When it comes to buying parts for your 3D printer or RC cars or even modules and sensors for your Arduino, Indian makers do not have that many choices that offer quality products for reasonable prices, compared to what available to foreign makers. Though there has been a surge in these online market places sprouting up everywhere in India, some of them as startups, not many of them offer good service to this rather amateur business sector. I’m not talking about sites like Amazon, eBay or Flipkart or anything but e-commerce websites that exclusively sell products for makers and DIYers. The problem with websites like eBay is that they simply don’t care. They know that they’re not going to profit much from selling Arduinos in contrast to selling TVs and mobile phones. In fact, they’re the most awful places to buy DIY parts and eBay being the shittiest. Because anybody with a little knowledge of electronics and a import license can start selling on these platforms with copy pasted descriptions and images downloaded from the internet. They do not care about quality, product specifications or customer service.
This is where the importance of exclusive maker stores. A good number of them know what they’re doing such as new products and trends among makers. I’ve bought parts from many of such websites. So here I’m going to list some of the e-commerce stores based in India to buy DIY parts from. I don’t have experience with all of them but I’ll list them anyway so that you’ll have as many choices as possible. I’ll sort them based on the range and quality of products, shipping and return policies, website, product specification and price, starting from the best.
Rhydolabz
RhydoLabz is an ISO certified R&D company based in Cochin, Kerala and is one of the best, not if the number one, place to buy parts for your DIY projects. They offer the best quality of products, both imported and manufactured. They’re official distributor for Arduino, SparkFun, Dorji and many other international vendors. Their R&D team design, develop and manufacture electronic products in house without skimping on quality. But a consequence of that is the high price tags.
Location : Cochin, Kerala, India
Website : www.rhydolabz.com
Pros : Range of high quality and genuine products, proper product specification, great customer support, dedicated wiki page for quality tutorials, fast and intuitive website and free shipping for orders above Rs.2K.
Cons : Relatively high price, lack of some parts.
EVELTA
Evelta has a good number of DIY parts and tools with appropriate descriptions and images. The clean and friendly website makes it’s easy to browse through different product categories. All products are fairly priced.
Location : Mumbai, India
Website : www.evelta.com
Pros : Friendly website, good collection of products, fair prices and free shipping on orders above Rs.1K.
Cons : Lack of 3D printer and RC parts.
SUNROM
Sunrom electronics is an electronic component distributor based in Ahmadabad, Gujarat. Their product category includes a large number of semiconductor products that are most demanded by makers. The website is straight forward and easy to use with full specifications of all products with quality images and links to related resources.
Location : Ahmadabad, Gujarat, India
Website : www.sunrom.com
Pros : Wide range of products including semiconductor proctors, fair prices, easy to use website, proper product documentation.
Cons : No free shipping (fixed shipping charge), lacks 3D printer and RC parts.
Robu.In
This is a complete DIY store with 3D printer, RC and robotic parts. They have both original and clone versions of Arduino and many other products, all listed with accurate descriptions in an easy to navigate website. All products are fairly priced.
Location : Pune, India
Website : www.robu.in
Pros : Large selection of parts especially 3D printer parts, fair prices, friendly website, free shipping for orders above Rs.2K, and has a dedicated tutorial page with many videos.
Cons : Lack of semiconductor products such as ICs and transistors.
SparkPCB
This is a new website I recently came to know about. They have a good collection of widely used components and modules with the best prices I’ve ever seen. The great customer service, simple website, proper product specifications makes this site a DIYer’s heaven. On a mail, they said that they’ll be extending their product categories and improving their service even further.
Location : Chandigarh, India
Website : www.sparkpcb.com
Pros : User friendly website, exceptional prices, great customer support and free shipping for all orders above Rs.500 to anywhere in India.
Cons : Lack of components, incomplete product specifications and images for some products.
Robokits India
Robokits India (also Robotkis World) is a key player in Indian embedded and robotics market. Established in 2007 and is based in Ahmadabad, India, they have a huge collection of robotic parts including industrial motors and their controllers, wheels, batteries, robotic platforms and even CNC machines.
Location : Ahmadabad, Gujarat, India
Websites : www.robokits.co.in, www.robokitsworld.com
Pros : Large collection of robotic parts, accurate product specifications.
Cons : Not so great website, huge prices for some products, product pages only have one or two low resolution images.
MG Super Labs
They’re an official distributor of Arduino/Genuino in India and therefore has genuine Arduino boards and shields. Their range of products include Intel boards, 3D printers, semiconductors, robotic platforms among others. They also features components from SparkFun, Pololu and Dagu.
Location : Nagpur, India
Website : www.mgsuperlabs.co.in
Pros : Genuine products from international vendors.
Cons : Hard to navigate website, no free shipping.
Robomart
Robotmart is a true robot store. Their list has almost all the parts to build robots including variety of motors, chassis, gears and all and everything is fairly priced. They have a YouTube channel on which they share videos on robotic kits and parts.
Location : Noida, India
Website : www.robomart.com
Pros : Large selection of robotic parts, easy to navigate website, good product documentation, fair prices and return policy.
Cons : No free shipping, single image per product, and that too of low quality.
Inkocean
InkOcean is a company based in Bangalore, India who actually sources products from Hong Kong. Though they have a warehouse in India, most of the products are shipped from Hong Kong when ordered. This adds a delay of 7-12 days to the order to reach you. Their website is based on Magento eCommerce platform and it’s not that great and most of the products lacks accurate specifications and images. The specifications are mostly copy pasted. But the best thing about them is the range of products that no other websites can not furnish and the prices. They have a fixed shipping charge. These are the reasons why I keep buying from them.
Location : Bangalore, Karnataka, India (main warehouse at Hong Kong)
Website : www.inkocean.in
Pros : Unmatched range of products, great prices, fixed shipping charge, good customer service.
Cons : Not so great website, lacking product specifications and good images, product delivery delay.
Robohaat
They have a nice and fast website with all the products categorized to be easily found. As they are based in Nehru Place, New Delhi, all their products are relatively cheaper.
Location : Nehru Place, New Delhi
Website : www.robohaat.com
Pros : Fast and nice website, low priced products, proper product specifications with images, weight based shipping charge that makes sense.
Cons : Lack of many products, no free shipping.
Robokart
This is a Mumbai based distributor of embedded boards, 3D printer and quadcopter parts. They have a nice website but with some minor bugs. The best things about them are the prices and good product description with proper images. They have a large collection of 3D printer parts even many types of nuts and bolts.
Location : Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Website : www.robokart.com
Pros : Nice website, fair prices, good product documentation, many type of project kits and great customer support.
Cons : Minor bugs in website, single (but exact) image per product, no free shipping.
Protocentral
Protocentral not only sell genuine boards but they also design and manufactures some variety of products that you may not find anywhere else. They also sell products from Adafruit, SparkFun and Seed Studio among others. All products are listed with quality images and specifications.
Location : Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Website : www.protocentral.com
Pros : Easy to navigate website, good product documentation, genuine and high quality products from international vendors, own design house with active project development, free international shipping.
Cons : As most products are from foreign vendors, they’re not cheap.
Leaf Bird
Leaf Bird is a startup based in New Delhi. They design and manufactures all their products and all of them are of high quality. Their Arduino equivalent board is called Leafduino.
Location : New Delhi, India
Website : www.leafbird.in
Pros : Design and manufactures all their products, easy to navigate website, fair prices.
Cons : Unavailability of other most demanded products such as Arduino boards, motors, 3D printer parts etc, no free shipping.
REES52
They have a good collection of quadcopter parts, robotic parts, Arduino boards, modules and more. All products are fairly priced and are well documented. The website is easy to navigate and all orders above Rs.1K qualifies for free shipping.
Location : New Delhi, India
Website : www.rees52.com
Pros : Friendly website, fair prices, large collection of components and free shipping.
Cons : No 3D printer parts.
Electron Components
They have large selection of products all categorized well. The website is similar to Fab to Lab’s, so not that nice. But all product pages include proper specifications and their prices are fair.
Location : Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Website : www.electroncomponents.com
Pros : Large selection of products, fair prices and product documentation.
Cons : Not so nice website, no free shipping, no high quality images of products.
Kits N Spares
Kits N Spares is a partner website of element14. You can buy most of the products found in element14 websites in less quantities from Kits N Spares plus many electronics project kits and development boards. But you won’t find RC or 3D printer parts here.
Location : New Delhi, India
Website : www.kitsnspares.com
Pros : Many DIY kits, availability of element14 parts.
Cons : Does not have 3D printer or RC parts or Chinese products.
Thingbits
Thingbits only sell high quality products, mostly sourced from Adafruit, SparkFun and Arduino/Genuino. All products are well documented with high quality images and specifications.
Location : Mumbai, India
Website : www.thingbits.net
Pros : High quality and genuine products from international vendors, user friendly website and product documentation.
Cons : No cheaper Chinese products are available, no free shipping.
Explore Embedded
Explore Embedded is an R&D company who designs and manufactures embedded development boards and modules. They’re a new website so there isn’t many products in all the categories. Products are documented very well with high resolution images.
Location : Bangalore, India
Website : www.exploreembedded.com
Pros : Design and manufactures own high quality products, user friendly website, tutorials page, free shipping for orders above Rs. 2.5K.
Cons : Not many products, relatively higher prices.
Roboshop
They have a nice and easy to navigate website with a good number of products. But all product prices are higher than other stores.
Location : Noida, India
Website : www.roboshop.in
Pros : Easy to navigate website.
Cons : No free shipping, high prices.
Robosoft Systems
They specializes in robotic kits and parts and do not sell Arduino or their clones. So the product list is limited but available ones are fairly priced.
Location : Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Website : www.robosoftsystems.co.in/roboshop
Pros : Fairly priced robotic kits and parts.
Cons : No Arduino boards and shields, no free shipping.
Extreme Electronics
They have variety of products except Arduino boards and shields. Unlike many other stores all of their product pages include multiple high resolution images. That’s a good thing. The website is not a tidy one but acceptable. All products are fairly priced.
Location : Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, India
Website : www.store.extremeelectronics.co.in
Pros : Fairly priced products, high quality product images.
Cons : No Arduino boards, shields, no free shipping.
Campus Components
One thing like about them is the product documentation; all products have accurate descriptions, specification and even links to resources, which resembles rhydoLabz. They do not have 3D printer or RC parts but the rest is enough for usual makers. All products are fairly priced.
Location : Pune, India
Website : www.campuscomponent.com
Pros : User friendly website, good selection of products including semiconductors, accurate descriptions and images and fair prices.
Cons : No 3D printer or RC parts, no free shipping.
DIY-India
DIY-India mainly focuses on robotics, 3D printing and CNCs. They have all parts for 3D printers and even 3D printer kits ready to be assembled. All components seem to be reasonably priced. The website is easy to navigate and product pages have correct specs.
Location : Chennai, Tamilnadu, India
Website : www.diy-india.com
Pros : Good collection of 3D printer and CNC parts, easy to use website, reasonable prices.
Cons : No RC parts or other shields or modules, no free shipping.
Explore Labs
They have a good number of products including genuine and clone Arduino versions, Intel boards, multicopter and 3D printer parts. The only catch is the hidden prices, though they displays both the prices anyway.
Location : Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India
Website : www.explorelabs.com
Pros : Good collection and product documentation.
Cons : Hard to navigate website, huge prices, and no free shipping.
RCDhamaka
RCDhamaka is a one stop shop for RC parts. They have everything from motors, ESCs, propellers to complete RC car, plane and boat kits. They also have a variety of combustion engines too.
Location : Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Website : www.rcdhamaka.com
Pros : Complete shop for RC hobbyists with return and refund policy.
Cons : Some products do not have images and no free shipping, not for all DIYers.
TECHDELIVERS
Here you’ll see huge collection of ICs, robotic and RC parts in an easy to navigate website. They even have a dedicated section for drilling parts.
Location : Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India
Website : www.techdelivers.com
Pros : Huge collection of RC parts and friendly website.
Cons : No 3D printer parts, not many embedded boards, and no free shipping.
DNA Technology
They have large number of semiconductor products in their inventory. Others include Raspberry Pi, Arduino boards, shields robot parts. They also have a dedicated tutorial page.
Location : Nashik, Maharashtra, India
Website : www.dnatechindia.com
Pros : Large collection of semiconductor products and friendly website with accurate descriptions.
Cons : No 3D printer or RC parts, and no free shipping.
Component7
Though they have all the categories, not many products are there in them. Not many RC or 3D printer parts and products are priced a bit higher than usual.
Location : Lucknow and Bangalore, India
Website : www.component7.com
Pros : Many tools and fasteners, user friendly website.
Cons : Not many products and no free shipping.
Hacktronics India
Hacktronics is another distributor from Bangalore. They have 100s of products in multiple categories. Bu the website is not easy to navigate and is inconsistent at some places, for example the currency and price. It’s not a perfect or near perfect website. Another thing is that their prices are tax exclusive, means the original price will only be calculated at checkout.
Location : Bangalore, India
Website : www.hacktronics.co.in
Pros : Good number of products (some rare ones like timers).
Cons : Hard to navigate website, hidden prices, and no free shipping.
The Engineer Store
This store, similar to Thingbits, sells high quality and expensive stuff. They have a great collection of development boards and modules from international vendors like Adafruit, Seed Studio, Intel, Beagle Board, LinkIt and even Groove modules. There are more than 200 semiconductor products, connectors, motors and all. The website is a standard one with friendly UI. All good except there’s a catch; there are no product descriptions!
Location : Bangalore, India
Website : www.theengineerstore.in
Pros : High quality products from foreign vendors, great website, good number of semiconductor products.
Cons : No product descriptions, expensive products, no free shipping.
Sonline Shop
Sonline Shop doesn’t have Arduinos or Raspberry Pis; but what they have is a large collection of passive, active components, connectors, switches and tools. The website is easy to navigate and the product pages include accurate descriptions.
Location : Coimbatore, Tamilnadu, India
Website : www.sonlineshop.com
Pros : Large collection of passive and active components, reasonable prices, return policy.
Cons : No Arduinos, modules, or robot parts, no free shipping.
Fab To Lab
They have an insanely large collection of boards, modules and tools I’ve never seen before. Just take a look at their boards category to understand what I’m saying. Still their list is missing some products AFAICS.
Location : Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Website : www.fabtolab.com
Pros : Large selection of development boards, proper specifications.
Cons : Insanely huge prices for some basic products (a Rs.150 character LCD 16×2 costs Rs.4150 !), slow website, hard to find parts due to the large collection, bad organization and poor search feature.
Tenet Technologies
Besides the large collection of development boards, they also make boards and modules with their branding. Prices are relatively high and some basic products such as character LCDs have unbelievable prices. I wonder how these guys price their products!
Location : Bangalore, Karnataka, India
Website : www.tenettech.com
Pros : Large collection of development boards
Cons : Insanely high prices, hard to find products from website, no free shipping.
Project Point
Has all the categories but not many products. The site is easy to navigate and products have exact images.
Location : Allahabad, India
Website : www.projectpoint.in
Pros : Simple and easy website, availability of many active and passive components.
Cons : Not many products, no 3D printer or RC parts, no free shipping.
SNS Cart
The main problem with them is the slow website (dead slow) ! They also do not have many products or categories.
Location : Kolkata, India
Website : www.snskart.in
Pros : Reasonable prices.
Cons : Slow website, less number of components and no free shipping.
Following are the rest of the websites I do not have any comments on.
- http://probots.co.in
- http://www.ventor.co.in
- http://www.onlinetps.com
- http://www.entesla.com
- https://www.crazypi.com
- http://products.li2.in
- http://edubotix.in
I know this list is not complete. If you think I missed any nice website that you know and have any experience with any of these sites, please feel free to share it. I will try to refine this list based on your feedback. It took me a good deal of time to compile this list. Hope this helps.
