Tayda- uk builder here

[Teddeeh]

Hey guys, ive done several orders with tayda so far and tbh im kinda sick with the customs tax. Does anyone else order and what are your thoughts with ordering from them as i would like to know. Sometimes tbh i feel that its best to order on the “15% off” coupon days as it kind of balances out the customs charges.

[Travis]

I pretty much only buy from them when they have a coupon going

The main reason that I buy from them is to buy large quantities of their Alpha pots. That is their best bargain because it is a nice quality part for really cheap. Tons of their other stuff is cheap but super low quality.

Overall I think they are a great value for pots, but if I lived in the UK and it was a comparable price I would probably opt for OMEG pots, Cliff switches, WIMA caps, etc.

When I buy pots from them in bulk it makes for a pretty heavy package so I’m not sure how much that costs for you

If it’s only adding up to a few bucks difference per pedal, go for higher quality brand name parts that are easier to obtain locally. Your pedals will last longer and be easier to sell

[Pavlos]

HI Teddeeh, I'm also in the UK and like Travis, I tend to stick to buying from Tayda when they have the coupon offers. I've only had to 'donate' to HMRC on the single occasion I went for the (Only a couple of days) 'faster' DHL service, otherwise I get the chepest shipping option and wait patiently for a couple of weeks. As they have the coupon offers fairly regularly it can be worthwhile making a few smaller orders rather than one massive one, costs a bit more on the carriage but saves a lot more than getting hit by the extra import costs. Can also work out nicely to spread the cost over a few pay packets as well.

Tayda are probably the best value going for Alpha pots, they can also be good for some of the rotary Alpha switches, and less easy to find toggle switches. The knobs are decent value too and quality is about the same as similar onses from most other suppliers. Never had any problems with the common IC types or BJT transistors, but would steer clear of Germanium or JFET from there

Otherwise if you can order larger quantities of each component at a time, then caps, resistors, diodes can be pretty good value from Bitsbox, carriage charges are reasonable and delivery is only usually a couple of days. IC's do vary a lot in price though so can be worth shoppping around for better deals eslewhere.

Switch Electronics have some good multibuy deals for LED's, stripboard, jack sockets and toggle switches, Quality is good and delivery is usually only a couple of days. Their ebay shop http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/led-essential?_trksid=p3984.m1436.l2754 is a bit cheaper than their own web shop as well.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/1141nigel?rt=nc  usually has a few deals on 7660S charge pumps, I've bought about 40 off him in total and they have all tested ok with high gain drive and as invertors (unboxed and hooked up to breadboard)

http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/dunkuk?rt=nc has 3PDT footswitches and nice heavy duty jack sockets at reasonable prices

For various sizes of ensclosures, both of the following have some decent multibuy deals and quick delivery
http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/twohundred200?_trksid=p3984.m1436.l2754
http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/timetravelaudio?_trksid=p3984.m1436.l2754

A bit hit and miss for having any stock, but best value I've found so far for 125B enclosures in UK
http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/petersen_engineering?_trksid=p2053788.m1543.l2754

Hope all of this is of help

[Muadzin]

I don't build much these days, but I was also subject to the highway robbery service that they euphemistically call customs. Funny how multinationals hardly have to pay any taxes yet we get charged big time just for importing some stuff? I guess someone has to make up for it. Enough soapboxing. When I did order stuff from Tayda (or Smallbear for that matter) I made sure to keep my orders small. Any order big enough to fit in a box would always get taxed, so best to keep it small enough so it can fit in one of their envelopes. With coupons I never ordered more then $45 in parts. And since their envelopes only list the contents as $25 in parts that usually was enough to sail under the radar of the Dutch highway robbery service. In two years time I got only robbed once by them and I usually placed 2 orders a month. And one envelope usually had enough parts for me to build 2 full pedals, enclosures, pots, parts, the works, and a few miscellaneous extra parts to round out my order.

So I don't know how big your orders are, or if they highway robbers have stepped up their game, but my advice would be to keep your orders small and if you want a lot, spread them out. Coupons usually last for a couple of days. Order, once Tayda mails your order has been shipped (very important, lest they combine it for you, in which case you will get robbed), then order again. Rinse and repeat for as long as the coupon lasts. Even if one order gets hit by customs, chances are not all of them will.

[Hozy31]

I buy shit loads from Tayda and have only had to pay customs twice, once when i went over $100 and the other when i used faster delivery which didn't end up faster as it went through customs.

[Sensei Tim]

are you guys 100% sure that their alpha pots are legit?

I remember when they started carrying WIMA caps that it was suspected that they were either fakes or non-conforming parts and it was confirmed a few months later that they were fakes (I think)

Tim

[Pavlos]

weeeell, I can only speak from my own experience, which is that what they bill as Alpha pots, consistantly look, feel and swork like good quality items, so judging by collective experience it all looks pretty good there .......granted, they can (Like many others) be a tad iffy for some things, but they do at least seem pretty reliable for others though. So as in all things, a bit of common sense and caution can go a long way. Some suppliers can be very good for some things but atrocious for others, wheras another supplier might well be great at great at covering those pitfalls but fall down really badly in other ways.

Personally, I shop around a bit for components, it's worked quite well so far and the advice and experinces of others has been pretty reliable so far. For me,Tayda have a place, but only for some things, others have found their own places as well........ but none of them are a one stop shop.... YMMV :o)

[Travis]

I think it’s kinda like this.. if you buy a Dewalt chop saw or table saw from Home Depot for example, you get a different tool compared to what you would get from most other stores. Home Depot gives the manufacturer a price they are willing to pay per unit, and the manufacturer will use a cheaper motor etc to bring the item down to Home Depot’s price

I think Tayda is ordering a different spec pot from Alpha, presumably as inexpensively as possible. If you notice they feel much tighter than alpha pots you buy elsewhere. I like the way they feel, and haven’t had any issues with quality or reliability on those particular parts, so I like them.

Pavlos had a great post above but the only thing I disagree with is that Tayda sells nice knobs. IMO their knobs tend to be the worst unless you buy from another place that sells the same knockoff knobs, but they have a few types that aren’t bad.

EDIT: I also don’t think the WIMA caps are fake but you can actually get them cheaper from Mouser who have a perfect and well deserved reputation (along with a far greater selection)