RS Components - sell only to businesses?

[mike]

Anyone know if RS Components will sell direct to Joe Pub. - or only to reg. businesses? Their online reg asks for Co name. Yes I *did* phone them to ask - but didn't understand the answer (don't ask).

[Andrew Mawson]

Well I've been dealing with them for the last 25 years as a private individual

AWEM

[Andy Hall]

They will sell to anybody willing to give them money.

You can set up an account using credit card details and pay that way as well. Delivery is then free if you don't want a timed or dated option

Company details etc. are requested if you want a monthly credit account.

[Roger Mills]

Just invent a company (with your home address) if it insists on having a company name - they ain't going to check that it actually exists! Something like "XXX Consulting" (where XXX are your initials) would do nicely.

In any case, when you get to "Area of business" on the registration page, one of the options in the drop-down list is "Private Individual".

I managed to register a while ago, but I can't remember whether I've actually bought anything from them.

[Alan]

In message , mike wrote

I believe so but also try CPC/Farnell who sell to the public if you pay by card at the time of purchase. You may find them cheaper for some/many items.

[Helen Deborah Vecht]

mike typed

Partner has bought from RS within the past couple of years.

He certainly is very private...

[Frank Erskine]

I used to trade with them a lot when I was working. Even when I wanted stuff for myself (most of the time!) I would quote a cash (or CC) sale "via" my employer.

I think that like most of their ilk they'll happily be tarts and take any money that comes in their direction - a lot of the restriction at their local trade counters is caused by their local authority's idea of retail trading...

Many years ago, as a youngster, I applied to "Radiospares" (from which RS got its name), and was visited at home by a sales rep, who was quite understanding when I explained that my application was "just a joke".

[Andy Dingley]

They used to only sell to "accounts", but anyone who did minor paperwork could open an account. There was also a non-account retail side called "Electromail" that did one-offs to anyone (same parts, same order codes, same prices for one-offs). With the gradual shift to the web, I think (vaguely) that they've stopped branding Electromail quite so heavily and rolled the whole lot up into one brand. The details don't really matter though - they do and have so for decades, sell one-offs to Joe Public.

Getting paper catalogues OTOH is near impossible and their webshite is infamously vile.

[kmillar]

When I registered on their website a while back, it insisted on a company name. So I entered a full stop '.' - and have been happily ordering from them ever since.

They are expensive though, for single quantities of anything. I only use them when no one else will do.

-Kenny

[Peter Lynch]

While not quite up to the RS "standard" (read: size) I was recently sent, unsolicited, the Rapid Online catty. This amounts to 1700+ pages and is far easier to browse than their - or anyone else's website. If they sent me the catalogue on the basis that I'll make more orders than the one every month or two, they're probably right!

Pete

[manatbandq]

OTOH is near impossible and their webshite is

If you use the code on the flyer inside the catalogue, there's 10% off every web order during February. Watch out for the next "end column day" where everything is available at the highest quantity discount (i.e. the end column in the price list) regardless of the quantity ordered.

MBQ

[Adam Funk]

I don't think it's quite that bad. Anyway, RS is the only supplier I know of for those "System Zero" screwdrivers for the screws that manufacturers use now to try to keep people from repairing appliances.

[Michael Chare]

I recently tried to repair (well clean) an electric fan heater. As I could not undo some recessed screws I traced the manufacturer via the web and rang them.

They told me that for a while they had been compelled to use security screws. They also explained that the screws were System Zero available from RS. The problem I then had was that there is more than one size. However further searches of the Web revealed that the screw manufacturer was only a few miles from where I live. So I went to see them with the electric fire with the hope that I might be able to borrow a screw driver.

It turned out that the manufacturer only made the screws rather than the screw drivers, but they lent me a screw driver and when I offered to return it, I was told that I could keep it.

The fan heater now works fine.

[Ron Lowe]

If only!

I can't get them to stop sending 10 sets of catalogs to our work! It throws your back out just trying to lift a set nowadays, especially since

9 of the 10 need lifting straight into the waste paper skip. The posite almost cried when he saw us skipping them, having struggled in the door with them.

When I were a lad, the RS catalog was a single volume, and contained enough application notes and sample circuits for the various semiconductor devices that you could use it as a design aid.

All you did was go to the bog, leaf through the catalog, and mentally assemble the various bits. Ahh, I could use one of those for project x. And looking at the application note for this device, I could connect Y to Z to achieve this. The possibilities seemed endless.

No usefull info or application notes now, just pages and pages and pages of dry part numbers :-(

[NRH]

Just put your own name down as the compnay name too. If you apply for a trade account you'll get free delivery. They phone and ask what you do, but telling them you do a bit of electronic repairs but not as your main job seems to work.

[Trevor Stewart-Sweet]

Try

have a fantastic range of products available to anyone willin to purchase using their credit card. Prices are usually cheaper than R and the website is much easier to use. You will need to register t purchase, but you don't need to be a company. Even if you don't want t purchase, you can take advantage of the free PDF datasheets tha accompany over 90% of the products offered. You can also buy product from their American company Newark which means you can access a whol lot more stuff. (though their is a higher carriage charge for thi service

-- Trevor Stewart-Sweet

[Adam Funk]

At least the manufacturer was helpful. I first discovered these screws trying to fix a toaster that was jammed inside. Kenwood flatly refused to give me any help or advice other than to say I should take it to their authorized repairer and pay (who knows what minimum charge) for someone to open it up and unjam it.

And of course they claimed they used these screws for safety, not to gouge the public.

[mike]

Just returned to this.... went to order stuff (nothing vast) and then saw that they'd opened a new Trade counter only 2 miles from here. Ah great - I order it then go and collect. Noooo. Banner pops up saying,

"To collect from a Trade counter you must be a legit. Trading company.. Please bring proof of company status when collecting your order". (Sigh) I somehow think my phone bill won't do for that.

Ok so I retun to the order form - and of course "Method of payment" doesn't show *any* option and you can't type anything useful in there

- like Visa for example. I know there was more to this that I'd dreamt :-O

"Radiospares" - yes I remember those days too - but then I did work for an electronics company!

[Dave Plowman (News)]

This tends to be a condition of the local council planning laws rather than RS policy, though.

Why not simply order on line?

[Owain]

Can't you find some logoed overalls in a charity shop?

If you're really lucky and the original owner of the overalls has an RS account you might not even have to pay :-)

Owain