Who to order electronic components from?

The usual suspects are Farnell and RS Online but I think they only deliver to account holders although that may have changed following their introduction of delivery charges. DigiKey and Mouser are US based but are very economic if your order is over £40.

If you just wanted one item I might have suggested eBay or Amazon, but you're looking for a one-stop shop.

This website lists sourcing of components for hobbyists:

Possibly Rapid Electronic or Farnell/CPC in the uk.

RS kicked me out about 30 years ago, for not buying enough, but they delivered a large quarterly catalogue in those days. Now an account with either of them is no big deal, no minimum turnover, and a good deal on delivery costs.

CPC, RS, Rapid

I would go CPC, Rapid, RS... if you want pre-built modules, then aliexpress.

Rapid, but you could get all those free from a chucked out psu or 2.

In message <u2h6jj$2i00d$ snipped-for-privacy@dont-email.me, Harry Bloomfield Esq snipped-for-privacy@harrym1byt.plus.com> writes

I've used Cricklewood Electronics ,

Brian

I recently noticed a supplier in Hull

Am 28/04/2023 um 19:25 schrieb Harry Bloomfield Esq:

Good question. After Maplin folded, I gave up.

BitsBox has a fair range and P&P ranges from £2.20 to £7.99

Richard

Surprised no one has mentioned eBay. Often handy for small quantities of components.

Tim

OK if you needed common components in a hurry, or you were into disco or remote-controlled cars. But very little range. Better than Tandy, which went several years before Maplin. Tandy was, I understand, but a pale shadow of Radio Shack in the US.

I used to go in to my local Maplin once or twice a month, as they had unpredictable and sometimes useful sales. Maplin used to publish a magazine to which I contributed a couple of articles and a six-part series. £55 a page in those days (late 1980s).

In my youth, there were still surplus shops, a couple in Lisle Street in central London, and a few on the Edgware Road in Paddington including, confusingly, two different Smith's. There were still one or two in Tottenham Court Road, but they quickly moved into hi-fi. I do remember buying an AVO 8 movement for £2.95 somewhere in TCR to repair a faulty instrument I got for nothing.

My nearest shop was Direct Components, later Direct Electronics, in Manor Park in east London, and Wireless World and Practical Wireless advertised many small mail-order companies.

And there's quite a bit on ebid, for example:

I did mention eBay in my post. However it's not good for a one-stop style of shopping where the OP wants a range of different components.

And I mourn the passing of The Radio Shop in Cherry Lane, Bristol just around the corner from the Bus Station.

Not sure that it's much use these days, with speccys and vector analysers becoming ten-a-penny but the Tradiper GDO that I got from them 53 years ago is still on the test eqpt shelf!

And Cool Components is worth a look.

Ah, 'Electronics - The Maplin Magazine', or 'Electronics and Music Maker' before...

Back in the day, a friend wrote one of the regular columns - and even some of my photographs went in, fame at last! I think he also edited some of the Maplin Catalogue content.

Another fellow has written a write-up of the history and the demise.

I'd dearly like them to offer a trade counter somewhere in the south of the country. Hell, I'd even offer to run one? It would be a branch built and operated exactly like ScrewFix/ToolStation but with electronic bits.

But then again, Amazon prime also delivers, and my scrap circuit boards still yield parts (mostly Caps) for 'emergencies'. Just bought an ESR tester and can now repair trivially failed things super quick with my salvage...

There were still one or

In the eighties, me and friends used to do a 'mecca' trip from Hatfield (our college) to Central London to regularly visit - Edgware Road, TCR and Notting Hill 'HiFi and Video Exchange' - all in the pursuit of electronic 'junk', great days...

Out of London but Display Electronics was an interesting supplier of surplus as well. I even had a short job working there, changing CRTs and converting something called a 'Telebox' :)

And there was the electronics hobbyist exhibition 'Breadboard' that Maplin used to major at (Royal Horticultural halls in London), this was a bit different than the amateur radio rallies that I later moved on to. Anyone remember Breadboard?

From memory it was Marshalls that used to bring me down to Bristol (later up in Fishponds) for components?

I've used them for a few items without any problems.