit overwhelming.
- Pricing
- The Not-So-Good
Step 18: Ponoko (ponoko.com)
The Good
- Great material selection
- Laser cutting and 3D printing services
- Good customer service
- Track the progress of your design
The Mediocre
- The selling thing has not really taken off yet
- Pricing
The Not-So-Good
- Metal prices are through the roof
Step 19: Inventables (inventables.com)
…only made one small order here. Not much to say yet. Seems quite expensive, but they have a great selection.
Please share your experiences in the comments.
Step 20: Shapeways (shapeways.com)
…have yet to order from here.
Please share your experiences in the comments.
