New supplier. What say you?

[mklec]

Hey guys,
I'm David Miles, the owner of mklec.  I'm stoked I found this thread and want to thank you all for the honest critique.  We're striving to learn how to better serve our customers and this sort of critique is always welcome.  I tend to be a bit wordy, so let me see if I can explain a few things, then give an explanation of mklec...

Those Annoying Watermarks
I apologize for the annoyance.  We spend a tremendous amount of time photographing each component we carry so that you can be assured you're getting EXACTLY what you see and not some generic representation.  There's a reason why very few sites ever do this ... it's labor intensive and expensive.  Having worked as a professional photographer, I also know the easiest way for some people to save on labor is to rip someone else's photos off, sort of like ripping a musicians songs off.  We don't appreciate this dishonesty any more than a musician does and that's why we watermark it.  I have made the watermark more subtle and I continue to work on updating the old photos with the new watermark.  I might need to lower the opacity a little more if this is a problem though.

Limited Selection
I'll explain this a little more later, but we are doing our best to expand our selection of products.  We have to buy each item in large quantities to give you those low prices and this makes it difficult for rapid inventory expansion since we work and operate in the black and not in the red.  My wife and I decided not to go into debt and to try a much more organic startup, so I'm sorry for the lack of selection now.  As far as the limited number of pots, I do have a few other values on hand that were shipped without the mounting nuts and I'm waiting to get the nuts for them before listing them since I feel they are incomplete items without them.

Navigation Sucks
I'm certainly open to suggestions here.  I've tried organizing the categories in an easy-to-find manner, but I sure don't have it figured out and would love feedback on that.  I hate the iPhone experience was lacking .... we intentionally chose a responsive theme to accommodate mobile users since almost none of our competitors do and it just doesn't make sense not to.  So please bear with us and if you have suggestions on how to better categorize things, we're all ears.

Xicon Resistors & Component Quality
To answer the questions regarding the Xicon resistors ... these ARE genuine, high-quality Xicon resistors.  I haven't encountered the cheap, thin-lead ones that you all mention, but these definitely aren't those and we wouldn't settle for selling such crap.
This is where we stand and value quality.  We buy components that are great in price, but never at the expense of quality.  I don't believe in selling crap no matter how profitable it may be.  I don't like buying crap and I'm sure neither do any of you.  We stand behind our products and have lost quite a bit on trashing items we purchased that just sucked and couldn't be sold.  Putting junk in a customers hand is the quickest way to loose that customer.  We cannot check every component for functionality of course, but if you purchase a component that's defective from us, please don't hesitate to let us know so we can make it right.  I believe this is one way we will stand out from the rest is by providing an unmatched level of customer service.  Our moto is "People over profit" and we stand by that.

Shipping Costs Outside The US
I noticed electrosonic mentioned the shipping costs to Canada were ridiculous.  International shipping can be expensive and the system we use sometimes doesn't get it right.  If you will contact me, I can verify the shipping rate and get you the lowest rate possible.  $17.95 does sound wrong.  All of our packages are sent via USPS with tracking.  As far as matching Tayda's shipping costs ... they have an advantage.  Asian shipping costs are much lower and it also matters what trade agreements are in place between countries.  For instance, I can order an item from China and only pay $0.99 for the item and that covers shipping with tracking.  If I try to ship that same item back, it will cost me at least $8.  So our goal isn't to compete with the prices of Asian companies since that's just not possible, however for US customers at least, we have MUCH faster shipping times and of course the customer service.

Why mklec Exists...
This is the lengthier part, but will tell you a little more about our company.  First, we are a small company and we love serving people as well as enjoy relationships with our customers.  If you like the robotic transaction format of purchasing, then I suppose any place will do.  But if you have questions, need help finding parts, or just want to say hi, then we're sure to stand out.  It was one such conversation with a customer that led me to contact Mark with tagboardeffects about supplying US customers with the kits he provides.  This has led to some great conversations with our customers and I really enjoy some of the creative ideas you guys come up with.  The effects pedal kits was an awesome opportunity for us to serve a group of really cool people ... musicians.  I really appreciate the talent you all demonstrate and it's an honor to help you have some awesome gear at a fraction of the cost.

We rely heavily on our customers telling us what they need in determining what we carry.  I have no desire to compete with companies like Mouser and therefore we don't want to stock every component on the market.  Instead we focus on stocking the parts our customers need.  And of course your support and patronage helps us expand more rapidly.

The business end of things ...
I personally enjoy tinkering with electronic circuits, although I have very little time to do so with this business.  The goal is to keep driving the prices even lower as we are able to buy in even larger quantities and get it even cheaper.  We intend to pass those savings on to you.  On our end, I'm hoping to build a business that not only has honor and integrity in it's operation, but one that allows my wife and I to work together and that provides for us and our 3 daughters.  Along the way, I can only hope to make some great relationships and continue being amazed by what our customers come up with in their brilliance.


So I hope that clarifies things a little better and please continue critiquing and don't hesitate to contact/call us if there is anything we can do to serve you.  If you need parts and we don't have them, we'll do our best to find them for you and strive to give you the best prices around.  We spend a lot of time researching prices and try to price lower than others when possible so you ultimately save when shopping with us.

[MarcFive]

jimilee
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New supplier. What say you?
« on: April 24, 2014, 07:52:02 AM »
Quote
http://mklec.com/index.php?route=common/home

I lark speaks highly of these folks. Check it out. Good pricing. Curious of the quality.

I got David interested in supplying the DIY market when I bought some 1n34a's he had. He's just
starting out and is great at finding good quality stuff, cheap. I can't believe how fast he is setting up and making
a name for himself. If you need anything just give him a call, he'll find it and get it in stock. Great guy. I told him
new guys like me spend for ever trying to find parts...and that we need a more one stop shop. He's all Gung Ho to
be the best place to source pedal parts. He's new so tell him what you want him to stock.

[MarcFive]

  Oh I see David just introduced himself.

[wgc]

Awesome, I will give a try. Hope David has smd stuff

[Leevibe]

We've all heard our parents and grandparents talk about how, in the good old days, business owners and employees really worked hard to earn business based on service and an ongoing relationship with customers. Price was important too, but they believed in the idea that they got what they paid for. I think it's great that we are now getting to see the return of small business the old fashioned way.

Thanks for posting Dave! Integrity? Operating in the black? Setting an example for your daughters? You may be on to something there. Keep it up!

[Haberdasher]

looks like i'll have to try this place out

[jkokura]

Winning points for a good post that doesn't come off as slimy marketing.

Thanks David.

Jacob

[gtr2]

Cool.. Good thread all around!

Josh

[mklec]

Awesome, I will give a try. Hope David has smd stuff

Actually, I don't carry SMD parts at this time.  I can get them for you, but right now we're not stocking them since we're still building our inventory of standard sized components and want to stay focused on that.

Great hearing from you Marc!  I haven't heard from you in a while and wondered where you had disappeared to.  Thanks for the kind words and your suggestion to cater to this area of electronics.  "Gung Ho"?  Hehe, well that's definitely one way to put it, but I just strive to provide excellent customer service and great parts at a price that's more than reasonable.

We've all heard our parents and grandparents talk about how, in the good old days, business owners and employees really worked hard to earn business based on service and an ongoing relationship with customers. Price was important too, but they believed in the idea that they got what they paid for. I think it's great that we are now getting to see the return of small business the old fashioned way.

The corporate mentality snuffed this sort of thing out, but the corporate model also left a void and forgot that people are relational, not mechanical.  There's a reason why our parents and grandparents reminisce of those days and no one is holding such fond memories of modern business models.  I didn't go to business school or any of that nonsense and while I do hope to make a living at this that provides for my family, my goal most certainly isn't to see how many stores I can open and how many countries I can possibly be found in.  I'm sure that would add zeros to the bottom line, but I have yet to find money bring someone happiness or fulfillment.  I believe it's the relationships that make business and life in general enjoyable and that cannot be substituted.
If I told you all my ideas for a retail store, you'd love the concept.  It's far different than anything I've ever seen or heard of and it's all about socializing and being relational.  Anywho, being who I am is the only way I know and I'm definitely not into "marketing strategies".  Good ole word-of-mouth still carries the weight and that word will be positive if a business treats people like people, not just points of sale.
If I don't succeed, well, it's certainly fun and I'll enjoy the relationships and memories that will far outlast the money that's ever made.

[selfdestroyer]

Just got my first order from Mklec and I could not be happier. The whole process went really smooth and the Nichicon caps I got were exactly as advertised. This place is definitely on my list to order from now... cant wait to see what items they stock in the future. I did a little write up on my blog about the process.

http://music.codydeschenes.com/?p=2225

The gist of the write up of you don't feel like leaving Madbean Forums:

My first order consisted of the following:

50 x 100uF 16v Audio Grade Electrolytic Capacitor – Nichicon – $4.00
50 x 1uF 50v Audio Grade Electrolytic Capacitor – Nichicon - $4.00
50 x 4.7uF 50v Audio Grade Electrolytic Capacitor – Nichicon - $4.00
50 x 47uF 16v Audio Grade Electrolytic Capacitor – Nichicon - $4.50

Order Details:

5-7-2014 – Placed order online
5-7-2014 – Received a Stamps.com shipment notification.
5-8-2014 – Received an update from owner David Miles letting me know my package was on its way to me and thanking me for my business.
5-10-2014 – Package was delivered by USPS.

Opening the package I noticed everything was well packaged and all bags were labeled correctly and clearly.

Thanks again David.

Cody

[wgc]

I also made a small order and it went very smoothly.  So far so good!

[atreidesheir]

good news.  Life is too short to figure out if each ic, transistor, or diode from tayda is legit or not.

[flanagan0718]

I might have to check this guy out.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Maple Larynx]

Just providing some feedback on my experience with mklec.  Placed order Monday 6am from SoCal with standard (lowest cost) shipping and received items in full on Thursday from Mississippi. 
Smooth order process, good follow-up, solid packing, items clearly labeled, with a printed invoice to check the order against.  I'd do this again in a heartbeat.

Disclosure:  I do NOT work at mklec.  I just appreciate 'the little guy' trying hard to do it right.

[LaceSensor]

Anyone uk based tried?
How does price compare to rapid mouser etc?