12 votes

Anyone order a USB cable lately?

OK, so this is kind of a weird question, but has anyone here ordered a USB cable recently, and if so, how long did it take to arrive? I ordered a 3 meter USB A male to USB A male cable on June 27th from NewEgg, who have been fairly reliable in the past. I got an email later that day or the next saying the shipping label had been printed. So I thought, OK, it will go out in the next day or two. It still hasn’t shipped. After about 2 weeks of waiting, I ordered another one from B&H Photo. It also hasn’t arrived yet. I know there is a global chip shortage. Would that affect cabling too? It just seems odd that it’s taking so long to get a single USB cable. Anyone else experience this or am I just unlucky this month?

7 comments

  1. [3]
    Comment deleted by author
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    1. [2]
      vord
      (edited )
      Link Parent
      eBay is surprisingly good these days. Newegg is still good so long as you avoid the 3rd party sellers, though I agree they are a shadow of their former selves.

      eBay is surprisingly good these days.

      Newegg is still good so long as you avoid the 3rd party sellers, though I agree they are a shadow of their former selves.

      9 votes
      1. joplin
        Link Parent
        Oh man, thanks for that! I hadn't realized they'd fallen so far. That's too bad. I don't know how these companies think they aren't hurting their own brand when they let other companies sell stuff...

        Oh man, thanks for that! I hadn't realized they'd fallen so far. That's too bad. I don't know how these companies think they aren't hurting their own brand when they let other companies sell stuff on their website and do such a shitty job. This is why I don't buy from Amazon anymore.

        2 votes
  2. [2]
    JXM
    Link
    I think you're unlucky. Whenever I need a new USB cable, it's usually an "I need it now" situation so I just go to Best Buy and get their generic brand cable. When it comes to ordering online,...

    I think you're unlucky. Whenever I need a new USB cable, it's usually an "I need it now" situation so I just go to Best Buy and get their generic brand cable.

    When it comes to ordering online, I've had really good luck with Monoprice and Amazon Basics branded stuff.

    7 votes
    1. joplin
      Link Parent
      Thanks for the data point! I forgot about Monoprice. If it doesn’t arrive in the next few days I’ll give them a try.

      Thanks for the data point! I forgot about Monoprice. If it doesn’t arrive in the next few days I’ll give them a try.

      2 votes
  3. [2]
    cfabbro
    (edited )
    Link
    Strangely enough, I actually ordered two different sets of USB cables recently from Amazon. Both were ordered on July 18th, and one set arrived July 20th, but the other didn't arrive until July...

    Strangely enough, I actually ordered two different sets of USB cables recently from Amazon. Both were ordered on July 18th, and one set arrived July 20th, but the other didn't arrive until July 31st. However, I knew that one would arrive way after the other since it was shipping from China, while the other was from the US. The one from China had an initial estimated delivery date of Aug 12th though, so it actually arrived way ahead of schedule, which was a pleasant surprise.

    p.s. I would highly recommend getting a similar set of retractable 3-in-1 (C+micro+lightning) USB cables for those situations where you need a variety of shorter cables on hand. They are super portable, incredibly convenient, and perfect for keeping in an EDC tech bag. And they have worked so surprisingly well for me, and gotten so much use already, that I am even considering getting a set of retractable Cat5e, HDMI and Aux cables now too.

    3 votes
    1. joplin
      Link Parent
      Woah! Looks cool! Thanks for the suggestion.

      Woah! Looks cool! Thanks for the suggestion.

      1 vote
  4. patience_limited
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    I literally just got right-angled USB-C cables the week before last that I needed for an essential trip. The old one broke... Amazon, arrived in 2 days. I despise Amazon, but didn't think of...

    I literally just got right-angled USB-C cables the week before last that I needed for an essential trip. The old one broke... Amazon, arrived in 2 days. I despise Amazon, but didn't think of anywhere else I could be assured of rapid delivery.

    2 votes