# Deal-eeo on parts!



## keithb7 (Dec 28, 2006)

Hi folks. I wanted to share a recent great experience I had buying amp repair parts.

I despise the increased costs in shipping, tax, border handling fees etc, when buy amp repair parts from the USA.

I needed some zener diodes recently. I checked a few usual USA suppliers on line. Shipping prices were way outta line for $5 worth of diodes. Way ridiculous.

I decided to try a Canadian supplier. Not sure where as I had not found a good reliable source in Canada. I got on this site. Looked Canadian to me.

DigiKey Electronics - Free Shipping on Orders Over $100 CAD

I put my order together. Added some extra parts to stock up my inventory. Parts were priced in CAD. Total parts bill was $12 CAD. Shipping was $8 CAD. I figured that’s decent. $20 all in delivered CAD. I figured they’d show up in the mail in a week or so.

Shortly after placing my order I got an email confirmation.
Imagine my suprise to learn the supplier was inside the USA. My parts were shipped international priority. Fed-Ex. Overnight. For $8 CAD shipping. Now I started to panic. I guessed I’d be hit with a big bill from Fed-Ex upon arrival.

Nothing. Parts showed up perfectly. Total bill $20 all in. Freight prepaid. Billed my Visa when I placed my order. I can’t explain it. Should I be worried about a Fed-Ex bill of some type, later in the mail?

If this is accurate oh boy this will be fun. Cheap!


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## capnjim (Aug 19, 2011)

Oh man, that sounds great. But...I can almost guarantee you will get a bill from Fedex in the mail weeks later. Don't be shocked if its many times more than what you paid. Like 50-60$.
Fedex and UPS are a buncha crooks.
I did the same thing a few years back and thought I was getting a great deal. 
I actually ignored the fedex bill, and within a week or so, I had a serious collection agency after me and I had to pay.
But...you might get lucky.
I recently ordered a bunch of caps from this place:
Capacitors, Resistors and Schematics for Tube Radios / Electronics
They are in Canada, and ship using Canada post. Prices for caps were well below any other places. 
let us know, I am curious to see if maybe this one slips by.
Cheers


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## NorlinNorm (Dec 31, 2016)

keithb7 said:


> Hi folks. I wanted to share a recent great experience I had buying amp repair parts.
> 
> I despise the increased costs in shipping, tax, border handling fees etc, when buy amp repair parts from the USA.
> 
> ...


I can appreciate your concern, however, I doubt at all if there will be any post shipping logistic fees. I believe all fees would have been tallied prior to shipping if any, I think you just got lucky. Years ago I purchased an item from the USA for $45 and Fed Ex stung me with a $40 shipping fee, I was outraged and from that date on vowed never to use them again. Unfortunately, I did, of course, I just had to have this particular item (guitar related) and yes I paid dearly for it but I swear never again....haha
In all, I hope you can continue with the notion you got the upper hand on this one but be wary it will probably never last..enjoy!


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## LexxM3 (Oct 12, 2009)

Digikey.ca is exactly the experience OP describes EVERY SINGLE TIME. Digikey is an awesome company exceptionally well known and respected in all electronics circles. They are US-based, but they have the cross border daily run and it’s the best oiled shipping machine on the planet. Seriously.


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## gtrguy (Jul 6, 2006)

There won't be any extra fees. I order from Digikey all the time. Mouser is the same. These are the big players in the electronic components industry.


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## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

What Lexx said. That is the standard Digikey scenario. They use Fedex International Priority (to Canada) and most places will get the order the next day, I always have.
Mouser has a little bit better selection and pricing, but if you choose their $8 shipping it goes through US post, and is much slower.
The odd thing is, with Digikey, guys in the states don't get the killer deal on shipping that we do.


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## LexxM3 (Oct 12, 2009)

I’ve usually received their stuff through Canadian couriers. I always assumed they drive a big truck every night across the border. Sometimes it does come through US couriers, but always next day if ordered by 5pm ET (and sometimes even as late as 8pm ET). Shipping is free above $200, I believe; and flat $8 below that. They rock.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

As I understand it, several of the major distributors, such as Digikey, Jameco, Mouser, etc., have Canadian distribution centers precisely so as to _avoid_ the various shipping and brokerage/customs fees. Of course, one has to make a point of ordering from digikey.ca, rather than digikey.com in order to take advantage of that.


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

Digikey should have charged you the taxes at the time of your order. Take a look at your bill


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## dtsaudio (Apr 15, 2009)

mhammer said:


> As I understand it, several of the major distributors, such as Digikey, Jameco, Mouser, etc., have Canadian distribution centers precisely so as to _avoid_ the various shipping and brokerage/customs fees. Of course, one has to make a point of ordering from digikey.ca, rather than digikey.com in order to take advantage of that.


Close. Digikey has a distribution center near Winnipeg. But they are the only ones left that still drive a big truck(s) across. That's why their shipping is still only $8 all in for Fed Ex express. Newark closed their center last year and they ship from the US now. To get overnight it is $20, as is Mouser which ships from Mansfield Texas.
Mouser and Digikey both offer free shipping on orders over $100.00. Newark does not.


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## keithb7 (Dec 28, 2006)

I also priced out my order at Mouser.com the USA web site. I checked shipping with in USA only, delivered to a freight company near the USA/CAN border.
Mouser wanted $20 US shipping just to ship the package from Texas to Washington state, within CON USA. So no great deals there at Mouser in my opinion.


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## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

I think if you go to the digikey website and pretend you are in the US, you will get similar results, or at least a higher shipping cost than to Canada.
Don't ask them why and everybody keep quiet about it, I'm happy with the status quo.


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## BSTheTech (Sep 30, 2015)

I remember going to the Digikey site a few years ago looking for caps and resistors etc, the usual stuff, and getting completely overwhelmed with the choices. I don't need 1000 choices for the same value cap. Went back to StewMac. Ya it cost 100x as much but I was done in 5 minutes


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## stompbox (Apr 3, 2009)

I've used Digikey for years. Their catalog can be a total pain in the a** to search through for a particular part as it's YUUUUGE and sometimes their descriptions/classifications defy common logic. Local selection for parts is dismal so I get most of my stuff online anyway - it's their super short turnaround that got my business: If I get my order in before 4pm PST I can count on them arriving the next day, usually by 2pm. 8 bucks or free shipping? Just take my money! Too bad they don't stock the big electrolytic caps I use, but I'm happy to support other businesses too.


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## asfi (Dec 24, 2017)

+1 for Digikey, and Mouser too. I've been buying from them for decades.

But for a true Canadian supplier, consider Next Gen Guitars. They are Hammond distributors and their prices are slightly cheaper than those big American companies. And if you qualify for a wholesale account then the pricing gets even better.....e.g. a Hammond replacement for a 100W JCM2000 output xfmr is around $110.

Canada's #1 Parts Source For DIY Musicians - Next Gen Guitars

Just Radios (mentioned above) is a good source of resistors and capacitors (primarily for tube electronics) but that's basically all that they sell.


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## dcole (Oct 8, 2008)

I concur on the positive experience with Digikey. I speak of them when ever I can in regards to buying parts.


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## Sneaky (Feb 14, 2006)

Be prepared to receive the giant Digikey catalog every few months.


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## dtsaudio (Apr 15, 2009)

Nope. You can opt out of the catalogue. I haven't seen one in many years.


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## asfi (Dec 24, 2017)

dtsaudio said:


> I haven't seen one in many years.


That's because apparently Digi-Key discontinued the paper catalogues back in 2011.


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## dtsaudio (Apr 15, 2009)

I opted out of that catalogue long before that. I guess that's why i never noticed they stopped printing it.


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## asfi (Dec 24, 2017)

Yeah, same here. I only knew about because I've read other people complaining about it.


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## dtsaudio (Apr 15, 2009)

keithb7 said:


> I also priced out my order at Mouser.com the USA web site. I checked shipping with in USA only, delivered to a freight company near the USA/CAN border.
> Mouser wanted $20 US shipping just to ship the package from Texas to Washington state, within CON USA. So no great deals there at Mouser in my opinion.


Why would ypu price it like that. Mouser charges $20 CDN right to your door, no hidden fees. Free if your order is over $100.00


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

keithb7 said:


> Hi folks. I wanted to share a recent great experience I had buying amp repair parts.
> 
> I despise the increased costs in shipping, tax, border handling fees etc, when buy amp repair parts from the USA.
> 
> ...


I deal with Newark Canada, order on the .ca web site and most often the orders are shipped out of the US. The stuff that comes out of the US arrives with no extra shipping or border fees or anything.
Kinda cool.


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## tomee2 (Feb 27, 2017)

So, the big question...
is it "mowzer" "mouse er" " or "moozer" ?

I work with 2 guys that for years insist on 2 different pronouciations...neither budges. 
I think they're both wrong!


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## Paul Running (Apr 12, 2020)




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## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

Lincoln said:


> I deal with Newark Canada, order on the .ca web site and most often the orders are shipped out of the US. The stuff that comes out of the US arrives with no extra shipping or border fees or anything.
> Kinda cool.


I do the same with digikey, flat rate $8 shipping usually *next day delivered*. No extra fees of any sort.
The option is hidden if you are not on the .ca site with ca dollars selected, I wonder if the same may be true with mouser and that's why Keith had that issue?
When I'm on the mouser canada site, they have the same deal but it usually takes weeks instead of days, so I go with digikey. However, mouser has better stock and a wee bit better pricing.


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

jb welder said:


> I do the same with digikey, flat rate $8 shipping usually *next day delivered*. No extra fees of any sort.
> The option is hidden if you are not on the .ca site with ca dollars selected, I wonder if the same may be true with mouser and that's why Keith had that issue?
> When I'm on the mouser canada site, they have the same deal but it usually takes weeks instead of days, so I go with digikey. However, mouser has better stock and a wee bit better pricing.


Does digikey sell the smaller physical sized resistors? The smallest resistor I ever order are 1 watt, and I get a lot of 3 watt stuff too. The resistors I get from Newark are all so small.....like 1/8 watt size. So small I don't want to use them on amp builds, cause they look funny (cheap funny).


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## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

Lincoln said:


> The resistors I get from Newark are all so small.....like 1/8 watt size. So small I don't want to use them on amp builds, cause they look funny (cheap funny).


They are also a pain because the leads are so thin, and they are sometimes not long enough to stretch across eyelet boards.
All the suppliers should have all types available, you just have to sift through all the offerings. The larger type ones being supplied by guitar amp type vendors are all coming from those same big suppliers as far as I know. You may have to download datasheets to find the sizing, which can be time consuming.


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## dtsaudio (Apr 15, 2009)

jb welder said:


> I do the same with digikey, flat rate $8 shipping usually *next day delivered*. No extra fees of any sort.
> The option is hidden if you are not on the .ca site with ca dollars selected, I wonder if the same may be true with mouser and that's why Keith had that issue?
> When I'm on the mouser canada site, they have the same deal but it usually takes weeks instead of days, so I go with digikey. However, mouser has better stock and a wee bit better pricing.


Mouser's site will now come up with a splash screen asking you what country. You shouldn't be able to muck it up.
Mouser also offers next day shipping, but it is $20. The $8.00 option is USPS.
I save Mouser for big orders (over $100) because shipping via FedEx (or UPS) is free. Same with Digikey, but Mouser is usually better priced.
I almost never use Newark anymore. Shipping is $12.50, usually takes a day or two longer and their pricing is getting a bit much. They will also ignore your order if not on the Canadian website.


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