element14 Community
element14 Community
    Register Log In
  • Site
  • Search
  • Log In Register
  • About Us
  • Community Hub
    Community Hub
    • What's New on element14
    • Feedback and Support
    • Benefits of Membership
    • Personal Blogs
    • Members Area
    • Achievement Levels
  • Learn
    Learn
    • Ask an Expert
    • eBooks
    • element14 presents
    • Learning Center
    • Tech Spotlight
    • STEM Academy
    • Webinars, Training and Events
    • Learning Groups
  • Technologies
    Technologies
    • 3D Printing
    • FPGA
    • Industrial Automation
    • Internet of Things
    • Power & Energy
    • Sensors
    • Technology Groups
  • Challenges & Projects
    Challenges & Projects
    • Design Challenges
    • element14 presents Projects
    • Project14
    • Arduino Projects
    • Raspberry Pi Projects
    • Project Groups
  • Products
    Products
    • Arduino
    • Avnet Boards Community
    • Dev Tools
    • Manufacturers
    • Multicomp Pro
    • Product Groups
    • Raspberry Pi
    • RoadTests & Reviews
  • Store
    Store
    • Visit Your Store
    • Choose another store...
      • Europe
      •  Austria (German)
      •  Belgium (Dutch, French)
      •  Bulgaria (Bulgarian)
      •  Czech Republic (Czech)
      •  Denmark (Danish)
      •  Estonia (Estonian)
      •  Finland (Finnish)
      •  France (French)
      •  Germany (German)
      •  Hungary (Hungarian)
      •  Ireland
      •  Israel
      •  Italy (Italian)
      •  Latvia (Latvian)
      •  
      •  Lithuania (Lithuanian)
      •  Netherlands (Dutch)
      •  Norway (Norwegian)
      •  Poland (Polish)
      •  Portugal (Portuguese)
      •  Romania (Romanian)
      •  Russia (Russian)
      •  Slovakia (Slovak)
      •  Slovenia (Slovenian)
      •  Spain (Spanish)
      •  Sweden (Swedish)
      •  Switzerland(German, French)
      •  Turkey (Turkish)
      •  United Kingdom
      • Asia Pacific
      •  Australia
      •  China
      •  Hong Kong
      •  India
      •  Korea (Korean)
      •  Malaysia
      •  New Zealand
      •  Philippines
      •  Singapore
      •  Taiwan
      •  Thailand (Thai)
      • Americas
      •  Brazil (Portuguese)
      •  Canada
      •  Mexico (Spanish)
      •  United States
      Can't find the country/region you're looking for? Visit our export site or find a local distributor.
  • Translate
  • Profile
  • Settings
Community Hub
Community Hub
Member's Forum What is the best electronics deal you ever scored?
  • Blog
  • Forum
  • Documents
  • Quiz
  • Events
  • Leaderboard
  • Polls
  • Files
  • Members
  • Mentions
  • Sub-Groups
  • Tags
  • More
  • Cancel
  • New
Join Community Hub to participate - click to join for free!
Actions
  • Share
  • More
  • Cancel
Forum Thread Details
  • State Verified Answer
  • Replies 17 replies
  • Subscribers 542 subscribers
  • Views 2063 views
  • Users 0 members are here
  • fleamarkets
  • electronics deals
Related

What is the best electronics deal you ever scored?

dougw
dougw over 4 years ago

I am sure I have scored some great deals over the years and probably the road tests and contest winnings I've had on element14 would rank as the best deals I ever had.

I am asking this question because I am sure the answers will trigger some great memories of deals I found along the way.

I do remember one one auction I went to where I got a box of fifteen brand new 9V transformers for about $20. These things were perfect for 5 to 12 V linear power supplies. They were big - about 15 amp outputs and they were so heavy I had to sell half of them to the guys I was bidding against, just so I could carry the rest in my back-pack. But it also meant I got all I could carry almost for free.

Those flea markets and Ham fests and electronics auctions seem to have disappeared from this area.

If you have a picture of your great deal, all the better...

  • Sign in to reply
  • Cancel

Top Replies

  • Fred27
    Fred27 over 4 years ago +8
    I agree that some of the best "scores" are the road tests here on E14, but excluding those: A MSP430 development kit for $4.30. That used to be the official list price (including international shipping…
  • ajcc
    ajcc over 4 years ago +7
    My KENWOOD PW18-2 linear power supply that I got for €30 plus shipping from an online auction site. It was listed under home/consumer electronics, not in the test gear section, so no one else saw it. It…
  • Andrew J
    Andrew J over 4 years ago +6
    Mostly the winnings from Element 14. I did bid for a ‘working perfectly’ Fluke 287 on the flea, and got that for a bargain. Apart from a blown power cap and damaged battery terminals it was ‘perfect’ as…
  • Gough Lui
    0 Gough Lui over 4 years ago

    I'm sure, with the current COVID-19 situation, I suspect that such events might not be around for a while. In Australia, surplus and boot-sales are definitely not something that happen regularly simply because the community and demand is quite small. I tend to make the trek up to the Central Coast Amateur Radio Club's Wyong Field Day for their "hamfest-style" boot sales, but the pickings usually are fairly slim. I've blogged about my hauls in the past -

    • https://goughlui.com/2019/02/24/visited-central-coast-amateur-radio-club-ccarc-wyong-field-day-24-feb-2019/
    • https://goughlui.com/2020/02/23/visited-central-coast-amateur-radio-club-ccarc-62nd-wyong-field-day-23-feb-2020/

     

    I suppose the best thing I got out of the most recent one was a USB External BluRay writer for AU$25 still-in-box (although likely used briefly in ex-display condition) and getting a few Sunon MagLev 60mm DC brushless fans which I managed to use to replace a noisy fan with failed bearings in my relatively young R&S NGM202 power supply. I suppose hunting for bargains online seems to be the way to go in Australia, although there aren't that many to be found once you count the cost of shipping into it.

     

    - Gough

    • Cancel
    • Vote Up +5 Vote Down
    • Sign in to reply
    • Verify Answer
    • Cancel
  • the-dubster
    0 the-dubster over 4 years ago in reply to DAB

    How did you fit a computer room in your wife? image

    • Cancel
    • Vote Up +2 Vote Down
    • Sign in to reply
    • Verify Answer
    • Cancel
  • Sean_Miller
    0 Sean_Miller over 4 years ago

    My XYZ Printing da Vinci Pro 3D printer went for $300 bucks on amazon brand new.  Since, I can't find it for less then $540.

    • Cancel
    • Vote Up +3 Vote Down
    • Sign in to reply
    • Verify Answer
    • Cancel
  • shabaz
    0 shabaz over 4 years ago

    Once every five years I might do well on an e-bay auction. My hit rate is low on that.

    I once managed to get a load of brand new high voltage supplies (kV) for about £20 total, and I'm sure they were worth a few £k originally (they were very old unused ones in sealed boxes). I felt sorry for the seller, he'd just retired and I'm sure had hoped they would sell for more (I was the only bidder) so I just gave him more money when I went to collect them - still way less than they were worth (but at the same time I would not have purchased them at a much higher price for occasional work..) so at least he must have felt a bit better.

    I also did well last week, with a near-unused data logger for just over £100. (I wanted a power meter, but they are more expensive - the data logger did that feature but didn't advertise it well).

    I should point out I've also done exceptionally bad in the past - like a power meter that was faulty : (

    • Cancel
    • Vote Up +3 Vote Down
    • Sign in to reply
    • Verify Answer
    • Cancel
  • Jan Cumps
    0 Jan Cumps over 4 years ago

    Celestion speakers from the UK. For virtually nothing at a recycler:

     

    imageimage

     

    The lower "circle" is a passive radiator. A novel (then) flat plate that gets kicked by the backward pressure of the speaker above it....

    These weren't expensive in the day either. Affordable for many household and there were many around.

    • Cancel
    • Vote Up +3 Vote Down
    • Sign in to reply
    • Verify Answer
    • Cancel
  • mudz
    0 mudz over 4 years ago in reply to Fred27

    Yupp, I second that.. Loved Ti these mini yet powerful (that time, for me) development boards..
    image

    And these too..


    - mudzimage

    • Cancel
    • Vote Up +2 Vote Down
    • Sign in to reply
    • Verify Answer
    • Cancel
  • Jan Cumps
    0 Jan Cumps over 2 years ago in reply to dougw

    It needs TLC - a mechanical issue to fix.

    Jan Cumps
    Christmas holiday plan: repair a 60s turntable
    I have a turntable from the mid-60, Thorens TD 124. It has a mechanical issue: the speed selector has a worn-out component. This holiday I'll see if I can fix this. These tables, and the components…
    By Jan Cumps over 2 years ago in Community Hub > Member's Forum
    21 replies
    Latest by Jan Cumps over 2 years ago

    • Cancel
    • Vote Up +1 Vote Down
    • Sign in to reply
    • Verify Answer
    • Cancel
<
element14 Community

element14 is the first online community specifically for engineers. Connect with your peers and get expert answers to your questions.

  • Members
  • Learn
  • Technologies
  • Challenges & Projects
  • Products
  • Store
  • About Us
  • Feedback & Support
  • FAQs
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Legal and Copyright Notices
  • Sitemap
  • Cookies

An Avnet Company © 2025 Premier Farnell Limited. All Rights Reserved.

Premier Farnell Ltd, registered in England and Wales (no 00876412), registered office: Farnell House, Forge Lane, Leeds LS12 2NE.

ICP 备案号 10220084.

Follow element14

  • X
  • Facebook
  • linkedin
  • YouTube