It might not look like a bad thing to buy circuit board from an intermediary to a novice. If you do not understand how things work, you would buy PCB from an intermediary and recommend it to others. However, there are a thousand and one reasons why you should not do this in your rest. 

The process of buying PCB from an intermediary or broker might take a lot of your time. You are probably searched for the right channels to buy PCB, but your search has been futile, and it feels like the only option you have is to go through an intermediary. This article will remind you of some precautions.

Intermediaries Are Not Trustworthy

Many people who buy circuit boards through intermediaries have proven that this service’s quality is not very good, and all the fact that brokers want is to make money from it—usually the case with intermediaries. To keep profits, many of these brokers appear to be charging extra tariffs on PCB buyers.

When you buy PCB from a broker, you can not be sure that they will help you if you have any issues. They do not have you at heart. What they care about is the money you will pay to them. Once they understand, they get you out of the trouble and find the next one to persuade and profit from them. That is how most intermediaries in almost all industries are.

They inflate product prices for the final consumer as they seek to make excessive profits. You should not trust them enough to buy from them, especially if you have better alternatives. 

You Need to Pay Certain Fees to The Middleman

It is no longer news that a product is more expensive when you buy from a broker than when you buy directly from the manufacturer due to the amount that brokers charge on each product. Some brokers take up to 20% to 40% charges when you buy circuit boards from them, which is unjustifiable. If you can avoid it, you do not have to lose that much money through this extortion payment.

Apart from these high charges, brokers, by nature, tend to inflate the price when you are buying PCB from them. If you add this to the extra tariff they are charging, circuit boards’ cost becomes much higher than the price that manufacturers sell them and intend to sell. Like you, the final consumer is the ones bearing the brunt of the middleman is greed. 

You can save yourself a lot of money when you buy PCBs from the right channel, the manufacturer, instead of through a broker.

Does the Middleman Have a Reliable PCB Supplier?

Another primary reason you should not trust intermediaries enough to buy circuit boards from them is that you do not know who their suppliers are and whether they are reliable.

You will have more problems to handle if the brokers you are buying PCB from are not trustworthy, and they have suppliers who are just like them. 

You may need to deal with longer broker chains, as some brokers disguise themselves as PCB manufacturers.

As a buyer, You must be very careful and with whom you buy goods. You might think you are buying directly from the manufacturer, and they are even offering you what you think is the best price deal. But in fact, you have to contact the manufacturer is disguised as a broker; you may be at risk of buying counterfeit goods.

Few things help you to know if you are buying PCB from the wrong people, and the following tips may help you do just that: 

1. They offer other services like components, assembly, and cables, apart from PCBs.
2. The sales office name (ABC technology) is slightly different from the factory name (ABC circuits).
3. They have a sales office in the US or Hong Kong, but the factory is in mainland China. 
4. The email address of the salesperson is different from the manufacturer is email. 
5. The seller uses a phrase such as our manufacturing facilities. A sentence like this one implies that the companies involved in the process are more than one. 

• The company name on the invoice is different from the one on the Remit-to address. 
• The address on the quote is different from the one on the factory is ISO or UL certificate. 

When you see such red flags, run! 

You Can not Communicate Directly With the PCB Manufacturers.

It has been decades that PCB buyers started to buy circuit boards from overseas manufacturers. When intermediaries came in, they were necessary and vital as they helped to deal with the many problems that came with buying PCB from a distant part of the world. 

But with the level of sophistication that we now have and the advances that we have made in technology, the role of intermediaries or brokers is no longer necessary. Buyers can now buy PCB online, directly from the manufacturers, and enjoy many benefits through that. 

It is a lot easier to buy directly from the manufacturers than to waste your time and resources buying from a broker. 

Another advantage to this is that when you buy circuit boards directly from manufacturers, you can quickly build a relationship with them that allows you to continue to relate with them. It makes it easier for you to resolve any issues you might have with the circuit boards. You do not have this privilege when you buy from intermediaries. 

You Can not Completely Trace the Source of the Product. 

When you buy PCBs from a broker, you probably do not know the manufacturers to buy Ifrom. This means that you take whatever board the broker gives you without being able to ascertain the source. You might be lucky to get the right product at a hefty price, but you pay an excessive amount for a substandard printed circuit board in many other cases. 

The old Latin phrase, Caveat emptor, which in English means the buyer should beware, applies to anybody who wants to buy PCB from intermediaries rather than directly from the manufacturer or supplier. Because you cannot track the origin of the product. You do not know it is good or bad, and whether it is homemade. You can not tell if the broker is trustworthy or the supplier is reliable. Additionally, you have to pay an exorbitant price to buy it. 

Does the PCB Supplier Give You the Best Price?

It is impossible to get the best price rate when you buy PCB from a broker. No price rate can beat the price that comes directly from the manufacturer. When you purchase PCBs through intermediaries, the price rate runs through the roof. 

Brokers Increase the Cost of Your Product 

If, for any reason, you buy PCB from a broker, this will increase the cost of the PCB you are buying. This is because the brokers want to make a profit from reselling the product to you. Secondly, they will charge you for whatever tariffs are on the individual product. So, you will be spending more money to buy PCBs from brokers than you would if you buy directly from manufacturers.

WELLPCB Can Provide You 

If you are looking for the right channel to buy circuit boards, you should look no further than WELLPCB. As manufacturers, we can provide you with the best PCBs at the best price rate. By buying PCB from us, you can cut out the stress that comes with buying through brokers and save unnecessary expenses. You can also relate with us directly if you need to make any clarifications or have any issues to resolve.

Summary 

If you are looking for the right place to buy circuit boards, you can never find it with a broker or middleman. The ideal place to buy PCB is from the manufacturers. That is the best way to protect your business and ensure that you do not lose money unnecessarily at middlemen’s hands. If you find it challenging to identify the right suppliers, then you are in the right place. WELLPCB can help you and provide you with the best PCBs.