I know that for all you over in america that it is fairly easy for hobbyists to get electronic components quickly and cheaply. Over here in Britain, Scotland to be specific, it is a lot harder; the only electronic shops we have for components is maplin but when they charge £2 for ten or so LEDs you only go there when you need them now.
I normally resort to Ebay for all my electronic needs, just so long as you don't mind waiting up to a month for products coming from China if you want the best bargain.
Yet I have been having trouble ordering cheap ATmega328 and in bulk (well only about 10 or so) as they all advertise them as 'Arduino Bootloader Compatible' and charge up to £5 for one chip along with a crystal.
Can anyone please give me somewhere where I can purchase cheap AVR chips, mainly ATMega328, ATTiny84/44 ATtiny85/45. I've looked on a couple of websites and they want between £2-4 of each.
P.S. Apologises if this is in the wrong place