Normally, I don't buy parts at all, except for the little thingies I build here. I do build prototypes and, if a relatively new part or one that's not readily available at the local JiffyMart is involved, I beg samples from the mfg. If I can't get samples promptly from the mfg, then (1) I look for alternatives that I can get promptly, or (2) I look for other sources, BUT NEVER A DISTRIBUTOR.

I dislike dealing with distributors for a number of reasons, the principal one of which is that even a large distributor, e.g. Arrow, or Avnet, seldom has a knowledgable engineer on the payroll. Their sales rep's know little but talk a lot. The result is that they (the distributor) have no concern about putting the right part in your hands, or in selling the right part to your client. Since they don't care that you may get the wrong part, they don't care whether you get what you ordered. Moreover, they don't care whether you get your parts when you want them, particularly if they can get a bigger (>10K) order from someone else if they let YOUR client go out of business waiting for his 250 parts. The result is that I try very hard to persuade my clients to use only those parts that they can get from more than one mfg and through more than one distributor. If both potential mfg's are distributed by the same disty, then I recommend they order from an out-of-town distributor.

Several of my clients no longer use Motorola/Freescale parts because they can't order from Motorola directly due to their quantity, while they once did.

Sadly, many MCU's are single-sourced, these days. It makes things difficult.

RE