justradios

[geofy]

I have just ordered five capacitors for under $2 from www.justradios.com they are just the right type and there doesn't seem to be a postal charge for surface mail. A bit confused about the minimum order as my order has been accepted. The power resistors don't state if they are wirewound or not so a better description of these would be useful.

[oldticktock]

I too always get my stock from Just radios Dave the chap who runs it is a really helpful sole in more ways than one. Highly recommed they are in the list of recommended suppliers.

Chris

[Boom]

I think you will find the free post applies to Canada only. I usually get a second email asking for the extra for post after I have placed an order but it's not a lot.

[bluepilot]

Their website can be a bit confusing, esp. wrt. postage. Recently I had to buy three lots of airmail to the US to get the price right as there was no way to enter one lot of airmail to Germany on their webform. It's often less confusing just to buy from them via Ebay.

[geofy]

I have just had my Paypal refunded, very annoying as I don't what to buy $15 of components which is the minimum order, I already have boxes of components I will probably never use so don't what to buy more than I need to carry out a repair. It is a pity we don't have similar supplier in the UK for more specialised components. RS have suitable parts so I will be ordering from them instead.

[David G4EBT]

I know that justradios have an excellent reputation which lives up to their name. I understand why they have a minimum order value, as the costs of shipping can be prohibitive.

But often, like Geoff, I need just a few items, and with firms who have a minimum order value or minimum order quantity (RS, Farnell etc), I've found myself over the years, buying stuff that I have no immediate use for, or over-stocking, just try make the order up.

I try to favour smaller UK suppliers wherever I can, and in that regard, I dare say that one such supplier, Savoy Hill, can supply quite a lot of what we need in run of the mill caps, resistors, wire etc.

It might be worth a look at their range of caps at this link:

http://www.savoy-hill.co.uk/capacitors.htm

They also stock a nice range of 3 Watt metal oxide power resistors, which are ideal replacement for use in old radios and televisions as size-wise, they 'look the part' for replacing carbon composition resistors, and they have a good spec too:

5% tolerance
500V rated
temp range -55 to 155°C
Military Spec
all values measure 17 x 6mm (0.75" x 0.25")
All stocked values are £0.17p each:

http://www.savoy-hill.co.uk/resistors.htm

There are other components on the website.

Postage is presently £2.00 - free on orders over £30.

I'm not seeking to promote this firm over any other, but I only source from large firms or overseas supplies as a last resort. I've found ESR Electronics and Cricklewood to be excellent UK firms with which to deal, and again, they often stock items which we find useful in our restorations.

(BVWS members can of course get polyproylene HV caps at BVWS events, or in larger quantities, from Graham Terry. Also, current manufacture high quality electrolytics for smoothing).

There is a section on the forum of course, for a range of suppliers used by forum members. The bottom line for me, is that as far as justradios is concerned, good that they are, I'm unlikely to ever have a long enough list to enable me to place an order, and it seems that I'm not alone in that.

David.

[Sean Williams]

Im still using the first cap kits I purchased from them years ago!, admittedly, i have had to top up on 0.1 and 0.22s....

$15 isnt a huge minimum order charge - just stock up on the really common stuff - they will get used eventually, or club together with another forum member?

Cheers
Sean

[geofy]

Thanks David the Savoy Hill supplier does look promising and I would prefer to buy from a British supplier.

Thanks Sean, I too have components I bought years ago, some get used eventually but I don't want to keep adding things that may never be used and just get put in storage. Maybe a forum exchange could be set up for unwanted components though there is the buying and selling threads already in place.

[dennishoy]

Just my thoughts......

What are the customs charges/VAT etc. when ordering from here?

Is there any reason why a larger quantity of components (e.g. capacitor kits) could not be ordered on behalf of forum members and supplied through here in some way?

I would be happy to help.
Dennis.

[Paul LS]

I didn't have to pay custom charges when I ordered a capacitor kit from JustRadios. If I recall when this was discussed in another post some folks were charged duties... I might have been lucky.

Paul.

[oldticktock]

Originally Posted by dennishoy

Just my thoughts......

Is there any reason why a larger quantity of components (e.g. capacitor kits) could not be ordered on behalf of forum members and supplied through here in some way?

Capacitors can be obtained from the BVWS many of the community do so. These can be obtained at BVWS events and if a member via the channels provided.

I think you may find that people on this forum fall into two camps, those that have vast stocks already and those who buy what they need for the job in hand, therefore you may or may not get much interest in the bulk buying idea.

Chris

[geofy]

I found Savoy-Hill to be an excellent place to buy components after Just Radio refunded my too small order, I would have thought any sale is better than no sale. The Savoy-Hill components are excellent quality, though the resistor range is somewhat limited as the values don't extend beyond 56K, and at the moment no wirewound. For these Rapid online are another good supplier, though again only a few of their resistor ranges sell one offs, others being tens or more. But a better selection of higher values that valve equipment require. And a good range of wirewound resistors. Plus a very comprehensive range of multimeters.

[MichaelR]

Originally Posted by geofy

I found Savoy-Hill to be an excellent place to buy components after Just Radio refunded my too small order, I would have thought any sale is better than no sale.

Easily said but when you are running a business you have to make money. Processing a credit card or paypal payment costs money. Pccking and despatching an order costs money, a supplier on a £10 (15$) order is making at best a revenue of £3 not much profit left after processing costs. Anything less than this value certainly is not worth it.

Mike

[geofy]

That is fair comment, but for the amateur it isn't possible to spend huge amounts on things that will probably never be used. At one time there where local shops that sold components but they have disappeared no doubt for the same reason as not being able to cover cost of running a shop, especially now with the ridiculously high business rates that put a lot out of business. But if the supplier gets lots of small orders then even a small profit on each must be better than sitting on unsold stock.

[MichaelR]

But that is my point the small amount of revenue does not cover the costs , at best you will be very busy earning nothing. A single order for 10 times the cost of a very small order has nearly the same processing costs.

Turnover is ego .... profit is a living

Mike

[geofy]

It always has been problem when only small quantities are require, even a dozen components might only add up to a couple of pounds with the postage costing twice as much and then the government taking their cut. Can't recall any minister coming round to help with the soldering but maybe that's a good thing! We want to see the component suppliers survive by giving them our custom. But projects have to have a sensible budget, many times I have been put off by the cost, though if a shop sells other things like service products I try to buy these at the same time as long as I can use them. Vintage suppliers must realise by the very nature of the product that some items required are only going to be of low value. It would help if some offered second class post as many only offer first class and sometimes it doesn't matter if things take longer to arrive if it keeps the postage cost down. What is good is to know that components can still be bought and the exceptionally high quality of them.

[ALANS ANITAS]

I believe components are zero rated for customs duty, but still will be liable for VAT.
If you have any questions email or phone them, you will find them very helpful, remember they are in Eastern Canada, so are 5/6 hours behind us so only phone during the late afternoon, or early evening. They are BVWS members.

Regards

ALAN

[AlanBeckett]

Originally Posted by MichaelR

Easily said but when you are running a business you have to make money. Processing a credit card or paypal payment costs money. Pccking and despatching an order costs money, a supplier on a £10 (15$) order is making at best a revenue of £3 not much profit left after processing costs. Anything less than this value certainly is not worth it.
Mike

Strictly speaking that's not true. That's the story that the Accountants always put forward to justify not processing small orders. They divide the cost of processing all orders by the total number of orders. Assuming that a Business is processing a large quantity of big, or at least normal sized, orders, then what you should look at is the marginal cost of one more small order, which is generally peanuts. Of course, most Businesses don't want to be bothered when they've got plenty of work (orders) on.
By the way, I generally wait until I need a few components then bite the bullet and order from justradios, making up the total to something sensible.
Alan

[MichaelR]

Originally Posted by geofy

. Vintage suppliers must realise by the very nature of the product that some items required are only going to be of low value. It would help if some offered second class post as many only offer first class and sometimes it doesn't matter if things take longer to arrive if it keeps the postage cost down. What is good is to know that components can still be bought and the exceptionally high quality of them.

I am sure the suppliers do realise this but thank God we can get the components and at reasonable prices. Most mail order companies will only offer first class signed for service now a days to have "proof of posting" it protects them from having customers who may claim they never received the goods.

I must say that I have dealt with Just Radio quite a few times and the quality of the components he supplies are excellent and goes very well with his timely communication and delivery.

Mike

[ppppenguin]

Originally Posted by ALANS ANITAS

I believe components are zero rated for customs duty, but still will be liable for VAT

The problem is that if there is any liability to VAT or customs duty ParcelFarce or Royal Mail will charge a £13.50 fee for the privilege of collecting it. You can check on the HMRC website but if the declared value of the shipment is less than £18 then it's allowed in without charge. They have the right to add the cost of postage to the value of the contents which can be a nuisance. Don't ask suppliers to falsify the customs declaration value - it's illegal and most won't do it anyway.