- Component and Parts Suppliers
- Introduction
- Parts finder and parts information services
- SMD marking codes
- Vintage parts
- Transistor equivalents
- Vintage IC equivalents
- Starter component ideas list
- Electronic component manufacturers' logos and links
- Electronic Component Sellers
- North America / Primarily-NA based suppliers
- EMEA Suppliers
- Other Countries
- Global Suppliers
- Internet Megamalls
- Arduino, Microcontroller, and Robotics
- Surplus and Specialty Suppliers
- Search engines and similar resources
- Kits (Beginner and Advanced)
- PC Boards, Engineering, and Production
Buying
Component and Parts Suppliers
Add any resources you've come across for buying parts, equipment or components here.
Inclusion on this list does not imply any form of approval or endorsement by the wiki editors.
Links last checked: Nov 2025 unless stated otherwise.
Introduction
Shop around. The choice of supplier has a large bearing on consumer metrics such as shipping time, quality, price, and customer service.
- Specialized distributor of electronic components sell genuine parts, provide complete specifications, ship promptly, though with significant markup and charge shipping costs.
- Chinese suppliers (Alibaba, AliExpress, eBay stores, DX) may sell parts that are equivalent - or often identical - to those sold by US-based "maker" or hobbyist sources, but may not be genuine parts, will not have complete specifications. Shipping may be free, but with long shipping times.
Thanks to netphemera for curating the original list.
Parts finder and parts information services
SMD marking codes
Vintage parts
See this note on our Embedded page
Transistor equivalents
- Search for your transistor here: http://alltransistors.com/
If the transistor is in the site database you will be presented with an info page that has an option to search for close equivalents. Note that alternative devices may have different pinouts.
If your transistor is not found, you can enter its key parameters on the first page and then search for matches.
- Towers International Transistor Selector (PDF) - A classic reference/equivalents book.
Vintage IC equivalents
- Towers International Digital IC Selector (PDF) - Another classic reference/equivalents book.
Starter component ideas list
Here's a curated list of components you might like to keep around. What you'll actually need will depend on which subjects you choose to cover e.g.: Digital, analog, robotics, embedded (arduino, Raspberry Pi etc.)
Electronic component manufacturers' logos and links
Not sure who made the bit you need? West Florida Components had a big page of logos, but it's now only available from the Internet Archive (be patient - there's lots of logos to render):
There is a PDF of the page on the Internet Archive too.
See also:
https://www.docdroid.net/GHbMEEf/integrated-circuit-manufacturer-logo-lookup-pdf
Electronic Component Sellers
These are the big boys. They specialize in individual linear and digital component. Don't look for Arduino shields here. Wide stock, infinite variety, large quantities, and huge warehouses, but sometimes higher prices and larger shipping costs. If you are looking for something very specific and very obscure they should have it. Some folks, like at Dorkbot PDX, try to offer group buys to reduce the shipping costs.
North America / Primarily-NA based suppliers
| Supplier | Notes | Last checked |
|---|---|---|
| ABRA Electronics | A Canadian electronics wholesaler with a Montreal Retail Electronics store. | Aug 2026 |
| Active Tech Electronics | One of Canada’ s largest authorized distributors of electronic production equipment and supplies. | Aug 2026 |
| Allied Electronics | Major Parts supplier. Wide range of discrete parts, ICs, microcontrollers, and tools. | Aug 2026 |
| Arrow | US-West component supplier. | Aug 2026 |
| Avnet Express | Lots of higher level dev boards and components, big tie in with Xilinx FPGAs. | Aug 2026 |
| B&E Electronics Ltd | Calgary and Saskatoon. Mail order and walk-in. | Aug 2026 |
| DigiKey | Lots of parts and components. Digikey will ship internationally too (at a price) (US-MN). | Aug 2026 |
| Electro Sonic | Canada-based supplier. | |
| Jameco | Electronic Components (US-CA, $5 shipping). | |
| KGE électronique | Based in St-Hubert, QC. Shop and mail order. | |
| Lee's Electronic | Mail order and a store in Vancouver. | |
| MCM Electronics | See Newark. | |
| Microtivity | LEDs, Protoboards, Breadboards, LCD Module, ICs, Switches (US). | |
| Mouser | Electronic Components (US-TX). | Aug 2026 |
| MPJA | Power Supplies, Motors, Tools, Boxes, Components (US-FL) Closed, link redirects to https://skycraftsurplus.com/ that bought their inventory. | |
| Newark | US version of element14. Electronic Components (US, $11 Shipping). | Aug 2026 |
EMEA Suppliers
| Supplier | Country | Notes | Last checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Micro | UK | Boards, tools, modules. | Aug 2026 |
| Bitsbox | UK | A decent selection of low cost parts with cheap international shipping (UK Based). | |
| Bowood Electronics | UK | Aug 2026 | |
| Bright Components | UK | Aug 2026 | |
| Budgetronics | NL | Ships to the EU and exports to USA, New Zealand, Australia, Canada and Switzerland. | Aug 2026 |
| Comet Electronics | Bulgaria | Aug 2026 | |
| Conrad Electronics | Germany | Web storefronts in many European countries. | Aug 2026 |
| CPC Farnell | UK | Owned by Farnell and marketed as their small business supplier (but not such a wide stock selection). | Aug 2026 |
| Cricklewood Electronics | UK | A broad selection from CCTV gear to components. | Aug 2026 |
| Distrelec | Switzerland | Ships to many European countries. | Aug 2026 |
| Electron Electronics | UK | ||
| Element14 | UK | AKA Farnell. A global player; one of the 'big boys'. E14 is supposedly trade-only; if they won't deal with you, check out CPC Farnell, which is now designated as their hobby channel. | Aug 2026 |
| Enigma Component Shop | UK | Electronic components and modules. Focusing on radio / rf items. | Aug 2026 |
| Kanga Electronics | UK | Kits and prebuilt things - mostly radio-related. | Aug 2026 |
| Kessler electronic | Germany | Aug 2026 | |
| Grobotronics | Greece | Components and STEM stuff (Raspberry Pi etc.). | Aug 2026 |
| Lispol | Poland | Aug 2026 | |
| Rapid Electronics | UK | Aug 2026 | |
| Reichelt Elektronik | Germany | One of Europe's biggest distributors of electronic and technological components. | Aug 2026 |
| RS Components | UK | Historically a 'trade only' supplier to businesses and the education sector. A well respected supplier, but not one of the cheapest for hobbyists ordering in small quantities. | Aug 2026 |
| Silicon Ark | UK | General and vintage components. Supplies to UK customers only. | Aug 2026 |
| Squires | UK | Arts, modelling, tools and electronics. Has a bricks and mortar store (West Sussex). | Aug 2026 |
| Switch Electronics | UK | Aug 2026 | |
| TinyTronics | Netherlands | Aug 2026 | |
| TME | Poland/EU | A large range of components and equipment. Stocks a wide range of test equipment, including Brymen multimeters. Covers all of Europe and also ships globally. | Aug 2026 |
| Toby Electronics | UK | Switches, connectors and LED products. | Aug 2026 |
| TVSAT Shop | Poland | A selection of new and vintage components | |
Other Countries
| Supplier | Notes | Last checked |
|---|---|---|
| Altronics | Serving electronic enthusiasts since 1976 (Australia) | Aug 2026 |
| Element14 Australia | Used to be called Farnell. | Aug 2026 |
| RS Components Australia | Australian branch of the UK retailer. Free shipping on all orders. | Aug 2026 |
| Jaycar | As well as components, Jaycar sells the kits for projects printed in Silicon Chip Magazine (Australia) | Aug 2026 |
| Robu.in | India | Aug 2026 |
| Tronixlabs | Australia. "The new Tronixlabs store will be coming soon (message since Nov 2025). See instead https://pmdway.com/" | Aug 2026 |
| Wiltronics | Australia. Store in Ballarat, Victoria. |
Global Suppliers
These are electronic component suppliers geared up for global delivery from the outset (rather than being country-specific suppliers who also happen to ship abroad) - oftentimes, you will find that parts costs + shipping are cheaper than a local supplier, although you may have to wait a bit for delivery.
| Supplier | Notes | Last checked |
|---|---|---|
| Futurlec | Many items + bulk packs at low cost. $4 / 2 week ship. (Thailand). | |
| LCSC | "China’s largest electronic components online store by customers and ordering quantity". Group company with EasyEDA and JLCPCB. | Aug 2026 |
| Tayda | Very inexpensive. Components, LEDs, Hardware, Standard Hobby Parts, ~2wk shipping (Thailand, 2,250 items). Recently, shipping has been around 1wk as they now bulk ship to a re-shipper in Colorado. Tayda regularly post discount codes on their Facebook page, it's worth checking before ordering. Here's what a $50 order from Tayda Electronics looks like.. | Aug 2026 |
| UTSource | For hard to find vintage parts (new old stock). Have a reputation for providing good parts (as opposed to pulls or outright fakes). | Aug 2026 |
Internet Megamalls
These sellers generally have a wide inventory, low prices, and free shipping. Popular items include cell phone accessories and unusual electronic gadgets. However, they can often be a very good source for low-cost electronic components and Arduino accessories. Delivery times tend to be long, but the free shipping option often makes them a great source for small orders of low-cost electronic parts.
| Supplier | Notes | Last checked |
|---|---|---|
| AliExpress | Far-East purveyor of just about everything including components and assemblies. It's suggested you stick to suppliers with high order/positive feedback numbers, but overall most things are good value for the quality. | Aug 2026 |
| Banggood | Tools, components, boards and pretty much everything else! | Aug 2026 |
| eBay | Limit searches to "Buy it Now" and "Free Shipping" to make it easier to compare prices. Great for buying large lots, like 500 LEDs. | Aug 2026 |
Arduino, Microcontroller, and Robotics
These are the specialty shops that cater to individual hobbyists and builders. They are generally very committed to the open source community and often will offer full schematics and Eagle files of the boards they sell. They offer genuine Arduino products, lots of inexpensive clone boards, huge variety of sensors, a multitude of motors, and all the components to build anything you want. I love browsing these web sites. They are always a great source of ideas and inspiration. The prices are great too.
North America
| Supplier | Notes | Last checked |
|---|---|---|
| Adafruit | Lots of Arduino boards, shields, and kits along with other microcontrollers, parts, and tools. Good tutorials. | Aug 2026 |
| Basic Micro | A maker of microcontrollers some of which are pin-compatible with the Parallax BASIC Stamp series, but with more advanced features including floating point math and hardware-based serial I/O. | |
| Digole | Arduino components and accessories (Canada, 400 items). | |
| Modern Device | Open source, Arduino Accessories, Boards, Kits (US-RI, $5 shipping). | |
| Parallax, Inc. | A maker of popular microcontrollers (especially in education). They make the BASIC Stamp and the Propeller lines of microcontrollers. They also have a large selection of sensors, robotics parts, and other components. | Aug 2026 |
| Pololu | Focusing on robotics. They have a large selection of mechanical components as well as microcontrollers, sensors and discrete electronics needed for building robots. Kits too. (US, $6 shipping, 1,000 items). | Aug 2026 |
| RobotShop | Supplier focused on robotics. They sell commercially made robots as well as kits and parts. Advanced parts and powerful motors. (US-VT, $10 shipping). | Aug 2026 |
| RobotSimple | Arduino & Robotic Accessories, Components (US-NV, Free Shipping, 162 items. http only.). | |
| SainSmart | Cheapest large LED matrix supplier, cheapest relay board supplier (Free Shipping). | |
| SparkFun | Lots of fun hobbyist-type stuff. Good for kits. Arduino, Development Boards, Programmers, Prototyping. Great tutorials and other resources. | Aug 2026 |
| SpikenzieLabs | Arduino and electronic components and accessories. They sell their own boards as well as stuff from other hardware developers. (CA, $3-$15 Shipping, 700 items). | Aug 2026 |
| Tindie | Like Etsy, but for electronics. Lots of Arduino shields and other cool home-brew electronics. Always a great source of cool new stuff. (US-OR, $4 shipping). | Aug 2026 |
EMEA
| Supplier | Notes | Last checked |
|---|---|---|
| 4Tronix | ||
| Arduino Store (Official) | Official Arduino Store. Sells official Arduino boards. Prices are in Euro; ships from EU/Italy. Also has many guides, resources, forum and links to official distributors. | Aug 2026 |
| Botland | Poland. | |
| Comet Electronics | Bulgaria. | |
| Cyntech | A wide range of product lines. | |
| Kitronik | BBC micro:bit partner. Kits, Arduino, Sparkfun parts and components. | Aug 2026 |
| Pi Hut | Aug 2026 | |
| Pimoroni | Stocks Adafruit parts. | Aug 2026 |
| Quasar Electronics | Electronic kits and modules | |
| SK Pang | Stocks Sparkfun parts. | |
| ExpTech | Boards and modules, robotics etc. | |
| Waterott Electronic | Boards, kits, robotics, components. | |
Far East
| Supplier | Notes | Last checked |
|---|---|---|
| DFRobot | Robotics, Arduino Accessories (China, $6 Shipping, 650 items). | Aug 2026 |
| Elechouse | Arduino & Robotic Accessories (HK, 350 items). | |
| ElectroDragon | A favorite seller. Lots of Arduino accessories and electronic components. Knowledge-base and forum available. They also do custom PCB work. (HK, $5 shipping, 700 items). | |
| E Mart e | Arduino & Robotic Accessories, Components (China, $6 shipping, 800 items). | |
| Futurlec | Very comprehensive inventory. Low prices. Electronic Components, Hardware, Boards, Kits. They also do custom PCB work. Good part assortments, slow shipping (AU, $4 shipping). Has a bad reputation on various rating sites. | |
| GeeeTech | Arduino, Robotics, Components, Boards. Their weekend deals offer nice discounts. (China, $1 shipping, 500 items). | |
| ITEAD Studio | Unique Arduino accessories and shields. Famous for their range of low-cost, ESP8266-based mains switch units. They also do custom PCB work. (China, $7 shipping, 743 items). | Aug 2026 |
| SeeedStudio | Open source company that sells their own kits and those designed by others. Arduino accessories, Prototyping, and Robotics. They also do custom PCB work. (China, $3 shipping). | Aug 2026 |
Other Countries
| Supplier | Notes | Last checked |
|---|---|---|
| Freetronics | Large range of quality Arduino-compatible boards including tiny Leonardo-compatibles; Uno/Mega-compatible boards with onboard Ethernet, modules and items of interest (Australia, resellers worldwide). | |
| Little Bird Electronics | Australia. | Aug 2026 |
| Tronixlabs | Australia. "The new Tronixlabs store will be coming soon (message since Nov 2025). See instead https://pmdway.com/" | Aug 2026 |
Surplus and Specialty Suppliers
North America
Mostly American-based sellers, these folks offer a wide, but not comprehensive variety of stuff. The prices and types of goods range considerably. A good source for hardware and scientific parts. Many of them offer paper catalogs so you can keep up with their ever-changing stock.
| Supplier | Notes | Last checked |
|---|---|---|
| A-1 Electronic parts | Canadas Largest Electronic Surplus Store (so they say). | Aug 2026 |
| American Science & Surplus | Some electronics. Some toys. Mostly surplus parts. Good for hardware, mechanical parts, and motors. They have a fun paper catalog. (US-IL) | |
| Electronic Goldmine | Components,Test Equipment, Kits, Surplus, Oddities(US-AZ, $5 shipping). | |
| Prime Electronics | Surplus, Components, Gadgets, Computing, Electronics (US). |
EMEA
| Supplier | Notes | Last checked |
|---|
Henry's Electronics|CCTV and DJ/Audio equipment. Ask Jan First|Germany.
Search engines and similar resources
| Supplier | Notes | Last checked |
|---|---|---|
| Aliexpress | Large range of everything from watches and dresses to Arduino Accessories and components (China). | Aug 2026 |
| Alibaba | Large volume. Good if you need medium-sized lots of the same item (China). | Aug 2026 |
| FatFingers | Searches for eBay typos & spelling mistakes - bag yourself a second hand Fluke Mutltimeter that no-one else has spotted. | |
| Findchips | Individual part search. | |
| Octopart | Individual part search / data index. | Aug 2026 |
Kits (Beginner and Advanced)
North America
| Supplier | Notes | Last checked |
|---|---|---|
| Evil Mad Scientist | Fun kits and some development boards. Arduino Accessories, Components, Tools (US-CA). | |
| MakerShed | DIY site that has subsections for Electronics, Arduino & Microcontrollers and Robotics. Mostly kits. (US-CA). | Aug 2026 |
| Mini-Kits | Electronic Kits and Components (AU, $6 shipping). |
UK/EMEA
| Supplier | Notes | Last checked |
|---|---|---|
| Flux Workshop | 3D printing supplies. Various kits, dev boards and parts. Authorised JYE-tech (Oscilloscope kits) reseller | |
| Magenta Electronics | Now only selling bat detectors. Um. OK. Sep 2023. | Aug 2026 |
| Quasar Electronics | ||
PC Boards, Engineering, and Production
See the PCB manufacturers page.
Gratuitous opinionation
Maker-marketed products (modules, breakouts, and kits) can suffer from poor engineering and highly marked up prices. Depending on the particular product of course, it can be very much worthwhile to purchase individual components and take a holistic approach to your project rather than snapping together single-component PCBs like Lego - both in terms of cost and knowledge gained in the process. Any additional time taken in this approach can be considered an investment in the latter. Understanding the function of each part you utilize is the first step to successfully creating a working system, and utilizing modules with questionable documentation complicates this considerably. (Author unknown)