So, I ordered the parts for YAOSM right? I also ordered some leds, battery holders, soder wick and a flux pen.
The total cost was a very reasonable $17. None of this stuff weighs more than a gram or so each, so shipping should be about $6.40 for UPS Ground based on the estimate, since it's far less than 1 pound of stuff - WRONG
I checked my order's shipping tracking numbers, after it FINALLY shipped (I ordered on Monday, it shipped today, Wednesday) and it said that it had shipped FedEx. I found this rather odd. I had initially contacted customer service to find my tracking number since it hadn't been emailed to me, nor could I find it on my order status page, but I did eventually find it. When I asked how much I was charged for shipping, I was told that I was charged $15!!!
I called up customer service, and they told me that the total weight of my stuff came out to 5 POUNDS!!! HOW THE HELL do battery holders, leds, chip sockets, resistors, and TINY components, come out to 5 pounds???? Then she tells me that it was shipped in 3 BOXES!!!
How does that require 3 boxes???? So, they charged me shipping based on the cost to ship each box. Absolutely ridiculous.
So, Newark's low prices may attract you, but their shipping is the kiss of death. The fact that they don't charge you for shipping until its shipped is somewhat of a huge pain, since stuff like this can happen. Looking back, I paid about the same amount as I would've had I ordered from, say, Mouser Electronics as I had originally planned.
I recommend that you check Mouser Electronics or Digi-Key.com to see if you can save some money by purchasing from them first before you go with Newark. Beware of Newark shipping costs!
On the bright side though, I get a lot of extra packaging material that I won't have to buy in the future...
EDIT: Found out they shipped 3 boxes because I ordered a flux pen and a desoldering braid. So, DO NOT order flux pens or desoldering braid.
The total cost was a very reasonable $17. None of this stuff weighs more than a gram or so each, so shipping should be about $6.40 for UPS Ground based on the estimate, since it's far less than 1 pound of stuff - WRONG
I checked my order's shipping tracking numbers, after it FINALLY shipped (I ordered on Monday, it shipped today, Wednesday) and it said that it had shipped FedEx. I found this rather odd. I had initially contacted customer service to find my tracking number since it hadn't been emailed to me, nor could I find it on my order status page, but I did eventually find it. When I asked how much I was charged for shipping, I was told that I was charged $15!!!
I called up customer service, and they told me that the total weight of my stuff came out to 5 POUNDS!!! HOW THE HELL do battery holders, leds, chip sockets, resistors, and TINY components, come out to 5 pounds???? Then she tells me that it was shipped in 3 BOXES!!!
How does that require 3 boxes???? So, they charged me shipping based on the cost to ship each box. Absolutely ridiculous.
So, Newark's low prices may attract you, but their shipping is the kiss of death. The fact that they don't charge you for shipping until its shipped is somewhat of a huge pain, since stuff like this can happen. Looking back, I paid about the same amount as I would've had I ordered from, say, Mouser Electronics as I had originally planned.
I recommend that you check Mouser Electronics or Digi-Key.com to see if you can save some money by purchasing from them first before you go with Newark. Beware of Newark shipping costs!
On the bright side though, I get a lot of extra packaging material that I won't have to buy in the future...
EDIT: Found out they shipped 3 boxes because I ordered a flux pen and a desoldering braid. So, DO NOT order flux pens or desoldering braid.
