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</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]--></head><body lang=EN-AU link=blue vlink=purple style='word-wrap:break-word'><div class=WordSection1><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'>I have been buying bits and pieces from China though through local drop-ship outfits. Only ever had one reject – it was a bit of effort through eBay and I had to threaten and bad review before I got a refund. Fortunately, most are good!<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:11.0pt;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:11.0pt;color:#1F497D'>Kind Regards<o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class=MsoNormal><i><span style='font-size:11.0pt;color:#1F497D'><o:p> </o:p></span></i></p><p class=MsoNormal><b><i><span style='font-size:11.0pt;color:#1F497D'>Tony Mowbray<o:p></o:p></span></i></b></p></div><p class=MsoNormal><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:"Arial",sans-serif;color:#1F497D;mso-fareast-language:EN-US'><o:p> </o:p></span></p><div><div style='border:none;border-top:solid #E1E1E1 1.0pt;padding:3.0pt 0cm 0cm 0cm'><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'><b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'>From:</span></b><span lang=EN-US style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif'> Synth-diy <synth-diy-bounces@synth-diy.org> <b>On Behalf Of </b>Mike Bryant<br><b>Sent:</b> Saturday, January 13, 2024 9:58 AM<br><b>To:</b> SDIY <synth-diy@synth-diy.org>; Dave Kendall <davekendall@ntlworld.com><br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [sdiy] Dealing with China<o:p></o:p></span></p></div></div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'><span style='color:black'>Well obviously if LCSC have it then use them - they're larger than many of the Western distributors now.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'><span style='color:black'>The smaller suppliers aren't actually distributors. You order from them and they go and buy the parts in the market in the video, then post them to you. And that market is far bigger than all the Mouser warehouses put together. Remember your supplier will be on the lookout for dodgy parts as well - it will be them refunding you if they are fake. I've only had two batches of fakes, one of which was at a too good to be true price so I ordered to see if they really were. <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'><span style='color:black'>But I've also had a surprise when a third order for a reel-end of OPA2134s at a knockdown price really were OPA2134s ! So just order the parts and if they arrive faulty just ask for a refund. Aliexpress is far better than eBay for doing this - it's almost immediate.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'><span style='color:black'>And that market is almost the only source now for older parts such as the older AKM or Cirrus Logic convertors. Companies are getting more aggressive at obsoleting parts so that they can shut old fabs, so the only place you can find them is on the surplus market. That is where the Western resellers will be getting their supplies of these same parts, just they charge ten times as much for stocking them.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'><span style='color:black'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'><span style='color:black'>I think a lot of negative comments are more towards mechanical items. They're not fakes but clones. And they simply aren't made to the standard of an Alps or Bourns component such as pots, or the better brands of jacks. But they obviously cost much less. So you need to decide how much the 'feel' of your product justifies the higher quality but far more expensive part.<o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div class=MsoNormal align=center style='margin-left:36.0pt;text-align:center'><hr size=2 width="98%" align=center></div><div id=divRplyFwdMsg><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'><b><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black'>From:</span></b><span style='font-size:11.0pt;font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif;color:black'> Synth-diy <<a href="mailto:synth-diy-bounces@synth-diy.org">synth-diy-bounces@synth-diy.org</a>> on behalf of Dave Kendall via Synth-diy <<a href="mailto:synth-diy@synth-diy.org">synth-diy@synth-diy.org</a>><br><b>Sent:</b> 12 January 2024 22:28<br><b>To:</b> SDIY <<a href="mailto:synth-diy@synth-diy.org">synth-diy@synth-diy.org</a>><br><b>Subject:</b> Re: [sdiy] Dealing with China</span> <o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'> <o:p></o:p></p></div></div><div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'>Is it that the larger distributors (like LCSC for example) have a good rep, but that smaller suppliers are more likely to sell B stock, rejects and fakes ?<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'>What have people’s experiences been ?<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'>I’m looking to source some through-hole components that are getting harder to find - DACs and 74HC mostly.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'>I only have limited experience of buying mechanical parts from China so far (connectors mostly), but have seen a lot of comments and negative reviews criticising eBay and AliExpress vendors selling ICs. <o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'>Dave<o:p></o:p></p><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'><br><br><o:p></o:p></p><blockquote style='margin-top:5.0pt;margin-bottom:5.0pt'><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'>On 14 Dec 2023, at 13:13, Mike Bryant <<a href="mailto:mbryant@futurehorizons.com">mbryant@futurehorizons.com</a>> wrote:<o:p></o:p></p></div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></p><div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'>I've got all my established contacts and find them excellent, but I still see comments here obviously not trusting Chinese suppliers and paying over the odds instead to suppliers who probably get their supplies from China anyway. <o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'>Even if you don't buy the book, it's well worth watching this video just to appreciate the scale of the Shenzhen market and how it totally dwarfs anything in the West. There's also huge warehouses backing up these operations which she doesn't show, and of course all the PCB manufacturers and assemblers.<o:p></o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'><a href="https://www.crowdsupply.com/machinery-enchantress/the-new-essential-guide-to-electronics-in-shenzhen">https://www.crowdsupply.com/machinery-enchantress/the-new-essential-guide-to-electronics-in-shenzhen</a><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'>In over 20 years of buying thousands of packages from China, I've had one faulty set of ICs due to bad packaging, and two counterfeits. All three refunded.<span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'><o:p></o:p></span></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></p></div><div id="x_appendonsend"><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'><o:p> </o:p></span></p></div><p class=MsoNormal style='margin-left:36.0pt'><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'>________________________________________________________<br>This is the Synth-diy mailing list<br>Submit email to:<span class=xapple-converted-space> </span></span><a href="mailto:Synth-diy@synth-diy.org"><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'>Synth-diy@synth-diy.org</span></a><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'><br>View archive at:<span class=xapple-converted-space> </span></span><a href="https://synth-diy.org/pipermail/synth-diy/"><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'>https://synth-diy.org/pipermail/synth-diy/</span></a><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'><br>Check your settings at:<span class=xapple-converted-space> </span></span><a href="https://synth-diy.org/mailman/listinfo/synth-diy"><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'>https://synth-diy.org/mailman/listinfo/synth-diy</span></a><span style='font-size:9.0pt;font-family:"Helvetica",sans-serif'><br>Selling or trading? 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