[TriLUG] Intrex going out of business 15 Dec

[Steve Litt via TriLUG]

On Mon, 26 Nov 2018 13:25:57 -0500
John Franklin via TriLUG <trilug at trilug.org> wrote:

> I used to get stuff there when I lived in Cary and Apex back in ’00
> through ’03.  They were a great place to get both solid home and data
> center gear.
> 
> What happened?

You know all these people who use real stores as a showroom, and then
buy online to save 5% and illegally not pay sales tax? They happened.

Special credit to the guys who go to the store with their camera, scan
the barcode, find the lowest price, and order online right then and
there.

A couple weeks ago I needed a couple 1 amp fuses. 3 years ago I would
have driven 3/4 mile to Radio Shack and snagged them. Yeah, they'd have
cost a buck and a half each, but I'd have had them instantly, with no
hassle. As it turned out, I had to visit Lowes AND Home Depot, and
ended up having to buy a variety pack to get my 1 amps.

Have you shopped at Newegg lately? You order it, they break up your
order and ring toss it to various other vendors, who ship to you and
give you paid invoices. When all's said and done it's up to you to
reconcile the order, as to whether everything was delivered (in five or
six different shipments over a week or so). I'll no longer shop Newegg.

Lately I've had pretty good luck with parts-express.com, for the stuff
that they sell. And of course Ebay's always good, if you're willing to
deal with its hit-and-missedness.

Once upon a time a guy named Ral Donner sang a song called "You don't
know what you got, til you lose it." Once upon a time I had a couple
cheap, dedicated electronics parts places and several radio shacks
within a 10 mile radius. Once upon a time I had five or six local
computer stores from which I could buy components. I took the situation
for granted. I didn't know what I had til I lost it.
 
SteveT

Steve Litt
November 2018 featured book: Manager's Guide to Technical
Troubleshooting Brand new, second edition
http://www.troubleshooters.com/mgr