$120 in NOS ICs shipped in clear plastic bags?!?!

[jwin615]

So, I received my most recent order from a reputable vendor now located in Massachusetts we all know and love. I won't name it here but IYKYK. Apparently the new ownership is now ok in mailing out $16 BBDs and $9CMOS chips in clear non-ESD baggies as my entire order, save a couple of LDRs and transistors?, was shipped like this. In total, it was $120-130 of my $180 order of NOS ICs shipped like this.
As far as the other transistors and such, I'm not stressed on that but the ICs really got me. It was the end of a long and frustrating week and I sent them way to long of an email, which isn't really like me but alas, I did anyway.
I hope this was poor oversight of a new employee that didn't know any better and not a common occurrence moving forward. I'm hesitant to even use some of these chips fearing their premature failure. Some of these are for(at costs) commissions for some friends and for gifts for family. Thankfully, I suppose, it's August and not November and the humidity is still on our side.
I'll update if and when I hear something back and if they offer any resolution. I'm not adding these to my inventory though. First, I'll need to find a couple dozen pink bags. I used my last extras on some Russian stuff from Alexer1 last week. Even then, I'll have to mark them somehow as SBmaybebad or something and only use them as last ditch or for bench testing. I have too much pride to hand if off to a friend to take on your for it to maybe one day randomly lose its ghost.
It appears their storefront is by appointment only now for the next month. Maybe there's some staffing issues or something. I feel like we've all been waiting for them to "get their s**t together for the last year but I can't help but feel that maybe they're just in over their heads, which sucks because gatherings up all these parts from various other places would have tacked up a huge shipping amount.
Also, I'll add that I'm very aware that the pink poly bags are by no means 100% protection. But I have a wrist strap and practice proper grounding when building as well as at work.
Anyway. What would you guys do?
Also, if you think ESD is some false boogieman, I'd recommend this for viewing. It's a little dated in the science but by and far the most amusing ESD education I've ever viewed.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Uk5F3rQNUkU&feature=share9
23-33 minutes, particularly at 28 minutes is required viewing for the class.

[madbean]

ESD bags are really not very expensive in bulk and I use them when shipping ICs. Not for transistors though. Anyway, yeah they should be used IMO.

[jessenator]

Our favorite electrically ecstatic Aussie also talks about it. I didn't know any better until recently, but yeah, it's a matter of esd resist (pink bags, foam, etc) vs esd protection (rated material).

The mylar-looking bags are the ones I use now for all my semiconductors. Even the foam isn't sure-fire. I guess I've been lucky with the ones sent from Tayda    I mean, all you have to do is see how a place like DigiKey or Mouser ships their semiconductors, and that should tell you everything. In fact I just ordered some and it got in yesterday. Everything, regardless of the intermediate stable packing medium, in esd protective bags.*

I've been known to rant about a reseller with their marketing language, but this kind of thing is more tried and empirically valid. As Bean said, they're not expensive and it's cheap insurance for such an investment.

edit: morning brain…
*It's impressive that even though a fab/manufacturer has their own intermediate packing, Mouser still packs it in proper ESD bags

[cabintech]

Proper ESD bags are cheap. We ship EVERYTHING in them, even passive components because it makes order packing simple and foolproof, no question about what to pack in, it all goes in the ESD bag. I have to think this was just an oversight, anyone in this business for a long time knows ESD is not a joke.

[lars]

E.S.D.
Elmo says, "die".

[gordo]

That's crazy.  Mouser gets a bit carried away, but at least I know the contents are going to be just fine.

[jwin615]

I still don't know what to think of this. Some bags had hand written labels on them in child like lettering. I'm leaning towards just returning a lot of it but this whole thing makes me consider just not taking my money there anymore. That, and I have projects planned around these parts.
If they're willing to do this, what's stopping them from having someone in a fleece hoodie bagging up parts in the winter, casually zapping along their merry way?

[jwin615]

That's crazy.  Mouser gets a bit carried away, but at least I know the contents are going to be just fine.

They do, but I priced and ordered some mylar bags after this. The small business card type are under 4 cents a piece in qty of 100.  Pink poly even less. I can only imagine that mousers qty negates much of that even. They probably only stock a few sizes for ease, hence why 10 resistors come in a square foot bag. But if everything ships in ESD bags, nothing doesn't. Can't screw up.

[jwin615]

I'm moved the pana 3007s to a spare pink bag.
4x 3208, 4x 3207, OPAs. Not cheap chips...

[madbean]

I still don't know what to think of this. Some bags had hand written labels on them in child like lettering. I'm leaning towards just returning a lot of it but this whole thing makes me consider just not taking my money there anymore. That, and I have projects planned around these parts.
If they're willing to do this, what's stopping them from having someone in a fleece hoodie bagging up parts in the winter, casually zapping along their merry way?

I think giving them honest and detached feedback is exactly the thing to do. Speaking from my own experience, any time someone provides me that type of feedback (whether good or bad) I take it as a learning opportunity and give thanks for it. A lot of small businesses live or die by customer service so give them a chance to improve. Just my 1 cent (I'm currently too poor to offer the second cent).

[WonkoTheSane]

I'd test the chips, if they work they work. There's no "half working" or damage from ESD thats partial. Its all or nothing.

I buy from them all the time, they've never done something like that to me. The one time they sent me some wrong parts I respectfully talked to them about it and they replaced them no charge.

[jwin615]

I'd test the chips, if they work they work. There's no "half working" or damage from ESD thats partial. Its all or nothing.

I buy from them all the time, they've never done something like that to me. The one time they sent me some wrong parts I respectfully talked to them about it and they replaced them no charge.

I wholeheartedly agree with everything you said except the binary work/not work. That's not how ESD always works unfortunately. If it was, my panties would currently be negative the wadded state they're in. I sent them a wordy but respectful email Friday night. It's not really even about the order, or the level of customer service for me. At this point, it doubt that they're doing the things that matter on their end that I/we will never see. I'll eat the $ on the ICs before I give them to someone else.
It's the doubt that ensues that is getting me I guess. One rat turd in a pizza box and I'm not sure about buying pizza there again, regardless of how much unlike the pizza and it's convenience.
I'm hopeful they'll reach back out with some solution next week. I've happily supported them through the new ownership and it's growing pains. I've been optimistic about it all. But the doubt in operational integrity is what eats me and I hate the most.
Hey, I ranted again, time to hang up.

P.S., Brian, never had a single issue and I'm sure you'd fix it in a second as I'll poop in your mailbox on my way to Pour Vous if you don't!

[jwin615]

I still don't know what to think of this. Some bags had hand written labels on them in child like lettering. I'm leaning towards just returning a lot of it but this whole thing makes me consider just not taking my money there anymore. That, and I have projects planned around these parts.
If they're willing to do this, what's stopping them from having someone in a fleece hoodie bagging up parts in the winter, casually zapping along their merry way?

I think giving them honest and detached feedback is exactly the thing to do. Speaking from my own experience, any time someone provides me that type of feedback (whether good or bad) I take it as a learning opportunity and give thanks for it. A lot of small businesses live or die by customer service so give them a chance to improve. Just my 1 cent (I'm currently too poor to offer the second cent).

I pretty well did that, in a late night Friday version... But I ran a busy customer fronted business for a decade and handled a ton of concerns along the way. If any emotion crept in, I'd say it was only disappointment. I'm not as concerned about these chips. I'm more concerned about what's happening there and the next chips I get.  If they don't get back, I'll scarlet letter them and save them for the breadboard of odd builds. I'm not blacklisting them or anything.  But fool me once...
But maybe they're in a hard spot and trying make it work still. Business isn't easy, especially with thousands of products.
I've had a feeling that there's been "over their head" struggles since transition, but those haven't appeared in the final delivery aside from delays. And I've always been okay with that. Humans are doing human things. I hope they're living fully and not working endlessly to fulfill my order of oddball nos parts. I'm not into the instant-uber-prime now thing. It's dumb. Sears catalog got Grandmama her stuff when it got there and she did fine. Now, well, doubt.

Damnit. Fat thumbs signing off. I'm ranting  out of boredom.
Check your sacks people. I ain't pissed. Just sad. Thanks for the free session.

[jimilee]

Oh yeah, no. I'm never buying pizza there again.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[jessenator]

Check your sacks people.

Yup. Still tumor-free. Thanks for the reminder!